Growing Upland Cress in a Pot

Today I decided to take stock in all the plants I’m growing, they’ve been long neglected. I put lots of extra water on some and repotted a few more. The one project that has been nagging at me is to pot an upland cress plant that I bought at the grocery. I’ve bought many of these and have enjoyed their peppery tasting fresh leaves.

What is upland cress? According to an article from Epicurious, think of upland cress as a baby watercress - a more tender and thinner plant than watercress. It’s scientific name is Barbarea verna, which shows it’s in a different but related genus than watercress - known as Nasturtium Officinale.

The upland cress I buy comes with its full root ball and is even in dirt and a growing medium, so the thought came, why can’t I just continuing growing this like a regular plant? I decided to turn to YouTube because I’ve found that if something can be done, there’s a YouTube video about it. 

I watched two but there was one in particular that really helped me navigate this project. John’s video below was easy to follow and showed me step by step how to successfully plant in a pot. He did add some extras to the potting mix and I am a humble gardener so I only had a few things he did. 

I also watched Robbie’s video, below here, which was entertaining but didn’t have the steps I needed to help assure me and be secure in my steps to have a healthy transfer for my cress. 

If it sounds like I’m being extremely cautious around planting/transplanting, it’s for good reason! I can have a green thumb and then a brown thumb and all my plants go dying on me - especially when I attempt a transplant. But thankfully, it hasn’t discouraged me to continue on to keep planting. 

Another reason why I’m gunning for success is that winter has come and stay at home orders with it. I will be sticking closer to home and I imagine fewer trips to the grocery store will be had and I do intend to be safe and healthy, limiting my time inside public places. 

Read.cash has given me a place to practice my green thumb (fingers crossed) and a chance to redeem myself from all the plants I’ve killed. I’m hoping by taking the community on this journey with me, I’ll keep this one alive and healthy. 

Tonight I embarked on this project. Here is my upland cress in its new home, I still just need to add the top layer of dirt.

In John’s video, he added some type of fertilizer or nutrients. While I don’t have the exact type he has, I do have this organic fertilizer handy. I sprinkled about a teaspoon’s worth on the dirt right below the plants. 

Then the last step was to water it real well, leave in a slightly shady spot and watch it grow. 

I’ll keep posting updates on this endeavor and hope you all look into growing an indoor garden for yourself. My plants have given me the small boost of positivity that is much needed in life right about now.