American cress
Barbarea verna
A vegetable, sown March to September. It needs 4 jobs a year.
In September: sow another batch of American cress, cover it with a cloche or fleece and pick a few of its leaves at a time. It can be sown outdoors now.
Garden Helper, the free plan, holds up to 10 plants. You sign in with a link we email you, with no password.
American cress, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors. | usual | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Protect the American cress over winter. | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| Sow another batch of American cress. | usual | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Cover the American cress with a cloche or fleece. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| Pick a few American cress leaves at a time. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow outdoors March to September, 1cm deep, 20cm apart, rows 30cm apart. Moderate sources: Mr Fothergill’s and Kings Seeds.
Plant out, 20cm apart, rows 30cm apart. Moderate sources: RHS and Unwins.
Protect the American cress over winter
Use cloches or plastic-free fleece, or grow it in a coldframe or greenhouse.
Usually December to February. Moderate source: RHS.
Sow another batch of American cress
Gardeners call this successional sowing.
Sow every two to three weeks for a continuous supply of leaves.
Usually March to September. Moderate source: Mr Fothergill’s.
Cover the American cress with a cloche or fleece
Autumn sowings under cloches give leaves to pick through the winter months.
Usually September to November. Moderate source: Kings Seeds.
Pick a few American cress leaves at a time
Gardeners call this cut-and-come-again harvesting.
Usually September to November. Moderate source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “American cress” comes from.