Cress 'Beaded Cress'
Cress 'Beaded Cress'
Lepidium setatum
Very versatile filler with apple green stems and small, numerous seedpods on strong upright stems. The pods begin green and then develop a cranberry hint as they age drying a golden brown.
Versatile bouquet filler
Appealing apple green seed pods
Attractive fresh and dried
Add to it’s structural interest, it is a hardy annual which can be sown in Autumn and overwintered with protection to have the earliest harvest. For continuous harvest, sow every 4 weeks.
Use fresh and dried.
Certified Demeter Biodynamic and Certified Organic
SEED COUNT: 100 approx
Germination: Lot#31302 90% June 2024
Seed Raising, Growing and Harvest Information
| Plant Type | Site | Spacing | Height | Sowing Depth |
Days to Germination |
Days to Maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy Annual | Full Sun | 20-30cm apart | 90cm | Barely Cover | 7-14 days @ 5-18°C |
90 days |
DIRECT SOW - Sow as soon as soil can be worked. Barely cover seeds. For even germination, keep soil moist. ‘Beaded Cress’ seed responds to variable temperatures - cool nights with warmer days which break seed dormancy. Thin when first true leaves appear.
TRANSPLANT (recommended) - Sow 4-6 weeks before planting out. Sow 1-2 seeds into soil blocks or small cells . Do not put on heat pad but allow temperature to fluctuate and keep evenly moist. Harden off seedlings before transplanting outdoors. Support promotes longer, straighter stems. Do NOT pinch.
HARVEST/VASE LIFE - Harvest when seedpods are fully formed. When younger, the pods are a bright green. As they age, they develop a cranberry hint and then turn bronze. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days. Seed heads can be dried by hanging upside down in a warm, dark place until stems are firm.
NOTE – To ensure a steady supply, sow successively every 4 weeks. ‘Beaded Cress’ does hold in the field for about 3 weeks before it is more brown then green. It will self-sow and possibly become invasive if seed pods are not harvested.
