Cress — Belle Island Upland Organic

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Barbarea verna. CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Botanically different from the other cress varieties, this biennial is a bit slower growing and slower to bolt, but very easy once established. It’s a super cold-hardy addition to salads, and blends well with milder greens like chickweed. Try it in containers or right in the garden border as a go-to source for healthy greens that are packed with nutrients and flavour. This variety is known as Belle Isle Upland Cress Organic. Grow a row along with spinach, under cover in winter, and exposed in early spring and late fall.

Matures in 50 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Quick Facts:

Barbarea verna
Slower to bolt
Cold hardy
Matures in 50 days
Certified Organic seeds

Size: 0.25g (approx. 207 seeds)

How To Grow: Salad greens are usually picked at an immature size and coaxed into regrowing several times. They are a perfect choice for container gardening, as long as a good soil mixture is in place. Continue reading below for some good general tips on how to grow mescluns and salad greens.

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Timing
Seed every three weeks from just before the last frost date until the end of summer for a continuous harvest. Provide frost protection with a cloche or heavy row cover when frost looms in the fall. Many mesclun types and mixes will continue to grow all winter where winters are mild.

Starting
Plant in a block or in a wide row. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over prepared, moist soil. Try to space seeds about 1cm (½”) apart. Cover lightly with soil, and firm them in. Four grams of seed will plant a 12m (40′) row that is 7cm (3″) wide, so don’t plant the whole packet at once. For container growing, choose containers that are at least 10cm (4″) deep. Wider is better. The most common mistake is over-planting.

Growing
Moderately fertile soil – particularly if you’re planning mutliple harvests. Dig in 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 3m (10′) of row. For containers, use peat or coir based mix with compost added. Water regularly. If growth slows after harvest, use a bit of kelp or fish based fertilizer to provide a boost of nutrition for the next growth spurt.

Harvest
There are two methods of gathering salad greens. You can use scissors to cut everything about 2-5cm (1-2″) from the ground, when the plants are about 10-15cm (3-4″) tall. Or, you can pick individual leaves as they’re needed. The first cutting may contain more brassicas than lettuces (arugula, mizuna) but if you cut the mix back when the leaves are still small, the lettuce will catch up. The salad greens will regrow for a second harvest in another 2 or 3 weeks.

Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 60% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years.

Diseases & Pests
Slugs love baby greens and flea beetles love brassica leaves.

Rating: 5.0 stars basted on 2 reviews from westcoastseeds.com