When should I sow garden cress?

In a typical UK garden, sow outside late March to early June, and harvest mid-April to late October. Later in Scotland, the north and frost pockets; earlier in the south-west and near the coast.

How far apart should I plant garden cress?

3 cm apart in the row, with rows 15 cm apart. In a square foot garden, that's 16 per square.

Garden cress

Lepidium sativum

In a typical UK garden, sow outside late March to early June, and harvest mid-April to late October.

When to sow, plant and harvest

Frost dates

Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.

Sow outdoors: late March to early Junelate August to early October
Harvest: mid-April to late October

Spacing: 3 cm apart, rows 15 cm apart
Square foot: 16 per square (30 cm squares)
Sowing depth: 0.5 cm
Ready in: 15 to 30 days from sowing
Grows to: 15 cm
Hardiness: Hardy to about -5 °C
Sun: Copes with some shade
Crops for: About 3 weeks

Growing tip

Sow a short row every two weeks in spring and autumn; hot, dry weather makes cress run to seed within days.

More leafy greens

Where these figures come from

Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For garden cress, we used:

Grow garden cress with VegLog

Add garden cress to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.