Nasturtium officinale (Watercress)
🌿 The ancient superfood! Loaded with vitamins, this fast-growing edible plant is perfect for salads, ponds, and wildlife. Enjoy its fresh, spicy flavor or use it as a natural food source for turtles and pond life. Perfect for ponds, bog gardens, containers, and edible gardens!
💧 Likes shallow water up to 3” deep or consistently moist soil
📏 Grows 6–15” tall and spreads 2–3 feet wide
🌸 Produces tiny white flowers
☀️ Full sun to part shade
🌶️ Spicy, peppery edible flavor
🌱 Treat as an annual in colder climates
🥗 Humans have eaten watercress for thousands of years and its popular in salads, soups, sandwiches, and garnishes
💪 Rich in vitamins A, C, K, and antioxidants
🦆 Ducks and geese love nibbling the tender leaves
🐢 Turtles especially enjoy grazing on it
🐟 Koi, goldfish, and herbivorous fish may also snack on it