Planting Land Cress (Upland Cress)
Land Cress (Upland Cress) is a cool season vegetable in the Brassicaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
You can sow Land Cress (Upland Cress) directly into the garden 2–4 weeks before your last frost.
For a fall crop, sow 6–8 weeks before your first fall frost so plants mature as the weather cools.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Land Cress (Upland Cress) room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 4 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 8 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 4.5 |
| Planting depth | 0.25 inches |
| Sun requirement | Partial sun |
Days to Maturity
Land Cress (Upland Cress) reaches maturity in 45–55 days from sowing.
Land Cress (Upland Cress) is ready to harvest after about 50 days. Harvest before summer heat or, for fall crops, before a hard freeze, to keep quality high.
Conditions and Care
As a cool-season vegetable, Land Cress (Upland Cress) does its best growing in the cooler weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. It is frost hardy and can shrug off light freezes, so it can stay in the ground later into the season than tender crops.
Land Cress (Upland Cress) grows well in partial sun and tolerates some afternoon shade, which can help slow bolting in warm weather. Sow seed about 0.25 inches deep — small seed is sown shallow and barely covered, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Land Cress (Upland Cress) belongs to the Brassicaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Land Cress (Upland Cress) is generally grown as a single planting each season rather than succession sown.
Growing Notes
Watercress flavor without standing water.