Lepidium sativum

Lepidium sativum (garden cress) seed for fast, peppery cress and microgreens. The 'cress' in mustard and cress — germinates in days and is ready to snip in a week or two.
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    Plain Cress Seeds Lepidium Sativum Annual Vegetable
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Lepidium sativum — garden cress

Lepidium sativum is the botanical name for garden cress, a fast, peppery leaf in the cabbage family (Brassicaceae) — the familiar partner to mustard in "mustard and cress". It grows quickly enough to sit happily among our microgreens and sprouts as well as our fresh leafy greens.

History & origin

Garden cress is thought to have originated in Western Asia and the Middle East, and it has been grown for thousands of years — the Persians, Greeks and Romans all ate it, and it remains a staple from Europe to India, where the seed is used in its own right. Its speed and reliability made it one of the first plants children were given to grow, sprouted on damp cotton wool. The genus name Lepidium comes from the Greek for a small scale, a nod to the shape of the seed pods, while sativum means cultivated.

Botanical characteristics

Lepidium sativum is a quick annual that germinates within a day or two and produces a flush of small, bright green leaves with a hot, mustardy tang. Young seedlings have rounded seed-leaves; later true leaves are more finely cut and curled in some varieties. Left to grow on it bolts rapidly, sending up thin stems of tiny white flowers, so it is almost always harvested young as seedlings or microgreens. Few crops are faster or easier from seed.

Growing Lepidium sativum from seed

Cress needs no garden at all — sow thickly on damp kitchen paper, compost or a fine seedbed, keep it moist and bright, and snip the seedlings within one to two weeks. Outdoors it does best in cool conditions and light shade in summer, where it is slower to bolt. Sow little and often for a constant supply. Our guide to germinating seeds explains how to get fast, even results, and the vegetable sowing calendar shows the wider season.

Ready for the quickest leaves you'll ever grow? Browse the varieties below.

Related categories: Microgreens & Sprouts · Fresh Leafy Greens · Fast-Growing Vegetables · Arugula · All Vegetables

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How quickly does garden cress grow?
Very quickly — seed germinates within one to two days and seedlings are usually ready to harvest in seven to fourteen days, making it one of the fastest crops of all. Do I need soil to grow cress?
No. Cress grows readily on damp kitchen paper, cotton wool or a thin layer of compost on a bright windowsill, which is why it is a classic first crop for children. What is the difference between mustard and cress?
In the traditional pairing, cress (Lepidium sativum) is sown a few days before mustard so both are ready together. Cress has a peppery bite, while mustard adds extra heat. Why is my cress turning leggy and flowering?
Warm conditions and low light make it stretch and bolt fast, so grow it cool and bright, harvest young, and sow little and often for a steady supply.