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Nasturtiums are happy plants that can be used in many ways and are very rewarding to grow in any yard. Nasturtium is easy to grow and comes in many different types, such as growing, compact, variegated, solid-leafed, and in a huge range of bright colors.
Nasturtiums grow very well in pots, cover a lot of ground as a groundcover, and add height and depth to structures that are standing alone. You can let these lively, eye-catching plants hang from window boxes or over walls and they’ll look great.
There’s no doubt that growing nasturtiums makes gardens look better. From spring to fall, they add beautiful splashes of color and variety. But maybe the most interesting thing about nasturtiums is that they can be eaten.
You’ll want to add nasturtium to your yard every year if you learn all about how to grow it and the plants that go well with it.
Nasturtiums are beautiful, tasty, and full of vitamins. They are also good for other plants in the yard because they grow well with them. When you put different plants next to each other in a flower bed, they will help each other. This is called companion planting.
By doing this, you can make your garden look better, keep common pests away, bring in beneficial insects and pollinators, and make many veggies taste better overall. It is possible to make your garden much more productive by learning what plants go well with each other and what plants can help each other out.
These plants, called nasturtiums, are often used to catch aphids or squash bugs. Many of these pests will stay away from food plants like tomato and squash if you grow nasturtiums next to them. They also bring in good bugs like hoverflies, which eat common pests like aphids, and pollinators.
This is what you should plant with Nasturtium to keep your crops healthy, fertile, and free of pests:
Putting nasturtium seeds in the ground directly is best. Space the seeds 12 inches apart and ½ inch deep. You can also get a head start on growing nasturtiums by starting seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. Then, plant the seedlings straight in the ground once they have hardened off and there is no longer any risk of frost. Seven to ten days after planting, the seedlings should start to grow.
This plant doesn’t care much about the soil it grows in. They do really well in average to bad soil that drains well and has a pH of 6.5. In fact, nasturtium plants can make too many leaves and not enough flowers if the soil is too rich.
People often want to know if nasturtiums need full sun to grow. Nasturtiums do best when they are planted in full sun, where they will get at least 6 to 8 hours of sunshine every day. If you don’t give Nasturtiums enough sunlight, they might not grow as much as they could, but they can handle some shade.
You might be interested in how much water nasturtiums need. Nasturtium plants need to be watered at least once a week or when the soil feels dry. These bright flowers can survive in dry conditions, but if you want a stronger plant with lots of flowers and lush leaves, keep them moist and pinch off any dead leaves or flowers to keep them looking their best.
Unfortunately, if you want to grow nasturtiums, you may have to deal with pests like aphids. As we already said, nasturtiums are often used as a sacrifice plant in veggie gardens to keep aphids away from plants that produce food. An intense spray of water from the hose should be enough to get rid of any bugs that are on the leaves of your nasturtium.
You can treat many types of nasturtium as permanent plants if you live in planting zones 9, 10, or 11. They will come back every year with bright colors. Nasturtiums, on the other hand, only grow one season and last a little while longer in most places. If you put plants right after the last frost and take good care of them, you can have plants that keep giving until the first frost of winter.
Nasturtium is a plant that can be eaten. It has been thought for a long time to have antibiotic and healing qualities and is known to be high in vitamin C. All parts of the plant can be eaten, and it looks great in salads, soups, summer dishes, and sweets. You can actually eat these bright buds. They will add a unique color and a mildly spicy flavor that will please any palate. The plant’s seeds can even be picked and used in the same way that capers are used in cooking.
Narcissus not only has beautiful flowers and health benefits, but it also makes seeds, which is a bonus for farmers. Nasturtium plants make a big seed that can be easily collected about 15 days after the flowers fade, which makes them great for keeping seeds. One great way to make it easy to use this plant in your garden every year is to collect and store nasturtium seeds for next spring.
To get the nasturtium seeds, put your hand under the dead flower and tap the stem. The round seed will fall out right away. Make sure you start gathering seeds before it gets frosty, because a freeze will affect the seed’s fertility, and it might not grow at all if it gets too cold. Put your seeds in a paper bag to dry them out. Then, keep them somewhere dark and dry for up to two or three years.
Nasturtiums come in a lot of different types, but they can be boiled down to two main groups: bush types (T. minus) and trailing or growing types (Tropaeolum majus). As their names suggest, the main difference between them is how they grow. Bush nasturtiums stay more compact, while trailing nasturtiums grow into long stems. Bush types are also known as “dwarf” nasturtiums.
Nasturtiums that trail are great for growing in a window box or hanging basket because their vines will hang down and climb in a beautiful way. Bush nasturtiums are better for areas that don’t have a lot of room.
Nasturtium seeds can be planted in the garden (which is what we suggest) or brought inside to start growing. We like to plant them straight because their roots are fragile and don’t do well when moved.
These seeds are about the size of peas and are easy to work with. You can start Nasturtium seeds inside or plant them directly outside. Nasturtiums will bloom earlier if you put them indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. (Here is my full list of when to start seeds indoors.) Nasturtium seeds can grow faster if they are soaked in water for 12 to 24 hours before they are planted.
Nasturtium seeds need to be in the dark to grow, so don’t put them close to the ground’s surface. Put seeds in the ground about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch deep. Keep wet until they sprout. Nasturtiums grow so fast that I like to start them in pots that are 2 to 4 inches tall, with one seed per pot.
It was already said that nasturtiums don’t need much care, which makes them perfect for kids’ gardening. Nasturtiums bloom almost the whole summer. Also, you don’t need to feed them! You can get more compact growth and new flowers from your nasturtium plants by cutting them back.
One more reason to grow nasturtiums in your vegetable yard is that they naturally keep pests away. Aphids and cabbage bugs actually like nasturtiums. For some reason, these yard pests are more likely to attack your nasturtiums than your other, less hardy plants.
If you see these bugs on your nasturtium, cut off and get rid of all the infected stems. (If you can, burn them.) The haircut won’t hurt your nasturtium plant in any way.
Nasturtium plants also keep whiteflies, squash bugs, and many beetles away, which makes them a great plant to grow next to vegetables that are sensitive to these bugs.
For the best flowers, plant in a spot that gets at least six hours of bright sunshine every day. Nasturtiums can grow in some shade, but they won’t flower as much. In warmer places, though, the plants will do better with some shade in the afternoon.
Nasturtiums come in many species, and each one has its own needs. The most popular annual species do best when planted directly in well-drained soil and given regular watering. It’s easy for them to wilt during droughts, but once they get some water, they’re fine again. Nasturtiums don’t produce as many flowers when they are planted in soil that has too much organic matter. This is because the extra nutrients are used to grow new leaves.
Nasturtiums bloom best in the spring and fall, when it is cooler. The plants don’t care much about humidity, but they will have trouble in very humid or dry circumstances. Nasturtiums can handle a light frost, but they will die if it freezes.
Not only do nasturtiums not need to be fed, but they also don’t need soil amendments unless the soil is very poor. In fact, a rich soil will often encourage leaf growth over flower growth. Since nasturtiums are often used to make food, it’s best to stay away from synthetic ingredients.
Nasturtiums don’t need to be deadheaded very often, but picking the leaves and flowers to use in the kitchen will keep the plant looking thick and nice. By the middle of summer, vines might need to be trimmed back to keep them from getting too tall. To wake up the plant, cut off at least 12 inches.
Nasturtium grows well in pots, either by itself or with other plants that need similar care. Choose a pot with big holes in the bottom for ventilation, and use potting soil that drains well. Remember that plants in pots need to be watered more often than plants in the ground.
We hope you love planting nasturtiums in your veggie garden as much as we do. There aren’t many flowering plants that can do more than this. They can keep pests away, bring in pollinators, and make food taste better. Have fun planting!
In most of the US, nasturtiums are grown as annuals, which means they will die when it freezes. They can, however, spread their seeds on their own, so you may have plants come back when the soil warms up in the spring. In warm places (zones 9–11), nasturtiums are permanent, which means they come back every year.
People who grow vegetables love nasturtiums because the blooming plants attract aphids that would otherwise eat their crops. Aphids eat nasturtiums but don’t really hurt them. Nasturtium also gives off a phytochemical that keeps other bugs away, like cabbage looper, squash bugs, whiteflies, and different beetles that eat broccoli, cauliflower, and squash.
