Watercress Seeds

[Taysia]

I am looking to begin sprouting watercress, but only want the Nasturtium Officinale variety. It is supposedly the real thing. I'm having difficulty locating a source. I've tried the web, but not much luck there. I found sources for the cress variety, but not Nasturtium Officinale.

Thanks so much!

[streetsurfer]

Park seed company has them listed.

[k8sl8]

Too soon oldt, und too late shmart.


Love the accent!! Sounds like some of the oldtimers where I grew up! LOL.

[Bookish Lass]

Is this curly cress the type you're looking for?

http://sproutpeople.com/seed/cress.html

[Taysia]

Thanks Streetsurfer! I'll try it. :)

[streetsurfer]

I'm glad you asked about this. I learned a couple things in the course of it. First, that cress was a nasturtium. Secondly, that they were also brassicas. I like growing the other type and variety of nasturtiums to snack on while gardening.

I hope you find a good source and have successful sprouting. Nasturtiums are pretty prolific bloomers if you ever want to try growing them and collecting their seeds for sprouting. I bet they would make good sprouts or micro-greens.

k8sl8-that was something I heard often, while vacationing at my nonnie and boppie's.

[Taysia]

Streetsurfer -

I've tried growing nasturtiums in the past and it requires absolutely no effort. It needs to be self-contained for it spreads quite rapidly.

Not having too much luck finding the watercress - nasturtium officinale - certified organic. Upland cress is everywhere, but the nasturtium variety is hard to find in any large quantity.

[Taysia]

Curly cress and upland cress are not the varieties I'm looking for. The health-giving properties have been found in the Nasturtium Officinale.

Thanks much for trying!

T

[Bookish Lass]

What are the health giving properties?

[streetsurfer]

http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/0599/

Is that not what you are looking for? One packet is three thousand seeds.

edit: Sorry I just caught on that you want organic.

http://www.watercresskits.com/

That place says water cress throughout their site and I didn't see mention of curly cress or upland cress. Also says organic for sprouting.

[Taysia]

Hope I did this right.

http://www.naturalnews.com/030029_watercress_tumors.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63314.php

[Taysia]

I'm not sure if watercresskits.com sells upland cress, curly cress or the true nasturtium officinale.

My research shows it is widely available in Europe and Australia, but most seed dealers here have certified organic, non-gmo for the upland cress.

[streetsurfer]

I had e-mailed the company in my second link (post #10) that sells the kits, and they responded affirming they are n. officianale and organic. I may be ordering some also. She also said the mats are needed as they aren't sprouted in the typical soak/rinse/drain fashion due to them being a gelatinous sprout.

I'm learning as I go, here.

[Taysia]

Hi Streetsurfer,

I bought the kit. After receiving the kit in addition to doing additional research, I sent them an e-mail asking for the exact variety of seeds included in the kit. They didn't respond to my e-mail. The little bag of seeds said "Cress" on it which made me think that they were Upland Cress or Curly Cress and became concerned.

Anyhoo, my first crop is about 1 1/2" tall and doing well. I use a spray bottle filled with spring water and wet everything down when the mat is feeling dry. It is a beautiful crop and grows very nicely on the mats in the Sproutmaster included in the kit. I'm enjoying everything about it except for the concern about the seed variety. I'll try calling for my peace of mind.

Thanks for your input!

[Taysia]

When shopping around for seeds, I learned that we must make sure of the following about Nasturtium Officinale.

1) non-GMO
2) Certified Organic
3) Tested for e-coli and salmonella, apparently not all are tested
4) It is for sprouting and eating

Let me know if you find other sources of Nasturtium Officinale that meet the above criteria!

Thank you!

[tvillemom]

This is very interesting!! Thanks for sharing!

[Tirza]

.....ebay.....