Garden cress

Garden cress: plant 5 cm (2 in) apart in the row and 10 cm (3.9 in) between rows, 16 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	5 cm (2 in)
Between rows	10 cm (3.9 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	16 per square
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	15 cm (6 in)
Height when grown	35 cm (14 in)
Crop rotation group	Cabbage family
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed, started in trays
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	60
Sowing depth	0.5 cm (0.2 in)
Soil temperature	from 4 °C, best 16–21 °C
Days to emerge	2–5 days
Light while germinating	Needs light, barely cover
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 4 weeks before the last frost; outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 5 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	12–18 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	5–7 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, stays moist, pH 6–7.5
In a pot	6 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while leaves grow
Feeding	Moderate; at planting, while growing
Support and training	None needed

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	15–25 days, from sowing
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	All at once, 1–2 weeks
Sow again every	7 days
Typical yield	2–4 kg per m²
Botanical family	Brassicaceae
Watch out for	Slugs and snails, aphids, downy mildew

Plan Garden cress in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Garden cress onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow outdoors	Mar–Sep
Harvest	Apr–Oct

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Garden cress →

From the same family

Plants of the Brassicaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Home Gardening Series: Garden Cress (FSA6084) — University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension for: soil, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30
Garden Cress in the Garden — Utah State University Extension for: days to first harvest; checked 2026-10-30

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