Garden cress is delicious, healthy and very easy to grow yourself. In the following we have compiled the most important key data on garden cress and its care program for you, so that your sowing is a success.
Garden cress can be harvested 5 to 7 days after sowing
A description of the garden cress
- Botanical name: Lepidium sativum
- Family: Cruciferous
- Genus: cress (Lepidium)
- Origin: probably from the Near East
- Leaves: bluish green or light green, narrow, oblong
- Flowers: white or pink, four petals
- Growth height: 20 to 60cm
- Sowing date: from May outdoors or all year round on the windowsill
- Harvest: one week after sowing
- Use: mostly raw as an accompaniment to salad, quark or cheese, but also as a spice in warm soups or dishes
- Hardiness: not hardy
growing garden cress
Contrary to what the name might suggest, garden cress grows not only in the garden but practically everywhere and even on a wide variety of substrates. Garden cress thrives not only in soil but also on cotton wool, cellulose or other surfaces on which the roots can find a foothold. Here you can find out how to sow and harvest your garden cress.
The health aspect of garden cress
Garden cress contains many healthy nutrients in high concentrations. In addition, it is almost always eaten fresh, so that hardly any nutrients are lost through storage.
Garden cress has a preventive and supportive effect against several diseases and health problems:
- It has a blood-thinning and antioxidant effect and is therefore helpful for cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure or stroke.
- Cress seeds and plants contribute to the detoxification of the body.
- Garden cress regulates digestion and has an antimicrobial effect, helping with digestive problems and a lack of appetite.
- Garden cress, especially the seeds, has an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect and can therefore be used to treat colds.
- Cress seeds successfully fight stubborn pathogens such as bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and can therefore also be taken to support severe bacterial diseases.
The nutritional values of garden cress
Garden cress is best eaten fresh because it cannot be stored for long. Then it also contains the most nutritional values. Garden cress contains per 100 grams:
- Sodium: 14mg
- Potassium: 606mg
- Protein: 2.6g
- Vitamin A: 6917
- Calcium: 81mg
- Vitamin C: 69mg
- Iron: 1.3mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.2mg
- Magnesium: 38mg
tips
Do not harvest all of the garden cress in the garden bed in summer, but leave a part so that it forms flowers and then seeds. You can eat them straight away or use them for the next sowing.