Yates Seed of the Month

Cress
Salad Curled

If you’re after fresh salad greens, especially in the depths of winter, fast-growing cress is the answer.
Cress Salad Curled, Yates Seed of the Month for July 2008, can
germinate, grow and be ready for harvest in as little as four weeks. No
wonder it has so much appeal for impatient junior gardeners!
Generations of children have grown cress on cotton wool as a classroom
experiment. Others have used the seed to quickly create a head of curly
hair on top of a stocking toe stuffed with sphagnum moss or soil.
The easiest and most reliable way to grow cress for salads or garnishing
is to sow the seeds into pots filled with pre-moistened Yates Black Magic
Seed Raising Mix. Water gently, drain and then sit the pots on a bright
windowsill. Make sure they don’t dry out but remember, too, that indoor
pots need much less watering than those outdoors. An occasional mist
spray with water from an atomiser may be all that’s required.
After the seedlings have appeared, it’s important to turn the pot every
few days so that the plants grow straight. If kids are involved in this project, this will be a great
opportunity to explain (and perhaps even demonstrate) how, left alone, plants will always grow towards
the light.
Cress is best eaten when the plants are less than 5cm tall but if you want the decorative leaves to open
further, the plants can be left to reach up to 10cm. Harvest by cutting with scissors at the base.
Cress contains iron, potassium and other minerals as well as Vitamins A, B and C but it’s helpful to
make sure your cress plants are getting enough light to green them up. The greener they are, the more
nutritious they’ll be.
Use cress as a garnish, a salad ingredient or as a filler for sandwiches. Toss into stirfries at the end of
cooking or add to omelettes and other egg dishes. Cress is non-fattening, nutritious and adds colour
and extra texture to a wide variety of dishes.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________