Native to South and Central America, Nasturtiums will grow in poor soil with no added fertilizer, blooming from early Summer to frost. Prefer direct or indirect sunlight. Leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible. Mixed orange, yellow, cream, red, peach. Useful companion plants, repelling many cucurbit pests (e.g.) squash bugs, cucumber beetles. Also benefit brassica plants, especially broccoli and cauliflower. (Nasturtium, from the Latin "nasus tortus", means "twisted nose", referring to the effect on the nasal passages when eating the plant!) (Minimum 30 seeds)
Nasturtium flowers are one of the very best edible flowers. They are sweet, spicy and delicate: they are big, bold, bright and beautiful! They sparkle as a flavourful accompaniment to salads, vegetables, pasta and meat dishes.
Nasturtium leaves and seeds are also edible. The leaves have a warm peppery flavour and the hot fragrant seeds are sometimes used as a caper substitute.
Herbalists extol the healing properties of Nasturtiums. They have lots of vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, phosphorous and calcium. The leaves have been found to contain powerful antibiotic, antimicrobial and antioxidant components that can be effective for treating colds, coughs and flu. Nasturtiums have been used in combination with other herbs for bronchitis, swollen airways and urinary tract infections. Eating a few leaves a day is said to clear up acne.
Besides their edibility and medicinal benefits, Nasturtiums have a lot of other impressive attributes. The sweet flower nectar attracts bees and butterflies plus nectar-eating birds. Nasturtiums make great companions for cucumbers, radishes, turnips and zucchini. They mask the scent of plants that are commonly targeted by pests and they also disguise the leaves of food plants that insects are looking for. You can plant them as a sacrificial companion plant to lure cabbage white butterflies away from your broccoli, cabbage and kale.
Nasturtium’s spreading habit can be admirably and gracefully employed as space fillers in a sparse garden. They are long flowering and make cheerful cut flowers that keep well in water. Climbing varieties are excellent for trellises and vertical structures while compact cultivars are ideal for pots and small spaces.
Nasturtiums are fast growers that are not fussy about soil, sun or shade and are very rewarding for beginning gardeners. Sow them indoors late winter or direct sow after your last frost. They flower from early summer until killed by the first hard frost. Every flower produces two or three large seeds; if you don’t pick and save these, they will drop to the ground and self-sow.
Admirers of Nasturtiums go way back. Louis XIV of France had them growing in his royal gardens and they were Thomas Jefferson’s favourite herb. Dried Nasturtium seeds were used as a pepper substitute in World War II.
All in all, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more versatile and multi-purpose herb than Nasturtiums.