On Fri, 6 May 2005 14:26:12 +0000, SteveBristow
wrote:


I would like to know how to grow watercress in our small stream in the
garden. The stream has a stony bottom and has never dried up in
living memory. I am located in the South of England.
Thanks

Stony bottom doesn't sound good. The roots need to embed themselves in
a muddy bottom. A potential problem is the watercress being washed
away after heavy rain.

The commercial watercress beds that I saw in Somerset in my childhood
solved both problems by a low dam right across the stream - little
more than 20 cm high. This allowed mud to accumulate and lowered the
erosive capability of flood water.

Alternative for a few plants is to fill a large, flat ceramic pot with
soil. Use one with holes in the bottom to let in the water. Plant the
watercress in it, and almost submerge the pot in an embayment you dig
by the side of the stream.

Don't know what happens to watercress in winter in England. In Sydney
it is perennial.