How to Grow a Cress Head
Cress seeds grow very quickly and are a magical way to show seed to food production in a truly short time. Once the plants have grown, they may be eaten, with the resulting “haircuts” as part of the fun! Some tips on how to grow a cress head will get you and your family on their way to enjoying this little growing project. You can make cress heads in spent eggshells, coir pots, or almost anything else that can be grown in, including egg cartons. Using the eggshells teaches kids about repurposing items that would normally be thrown out or composted. Plus, they have Humpty Dumpty appeal. Making cress heads is relatively simple by boiling, but should be supervised by an adult. You can dye the eggs or keep them white. Alternatively, you can pierce the shell with a pin and drain out the insides. Just be careful to wash the shell completely before planting or they could get aromatic in a couple of days. Be careful how you crack them, as you need just a little off the top in which to plant.
Cress Head Ideas
Once you have the shell containers, the fun part starts. Decorate each shell with a variety of items. You can simply draw faces on them or add glued on googly eyes, sequins, feathers, stickers, and other items. Once each character is decorated it is time to plant. Thoroughly moisten cotton balls and place enough in each egg to fill them one third of the way. Sprinkle the cress seeds on top of the cotton and keep them moist by misting daily. Within a couple of days, you will see signs of sprouting. By ten days, you will have stems and leaves and the cress is ready to eat.
How to Harvest Cress Egg Heads
After you have finished making cress heads and they have a good amount of stem and leaf growth, you can eat them. The best part is giving the eggs a haircut. Use sharp scissors and take off some stems and the leaves. The classic way to eat cress is in an egg salad sandwich, but you can also add the little seedlings to a salad or eat them as they are. Your cress will be fine without the leaves for a few days and look rather charming with their haircuts. When the plants stop growing, compost the plants and cotton. Crush up the eggshells and work them into the soil around plants. Nothing is wasted and the activity is a full circle teaching tool.
