Watercress in containers

Hi Folks,
I vaguely recall reading in a magazine that it possible to grow watercress in a container.
Does anyone know how to do this?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Jinty

 

I grew it in 2005 successfully. The seeds are available from Kingsseeds.com (essex) I used a bucket to grow it in, drilled a drainage hole half way up the bucket. So the bottom half of the bucket became a water reseviour. planted the seed on 7th april, it cropped well all summer, but I kept the bucket in the shade. Slugs and snails loved it. frost killed it off.

 

Any watercress you get in a salad bag from a supermarket will start to root within a week if you throw it in a bucket with a little water in the bottom. Grow it on around or in a pond or just keep it in the bucket and add a drop of liquid feed now and again. Stuff grows like mad

 

Wo! That sound neat - better than paying 99p for a handful!

 

Do you need to have a cyclic watering system to keep a flow of water? (I'm thinking of a cheap solar powered pond fountain arrangement).

 

Circulating water doesn't seem to be essential. Just change the water every few weeks if it gets sour. Regular harvesting and removing any yellow leaves before they rot should keep the water pretty good providing you don't overfeed it.

A solar fountain in a large bucket with some cobbles would make it look far more interesting though

 

Excellent ideas, folks. Thanks.
Would seaweed extract do for food?
Do the roots just "hang" in the water or do they need a bit of gravel in the bottom of the bucket?