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How to Grow Land Cresses USA | Complete Growing Guide

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Land Cress (Barbarea verna)

A land cress rosette of deeply-lobed leaves — “Barbarea verna 2016-04-19 7994” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

4 sources cited · Verified

Land cresses (Barbarea verna) — biennial.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.

At a Glance

A cluster of small yellow land cress flowers — “Barbarea verna 2017-05-05 9594” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Barbarea verna 2017-05-05 9594” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Barbarea verna Land Cress Flea beetles PESTS

Quick Facts

A land cress rosette of deeply-lobed leaves — “Barbarea verna 2016-04-19 7994” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Barbarea verna 2016-04-19 7994” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Factor Value
Drainage Moist but well-drained
Lifecycle biennial
Edible parts leaves

Growth Stages

A single land cress flowering stem — “Barbarea verna kz08” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Barbarea verna kz08” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and germination 0 Sow direct outdoors from early spring through autumn, thinly in drills about 0.5cm deep, rows 15cm apart; germinates in 7-10 days at 10-20C (PlotMyGarden).
Rosette establishment 1 Rosette of deeply-lobed, dark green leaves develops in full sun to partial shade; partial shade preferred in summer to avoid bolting (RHS, PlotMyGarden).
Cut-and-come-again harvest 3 Leaves are cropped nearly year-round with staggered sowings; avoid overhead watering to reduce fungal disease risk (PlotMyGarden).
Second-year flowering 6 In spring or summer of its second year, upright stems bear clusters of small yellow four-petalled flowers (RHS).

Harvest & Storage

A land cress rosette of deeply-lobed leaves — “Barbarea verna 2016-04-19 7994” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Barbarea verna 2016-04-19 7994” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: RHS: "cropped virtually all year by staggering sowing dates"; plant outdoors "when large enough to handle (around 10in/25cm in height)". UMD: sow in March or September, "harvest at a few inches tall".

Storage

Best used fresh

Pests

A tall flowering land cress stem — “Barbarea verna 2017-05-05 9592” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Barbarea verna 2017-05-05 9592” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

References

  1. country=INTL

  2. country=USA

  3. country=UK

  4. country=UK

4 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team

US vegetable growing guides · Checked against USDA & Cooperative Extension guidance

Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real US growing conditions, and checked against USDA hardiness and frost-date data and Cooperative Extension growing advice before publication.

Vegetable Growing Guides USA

Last verified 2026-08-30

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