Most of us are used to snipping garden cress when it’s just a tiny seedling, but if you let it grow out, it actually produces a bunch of delicate little flowers. While you can technically still eat the cress at this stage, the flavor definitely loses some of its punch. Here is everything you need to know about what happens when your cress starts to bloom.
Bloom Time and How to Use the Flowers
Depending on when you sowed your seeds, you’ll usually see those pretty white blossoms pop up around August. It only takes a few weeks after planting for the plant to shoot up to about a foot and a half tall and start flowering. You can still harvest it at this point, but just a heads-up: the taste won’t be quite as intense as those zesty sprouts you’re used to.
Once the plant starts blooming, it puts all its energy into the flowers rather than the leaves. If those flowers get pollinated, they’ll turn into little white-and-pink pods that hold the cress seeds. These seeds are actually super healthy and totally edible! Of course, you can also save them to plant a fresh batch of cress later on.
