Growing in Orbost

Best time to plant watercress in Orbost

Nasturtium officinale

Sow watercress in Orbost in Sep to Apr.

Water cress is a fast-growing perennial water plant from the cabbage family, eaten as a leaf vegetable and among the earliest known to people. Its hollow stems float on the water and reach up to 60 cm, while the flavour is piquant, like its relatives mustard and radish.

When to sow in Orbost

Orbost, VIC is in the cool zone. Its months for watercress apply here without a frost adjustment.

Not yet checked against a local guide.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Orbost

Frost usually arrives in Orbost around mid June and finishes by mid August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as early June or as late as mid September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: can spread

Spreads along wet ground and waterways. Keep it in a tub, away from drains.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly or raise seedlings
Sowing depth
3mm
Plant spacing
100cm
Row spacing
20cm
Height
50cm
Germination
12-15 days at 8-15°C
Time to harvest
50-60 days
Frost
Hardy, takes a light frost
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
perennial

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Watercress elsewhere

Watercress across Australia