I was once a told a story about someone who moved into a new house and asked a friend of mine "What can I grow in my new garden that's edible but also decorative, and is quick and easy to grow?" My friend suggested nasturtiums, and the would-be-gardener's face fell. "But I just dug a whole load of those out!"Nasturtiums are beautiful, and extremely edible. The leaves have a mildly pepper taste like watercress and make an excellent salad green. The seed pods are also peppery and can be eaten like capers. And the flowers are a colourful addition to salads.
They're annuals so they die each winter. But they're very easy to grow from seeds, and will self-seed so you may find you can develop a perennial patch without the effort of planting them yourself.
They'll climb up any framework such as a wigwam of canes, a lattice screwed to a wall, or through a hedge. They also tumble attractively and I like to drop a few seeds into hanging baskets or window boxes. In Ireland I saw lots of them grown in clumps in people's front gardens.
I love them very much, even though I'm not normally a big fan of flowers. Oh, I like to see them when somebody else has grown them, I just can't be bothered to grow the darn things myself. But nasturtiums are undemanding, unpretentious, pretty, and edible. Now that's my sort of flower.
12 comments:
Mel, I've been having an exchange with Elaine at The Edible Balcony Garden (http://foodgarden.wordpress.com/) about our DIFFICULTY growing nasturtiums. You obviously have the touch!
that photo is lovely, so bright and summery
Leanne x
I keep forgetting about nasturtiums. Must see if my parents still have their patch and try and transplant some or save some seeds.
My mother persisted in calling them Nasturtians
PS - try Empress of India. Very dark, almost velvety
They are good companions for roses too. The aphids prefer the Nasturtiums.
I adore nasturtiums - I agree they look and taste great.
We have quite a few on our allotment, using them to lure away those pesky cabbage whites which are also partial to them.
Best wishes
keener
new to site but this may help with your nasturtium problem; DON'T feed them, as poor a soil as possible and preferably (though not essentially) dry or free draining soil! I have them in my kids playground, last year it was new rich soil=lots of leaves, few flowers. pulled them when dead/straw like looking; they came back fab this year!! The flowerbed is also not free draining and they still manage. It may just be that they needed to be ignored and have extra year to settle in....hope that helps somebody!
new to site but this may help with your nasturtium problem; DON'T feed them, as poor a soil as possible and preferably (though not essentially) dry or free draining soil! I have them in my kids playground, last year it was new rich soil=lots of leaves, few flowers. pulled them when dead/straw like looking; they came back fab this year!! The flowerbed is also not free draining and they still manage. It may just be that they needed to be ignored and have extra year to settle in....hope that helps somebody!
I am a huge fan of nasturtiums for much the same reasons you are...low maintenance, self seeding and edible...and my girls love that you can eat these flowers :) I have just planted some and can't wait till they brighten up our garden!
One of the first children's books I ever read on my own had a story in it about a cobbler who grew nasturtiums in an old boot. They spread all over his roof, and when the flowers came out, the villagers thought his house was on fire!
I've loved your nasturtiums this year, and the ones I grew in a pot thrived too.
I think I'll look into getting some seeds to share with you next year. I've found some good varieties in the Organic Gardening Catalogue, and look at Nasturtium majus Black Velvet in the Thompson & Morgan catalogue. Wow
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