- Seeds of the MM Garden
- Planty Sowing Calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What does F1 mean on the seeds of Planty Gardening?
- African marigold - sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix - sowing and growing
- Endive - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Bush tomato - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Beet - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Chioggia beet - sowing and growing
- Cos lettuce - sowing and growing
- Butter beans - sowing and growing
- Climbing zucchini - sowing and growing
- Liquorice mint - sowing and growing
- Yellomato - sowing and growing
- Marigold - sowing and growing
- Cucumber - sowing and growing
- Cilantro - sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce - sowing and growing
- NZ spinach - sowing and growing
- Indian cress - sowing and growing
- Bok choi - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Snow pea - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Baby pumpkin - sowing and growing
- Radish - sowing and growing
- Arugola - sowing and growing
- Chard - sowing and growing
- Romano pole bean - sowing and growing
- Bacon bean - sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Bush bean - sowing and growing
- Stem lettuce - sowing and growing
- Sugar snap - sowing and growing
- Lamb's lettuce - sowing and growing
- Winter pea - sowing and growing
- Winter purslane - sowing and growing
- Winter lettuce - sowing and growing
- Carrot - sowing and growing
- Purple carrot - sowing and growing
- Sunflower - sowing and growing
- Seeds of the MM Garden
- Planty Sowing Calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What does F1 mean on the seeds of Planty Gardening?
- African marigold - sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix - sowing and growing
- Endive - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Bush tomato - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Beet - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Chioggia beet - sowing and growing
- Cos lettuce - sowing and growing
- Butter beans - sowing and growing
- Climbing zucchini - sowing and growing
- Liquorice mint - sowing and growing
- Yellomato - sowing and growing
- Marigold - sowing and growing
- Cucumber - sowing and growing
- Cilantro - sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce - sowing and growing
- NZ spinach - sowing and growing
- Indian cress - sowing and growing
- Bok choi - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Snow pea - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Baby pumpkin - sowing and growing
- Radish - sowing and growing
- Arugola - sowing and growing
- Chard - sowing and growing
- Romano pole bean - sowing and growing
- Bacon bean - sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Bush bean - sowing and growing
- Stem lettuce - sowing and growing
- Sugar snap - sowing and growing
- Lamb's lettuce - sowing and growing
- Winter pea - sowing and growing
- Winter purslane - sowing and growing
- Winter lettuce - sowing and growing
- Carrot - sowing and growing
- Purple carrot - sowing and growing
- Sunflower - sowing and growing
How to sow and grow Indian cress
What is Indian cress?
You might think it comes from India, but it actually originated in Peru. The Spainish brought it to Europe in the 17th century. It owes its name to the taste and smell of the leaves, which are similar to watercress and star cress.
Indian cress attracts aphids and cabbage white butterflies, which keeps them away from your vegetables, like dino kale and bak choi.
Indian cress is super healthy
Indian cress contains a lot of vitamin C, which inhibits bacterial, viral, and fungal growth and is good for blood circulation.
More about our Indian cress
- Species name: Indian cress
- Family: flower
- Plants per square patch: 1
- Height: about 25 cm tall with tendrils reaching up to 3 meters long
- Sowing time: mid-April and May
- Sowing depth: 2 to 3 cm
- Germination: about 15°C in 7 to 15 days
- Time to bloom: 8 to 10 weeks
- Sunlight: can grow in sun or semi-shade
Looking for Indian cress seeds? We sell seed bags separately, or you can find Indian cress seeds in our Specials seed pack.
What do you need to grow your own Indian cress?
- a 30x30 cm vegetable garden patch with airy, nutrient-rich soil mix
- Indian cress seeds
- a place with at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day
Growing Indian cress in this perfect soil mix is super easy. If you use poor-quality (potting) soil, it's much harder and the results will be disappointing. So just go for the best.
How to sow and grow Indian cress
Each vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next one.
So you don't need to know how to grow Indian cress in advance: the app takes you through every step.
But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the process looks like:
Level 1: Sowing the Indian cress
- poke 1 hole in the patch (2 - 3 cm deep)
- put 2 to 3 seeds in each hole
- carefully cover up the holes with soil mix
After about 2 weeks, you'll see something come up. It depends a bit on the weather.
Level 2: Indian cress seedlings
Then it's time for the next level.
Level 3: Thinning nasturtium seedlings
Level 4: Caring for your Indian cress plant
Level 5: Flowering Indian cress
The plants will be growing fast and producing long tendrils. If they get too big, just prune them back. Indian cress plants are tough.
What do you use Indian cress for?
Like the young leaves, they have a fresh and tangy flavor. So you can also toss the leaves in a salad.
Have a cold? Chew on a young leaf every now and then: it's good for building resistance and it helps soothe a sore throat.
The last levels
It grows fast, so just check back any shoots that get too big or look ugly.
As soon as it gets really cold and starts to freeze, the plant goes limp. It's time to empty out your patch or MM-Mini and get it ready for another round.
So: ready to sow your own Indian cress?
Plus: with our app and materials, it's practically impossible to fail 😉
Order your Indian cress seeds here or get growing with a complete starter kit:
About our seeds
- Seeds of the MM Garden
- Planty Sowing Calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What does F1 mean on the seeds of Planty Gardening?
- African marigold - sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix - sowing and growing
- Endive - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Bush tomato - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Beet - sowing and growing
- Bush basil - sowing and growing
- Chioggia beet - sowing and growing
- Cos lettuce - sowing and growing
- Butter beans - sowing and growing
- Climbing zucchini - sowing and growing
- Liquorice mint - sowing and growing
- Yellomato - sowing and growing
- Marigold - sowing and growing
- Cucumber - sowing and growing
- Cilantro - sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce - sowing and growing
- NZ spinach - sowing and growing
- Indian cress - sowing and growing
- Bok choi - sowing and growing
- Dino kale - sowing and growing
- Snow pea - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Lettuce - sowing and growing
- Baby pumpkin - sowing and growing
- Radish - sowing and growing
- Arugola - sowing and growing
- Chard - sowing and growing
- Romano pole bean - sowing and growing
- Bacon bean - sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Bush bean - sowing and growing
- Stem lettuce - sowing and growing
- Sugar snap - sowing and growing
- Lamb's lettuce - sowing and growing
- Winter pea - sowing and growing
- Winter purslane - sowing and growing
- Winter lettuce - sowing and growing
- Carrot - sowing and growing
- Purple carrot - sowing and growing
- Sunflower - sowing and growing