BS: Alternatives to Watercress?

Subject: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 12:37 AM

I'd like to grow something that does the job of watercress. A crisp spicy salad leaf that doesn't require flowing water to grow.

My first thought is 'Rocket', but are there any other less well known crisp spicy leaves out there to be had?

I'm especially interested in something easy to grow, and if possible, something that can cope with cold weather!

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 01:21 AM

Mustard sprouts come quite close.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 01:26 AM

Baby spinach

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 02:29 AM

Watercress doesn't need flowing water to grow. Just a constantly damp pot in partial shade.

Loads of advice on the 'net. See here, for example.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 03:20 AM

Sorrel. Once you've got it established it just keeps on coming.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw wondering what happened
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 04:02 AM

Rocket is the obvious thing. It grows so well in my garden that I never have to sow it. It even pops up in my flower beds. I have a good supply all year round though I have to be a bit careful to remove the stringier stalks in winter! I regard it as indispensable. It's in the same family as watercress and has the same-but-different spicy tang. "Wild rocket" was what I started with but I don't know whether that's any different to what you buy in those horrid plastic bags.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 08:26 AM

Interesting info on growing watercress, I must look into doing that.

Otherwise, anyone tried Purslane? I did one year and it seemed quite pleasant in terms of texture, but not terribly abundant. I *think* there may be a winter variety (will check).

Rocket does seem like the best option so far. Even better if it's a prolific self-seeder. Even though I love watercress, I do resent buying bags mostly full of air. A couple of handfuls and the contents are virtually gone.

I do grow Sorrel, it's more sour than spicy, which is good in it's own way. I've used it in stuff like egg sandwiches, omelette, pesto and savoury wraps, where I find it's useful as a green that cuts through and lifts other richer ingredients - but I really should do more with it. Any veg-friendly suggestions?

Aha, I just thought of Nasturtiums, leaves and flowers. Though I'd need to grow lots more than I got this year.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Janie
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 08:51 AM

Don't know if this is useful or not. Chart of greens that indicates which are spicy - all of which appear to be in the mustard family.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/micro_greens_comparison_chart.pdf

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Sooz
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 11:11 AM

I used to grow "American Land Cress" but I haven't seen the seeds for the last few years. I've grown rocket and various mixtures and found them nicely prolific.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 12:03 PM

As others say ; rocket . I love its peppery taste, although I would find any "substitute" for iced watercress soup hard to swallow (no pun intended !!).On reflection, I feel that both would be well received by railway enthusiasts (Stephenson's "Rocket" and The Watercress Line !).

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 02:41 PM

Nasturtiums are great but they don't crop for very long.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 03:15 PM

Grow a cow, then you can have proper meat!

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 03:21 PM

Maybe Bonzo, but you'll need watercress to go with the beef!

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 04:23 PM

Sooz - I think you have it! American Land Cress can be sown now, is cold tolerant. It's a 'cut and come again' peppery green, that is supposed to closely resemble watercress. Perfect.


http://www.sarahraven.com/veg_fruit/seeds/salad_seeds/american_land_cress.htm

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Michael
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 05:30 PM

We sowed American Land Cress once; it seeds its self freely giving us a constant supply for most of the year.

Mike

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 01:46 AM

Excellent, thanks Mike! I think I'll grow Rocket in the Spring too, just so I have a bit of variety.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 12:46 PM

Great chart, Janie!

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 12:55 PM

there's pepper cress and there are different varieties of arugula - my favorite is an Italian heritage variety that prefers cool weather and partial sun.

field greens include young kale, mustards, raddichio and dandelion. Endive (frilly, not Belgium) is a nice addition.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 12:59 PM

Janies chart reminds me I must take a look at oriental greens. I actually grew bok choi (sp?) one year, not too tricky and lovely for stir fries. I don't even know what mizuna (again sp?) is or does, but I want it anyway.

I think tasty salad greens, as well as large dark iron flavoured leafy greens have to be pretty much on the top of my favourite veggies list. Green leaves, hot or cold, more the better :)

We have finally decided to turn over half of our long back lawn to a 'backgarden allotment' we still haven't done anything to break up the lawn and there's not a lot of privacy for seating (it's an older style community, with low fences) so it might as well be turned to something useful.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Nov 14 - 12:29 PM

Rocket, nasturtiums.

Problems: Rocket, as I've discovered in the last couple of weeks, is as attractive as brassicas to cabbage white maggots. Nasturtiums will, equally, be massacred by the first frost.

However, both are easy to grow & prolific, nasturtiums particularly, and both self-seed just as prolifically. Sorrel is hardly a substitute for watercress, as you say (lemony does not equal peppery!), but, as Ed notes, you don't need flowing water to grow watercress. I've done it before in a pot, but I don't bother these days because nasturtiums do the job far better (leaves, seeds ("poor man's capers") & flowers are all edible).

The current experiment is pot-grown nasti's in the conservatory over winter. It'll get cold, but not enough to kill, I hope. Jack is wrong about the cropping, in my experience. You'll have more trouble keeping nasti's under control than you will with output. I can pick leaves from about June through to November, depending on temperature & the depredations of the maggots. And there's nothing wrong with pulling leaves off, giving them a quick rinse, and shoving them in the freezer. Bacon & nasturtium sandwiches work rather well in my opinion!

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Nov 14 - 03:19 PM

My salad has been a disaster this year, likewise my carrots. Now how do I put a tracer on this thread?

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw demurring
Date: 06 Nov 14 - 05:39 PM

Well, I think nasturtiums taste horrible. One man's fish is another man's poisson I suppose. My only problem with rocket is bloody flea beetles making shot-holes in the leaves. Don't mind 'em myself but riddled rocket leaves don't go down too well at my frequent posh dinner parties (he lied).

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Ed Balls
Date: 06 Nov 14 - 07:08 PM

Ed Miliband.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Red Robbo (aka Steve Shaw)
Date: 06 Nov 14 - 07:15 PM

You're talking Miliband... But is Miliband talking Balls?

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: Penny S.
Date: 07 Nov 14 - 12:43 PM

I have a watercress bed by my back door, in what was going to be a hole to sink a water tank in until I hit a layer of flints. It collects water run off from the flagged area of the garden, and the leaks from the hose, and does not get the sun. I started by sowing some seed I had had success with a couple of years ago, where it wasn't even wet, but it didn't germinate. Then I added two new packets (about 4000 seeds), but they were very slow to grow - a few plants have appeared.
I had success with a pack of organic watercress from the supermarket. Having eaten some in one meal, I put the rest in a glass with water until roots appeared in a couple of days. (It usually goes off, and I hate the waste.) When the roots appeared, I used the dibber to make holes in the damp soil, and dropped the stemms in loosely, like planting leeks, then watered the holes. This has worked well, but I don't have enough yet to use it a lot.

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Ed Balls
Date: 07 Nov 14 - 06:38 PM

Is Miliband talking Balls? Or is me missus Yvette going to burn'em?

Subject: RE: BS: Alternatives to Watercress?
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw, medical adviser
Date: 07 Nov 14 - 06:52 PM

Shave yer pubes close before Yvette gets anywhere near with the matches. We're talking damage limitation here, Ed.