Land cress
Barbarea verna
Also known as: Upland cress, American cress, Creasy greens, Belle Isle cress, Early yellowrocket, Winter cress
Quick facts
- Category
- leafy greens
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Days to harvest
- 35 to 50 days
- Harvest type
- cut leaves, plant regrows for repeated harvests
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- 5–18°C
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- EC (hydroponic)
- 0.8 to 1.4 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 8 to 14 mol/m²/day
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 4 to 9 (winter low around -34°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- very hardy (survives deep cold)
- Season
- cool (spring and fall crops)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor year-round (in zone)
- outdoor in growing season (annual)
- unheated greenhouse / hoop house
- heated greenhouse
- indoor (heated home)
- indoor hydroponics under grow lights
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
Land cress works in:
- deep water culture (rafts)
- NFT channels
- media bed (ebb and flow)
- wicking bed
- soil bed
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (land cress works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwool (Mineral wool) | alkaline until pre-soaked | very high | low |
| Expanded clay pebbles (LECA) | neutral / inert | low | high |
| Coco coir (Coconut coir) | slightly acidic | high | moderate |
| Net pot, no medium (Bare-root) | - | - | - |
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.6 |
| vegetative | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1.1 |
Aquaponics suitability
Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.
Care notes
An easy cool-season hydroponic green for salad production. EC 1.0-1.8 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.0. Temperature: 5–20°C (genuinely cold-loving; above 24°C, the plant bolts rapidly and the leaves become unpleasantly pungent). Low to moderate light (DLI 10-16 mol/m2/day). NFT, DWC, or raft systems. From seed to baby leaf harvest: 3-4 weeks. Full rosettes: 6-8 weeks. Harvest outer leaves for cut-and-come-again production. The peppery flavor is a useful addition to salad mixes, providing the watercress-like bite that many consumers enjoy. Succession plant every 3 weeks for continuous supply. Land cress is one of the best crops for winter hydroponic production in minimally heated greenhouses: it thrives in cold that would kill lettuce and produces spicy, flavorful salad greens through the shortest, coldest days. Pests are minimal. For aquaponics systems that operate year-round including winter, land cress fills the cold-season production gap when warm-season crops are dormant.
Verified against: rhs-uk, gardeners-world-uk, u-of-vermont-extension. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.