Allotments 4 All

Definitely Land Cress. It grows well in our polytunnel all winter. I add a bit to salads and it really livens up a sandwich. Also I transplanted some without problem. Thanks for the soup recipe. I will give that a go.

I love the stuff but I love it even more because it is the ideal tame weed. Anywhere it grows it's one more place a proper weed can't grow, and it couldn't be easier to get rid of - it pulls out in one piece from one tug of just a few kilos, and if you hoe it it dies.

I always make sure I let some run to seed - I'm sure I'd have a lot more bloody charlock, shepherds purse etc. if I didn't. Occasionally my more ignorant neighbours grumble a bit because they don't know what it is - 99% of the time it's the ones who tolerate bindweed on their plots - w@^£ers!

Clearly, when I manage to get them to grow, I should let land cress and rocket seed, because I struggle to get them going!

My land cress is producing flower buds. Should I nip them off?

I love land cress - although it is a little bitter raw on its own, it is terrific added to sandwiches that you might take down to the allotment for lunch - shove some leaves inside a cheese or ham or anything sandwich that needs a bit of greenery. It is good chopped raw into a salad. I have also chopped it into casseroles, omelettes and similar. It runs to flower and seed very quickly if at all stressed (current drought, for example, or transplanting) but the seeds germinate fast and I find it very useful to have patches of it here and there. I have to protect it from deer/birds/whatever grazes it down.

Quote from: plotstoeat on April 20, 2015, 20:02:00
My land cress is producing flower buds. Should I nip them off?

If you don't you are likely to have land cress all over the place soon! 

I've some just starting to flower too, they are half way around the garden from where they started off! I might even save some seed and sow some back in the veg garden 

Mine are also just about to flower like crazy. I'm still too scared to eat them!