How to Grow Watercress USA

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Watercress planting
  10. Growing Watercress in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Watercress is one of the few vegetables that genuinely wants wet feet, thriving in permanently saturated, poorly drained soil or a container of potting mix stood in a tray of water that's topped up daily and fully changed every 1–2 days in warm weather; sow it indoors at a steady 46–59°F (8–15°C). Established plants tolerate cold to about -4°F (-20°C), and their peppery bite is best in cool spring and fall weather, fading once temperatures climb above 85°F (29.4°C).

The short answer

Site
soil pH 6.5–7.5
Biggest risk
Watercress root rot

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

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)

A dense bed of round-leaved watercress — “Nasturtium officinale kz06” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

10 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

A dense bed of round-leaved watercress — “Nasturtium officinale kz06” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Nasturtium officinale kz06” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6.5 - 7.5
Drainage Clay, Loam, Sand; humus-rich, permanently wet or saturated soil (aquatic/bog conditions)
Lifecycle herbaceous perennial
Edible parts leaves
Documented problems 2 diseases, 6 pests

At a Glance

Watercress growing in a shallow flowing stream — “Nasturtium officinale kz05” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Nasturtium officinale kz05” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nasturtium officinale Watercress Watercress root rot (ca… Watercress leaf spot (c… Glasshouse red spider m… Glasshouse whitefly Aphids Cabbage caterpillars Snails Slugs DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

A flowering mat of watercress spreading over wet ground — “Nasturtium officinale kz21” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Nasturtium officinale kz21” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Watercress root rot (causal agent not yet confirmed)
Watercress leaf spot (causal agent not yet confirmed)

Pests

A flowering mat of watercress spreading over wet ground — “Nasturtium officinale kz21” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Nasturtium officinale kz21” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Two-spotted red spider mite with silk threads, magnified — Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)

Tetranychus urticae

Glasshouse whitefly adult on a leaf — Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Glasshouse whitefly

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Aphididae (various spp.)

Cabbage caterpillars

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

Snails

Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Soil & Growing Conditions

Watercress growing in a shallow flowing stream — “Nasturtium officinale kz05” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Nasturtium officinale kz05” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Soil pH range

6.5 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Small white watercress flowers above the foliage — “Berro (Nasturtium officinale) en México II” by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Berro (Nasturtium officinale) en México II” by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and germination 0 Sow on moist compost in spring, or from mid-January to end of March in pots in a propagator or warm place at a constant 46-59°F (8-15°C) (Love The Garden).
Planting into water culture 1 Plant out once frost risk has passed, or pot into a 30cm container of compost stood in a shallow tray of fresh tap water; top the tray up daily and change it completely every 1-2 days in warm weather (Love The Garden).
Leafy growth 3 Plants stay low at 10-50cm but spread 0.5-1m; they thrive in constantly wet, poorly drained conditions in full sun or partial shade (RHS).
Harvest and flowering 4 Cut leaves from about 4-6 weeks in containers stood in frequently refreshed water. Small white flowers open from late spring through midsummer; plants can be increased from rooted runners in spring (Love The Garden, RHS).

Harvest & Storage

A dense bed of round-leaved watercress — “Nasturtium officinale kz06” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Nasturtium officinale kz06” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: Cut-and-come-again: pinch out dime-sized dark green leaves at any time of year, ideally before flowering; peppery flavour is best in cooler spring and fall and deteriorates above 85°F (29.4°C)

Plan your Watercress planting

When to sow and plant Watercress depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Watercress in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

These source is specific to this region. The full list of 10 sources behind this guide (GBIF, Love The Garden, Royal Horticultural Society and others) is in the references of our UK guide to watercress; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH does watercress need?

A pH of about 6.5–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect watercress?

Our data links 2 diseases and 6 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

Get the USA Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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Last verified 2026-09-02

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