On Apr 3, 1:58*am, bobharvey wrote:
On Apr 2, 9:54*pm, houndsy wrote:

Is it possible to grow watercress in the soil, or is running water
required? I'm in London. 6 inches of nice friable soil, then solid clay..
Can I use the watercress that I would buy at the supermarket?

The plant does not require running water: growing it in pots is not
unknown. *It does require water.

The requirement for running water is to prevent the transmission of
liver fluke, whose cysts can be attached to the leaves in still water,
contaminated by animal faeces. *There is a lot of conflicting advice
about what is safe. *I don't know, so I just buy it commercially.

I have grown watercress in troughs, the sort that the Pound shops
sell, a few drainage holes then stand them inside larger troughs with
a couple of inches of gravel that way you can flod them and then let
the water drain out over a couple of days, that way you wont get the
soil going stagnant.
You can use shop bought water cress as startres, but seed raised
plants will do better.
But why noy try Land cress, less demanding.
David @ the wet end of Swansea Bay