When to sow Land cress (American cress) in the UK
Land cress (American cress) is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Land cress (American cress) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| South Coast and Channel | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| South East and Home Counties | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| East Anglia | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Wales and West Coast | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Northern England | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Northern Ireland | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early April to late August | late June to mid April |
Growing notes
A very hardy watercress substitute for damp, partly shaded ground; sow in mid- to late summer for autumn, winter and early spring picking. It runs to flower in its second year, so treat it as an annual and resow.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 30
- Days to maturity
- 60 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.1 kg
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 15 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 20 cm
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 28 days, up to about 3 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- flea beetle
- slugs
- bolting
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for land cress (american cress).