A fast-growing annual with edible flowers, leaves, and seeds that earns its space with almost no effort from the gardener.
Tropaeolum majus · also called garden nasturtium, Indian cress
Windows are counted from the average date of your last spring frost.
Every part above ground is edible, with a peppery bite similar to watercress. It flowers prolifically in poor soil where most crops would struggle, and the blooms attract beneficial insects while deterring some common pests.
A little history. Native to the Andes of South America; introduced to Europe in the late 16th century. The genus name derives from the Greek for 'trophy,' referencing the shield-like leaves and helmet-shaped flowers.
Sow seeds ½ inch (13 mm) deep, and aim for 10 inches (25 cm) between plants once thinned. Soak seeds overnight before sowing. Cover with half an inch of soil and keep evenly moist until sprouts appear. Seedlings emerge in 7–14 days.
Water deeply once or twice a week; allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. Aim for about 1 inch per week including rain.
Feed sparingly — once at planting, then only if leaves pale noticeably. What to use: a low-nitrogen balanced fertilizer or dilute compost tea; excess nitrogen drives leaves at the expense of flowers.
Pinch (remove the growing tip between thumb and forefinger) on young plants to encourage bushy growth. Deadhead (remove spent flowers) regularly to extend the blooming period.
It's ready when flowers are fully open and brightly colored. Leaves are ready at any size but are mildest when young. Seed pods are ready when plump, round, and still bright green. Snap flowers off at the base of the stem with your fingers. Cut leaves with scissors, taking no more than one-third of the plant at a time. Twist green seed pods free by hand.
Use flowers and leaves the same day for best flavor. Seed pods keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Mature dried seeds store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.
Sow a second batch 3–4 weeks after the first to maintain a continuous harvest of young leaves and fresh flowers through the season.
Cucumber
Nasturtium's open, nectar-rich flowers draw bees into the patch, and cucumbers need repeated bee visits to set straight, well-filled fruit. Sow a few plants at the row ends where they will not shade the vines.
Zucchini
Zucchini carries separate male and female flowers and depends on bees to move pollen between them; nasturtium blooming nearby can help keep pollinators in the bed through the morning hours when squash flowers are open.
Radish
Flea beetles and cabbage white caterpillars often settle on nasturtium leaves in preference to radish tops. Check the nasturtiums weekly and pull or clip infested growth, or the trap simply becomes a pest nursery.
Tomato
Black bean aphids crowd onto nasturtium stems and can pull some pressure off young tomato shoots. Treat it as a decoy you must manage: cut out heavily colonised stems rather than leaving them to build up.
Cabbage white butterflies will lay on nasturtium as readily as on cabbage or kale, so a border of it often reduces eggs on the crop. Scout the nasturtium leaf undersides and crush egg clusters, or the caterpillars move on to the brassicas.
Fennel
Fennel roots release compounds that stunt most garden neighbours, nasturtium included, leaving small plants with few flowers. Grow fennel in its own corner or a pot, where its umbels still feed hoverflies and tiny parasitic wasps that patrol the whole garden.
Easy-going — Nasturtium can grow almost anywhere in the rotation without a strict rest.
The pea and bean family, the cabbage family or the tomato family thrive in this ground next season.
A light feeder that takes little from the bed and leaves loose, easily worked soil behind. Wait one year before returning nasturtium to the same ground, then follow with legumes such as peas or beans, a cabbage-family crop, or tomatoes and peppers.
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