Grandpa’s Cress

An unusual broad-leaved cress which gives a peppery bite to salads. It can be used as a baby-leaf crop or, in the cool days of spring and autumn, left to form larger plants.

Approx. 2000 seeds per pack.

Botanical name: Lapidium sativum

Seed Story: A broad-leaved cress with a family story dating it back to the early 19th century. Quick and easy to grow, its bright green peppery leaves make an excellent addition to salads and sandwiches. Sow it sparingly in shallow drills in early spring or autumn, and either harvest it as a cut-and-come-again crop when a few inches high or thin plants out to 15cm (6in) apart and pick individual leaves. It quickly bolts (goes up to flower) in summer, but can be grown in containers of compost in a shady place and cut as a baby-leaf crop to make a spicy addition to summer salads. ‘Grandpa’ lived in Cheshire, but this is a crop that has shown itself to do well in the cool wet Welsh climate.

Stewarded by Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library and grown by Wales Seed Hub member Sue Stickland in mid-Wales.