Nasturtium is an easy-to-grow annual whose leaves and flowers are edible. Here’s how to grow your own nasturtiums!
These plants, with their bright greenery and vibrant flowers, are good for containers or as ground cover. Their pretty fragrance also makes them a good choice for cut flowers. Nasturtiums are perfect to grow with children because they grow so easily and rapidly.
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Nasturtium leaves
Our nasturtiums bloom profusely, but the leaves are large and taller than the flowers. The leaves cover up almost all of the flowers. We would have to cut off the leaves to see the blooms. Is this because our soil is too rich or has too much nitrogen? Thanks in advance !
Ron and Gloria
nasturtiums flowers lost in leaves
Shade reduces the number of blossoms and increases leaf size (and reach). It may also be due to too-moist soil.
Nasturtiums in the Fall
It is the end of September, do I need to pull my plants out or do I just leave them alone for next year? Will they die back over the winter?
nasturtiums in fall
Nasturtiums are annuals. They will die with the first frost—and not comeback.
nasturtiums in fall
Nasturtiums are annuals. They will die with the first frost—and not comeback.
Nasturtiums not making seeds?
I have a few beautiful Nasturtium plants in handling pots..growing OK…lots of leaves and beautiful flowers…however, after each bloom…I am waiting for the seed pods…and they are NOT making seeds for some reason…never happened before???…Does every bloom/flower make a seed?…only some?…more toward the end of the blooming period?..what can I do or expect?..Thank you, Anthony Vento Brooklyn, NY
eating Nasturtium
please tell me how are these Nasturtium able to be eating by humans ? how would one prepare them?
Eating nasturtium
They have a slight peppery taste. I wash and use fresh to add colour and flavour to salads and smoothies. I have also used in stir fries
Eating nasturtium
Take a stick of butter and let it soften to room temperature. Chop orange or red nasturtium flowers into small pieces and mix into the butter. Reform into any shape and refrigerate. The nasturtium butter will have a peppery flavor and will be a colorful addition to the lunch or dinner table. Use on toast or in any dish where pepper would compliment the taste and color would enhance the presentation. Also, simply chop nasturtium leaves and add into any salad. Like the flowers, the leaves add a peppery flavor. Add flowers and/or leaves in meat,vegetable, fruit or cheese dishes where pepper and color would be appreciated. Add just before serving to look brighter and taste fresher.
Can nasturtiums be planted in a hanging basket
Hi,
I'm from Islamabad...Pakistan. Our spring is almost here with no danger of any more frost.
I had these nasturtium seedlings....alĺ in one small pot...which were quite leggy and had yellow leaves. I planted these in a hanging basket(wire basket with coco liner) along with petunias and verbebas. Nasturtiums are inserted through the side slits. But now Im worried if they are going to catch back with petunias, which are quite healthy, or not...as the nasturtiums look very weak n shabby. The soil is a mix of peatmoss n perlite.
Shall I remove the nasturtiums or they'll do fine in the basket? Please advise.
Thanks
Hanging basket - Nasturtiums
The peatmoss and perlite soil may be too nutrient rich. These flowers prefer poor soil. The rich potting soils used for hanging plants may not agree with it.
Compost
Hi
Can I compost Nasturtium vines? I am worried that seeds may be a problem and not break down as I do not wish Nasturtiums to spread to other areas where I will use this as mulch.
Cheers
Composting Nasturtiums
Hi Melodee,
Yes, you can compost nasturtium vines, flowers, and seeds. There is only a small chance that any seeds would spread through the mulch. Nasturtiums don’t spread quickly or aggressively.
If I plant Nast by the garden...
If I plant Nasturtium near the garden to keep the bugs away- it will get water as the garden does. How far do I keep them from the garden to be useful but thrive?
Nasturtium
Nasturtium do like to have regular waterings; they just don’t like to sit in water for extended periods. If you water tham as you water your veggie garden, they should do fine. Plant them far enough away from the veggies so that the two plants won’t physically touch when fully grown. Approximately two yards away would be great. The idea is to use the nasturtiums as bait for the bad bugs, so we want to draw them away from the garden and keep them away.
Transplanted with good soil by mistake
Hi I transplanted some wild nasturtium into pots with good fertilizer without knowing they thrive in poorer soil. I cut them all the way back and they have grown and thrived besides the lack of flowers. They were nonexistent. Is there a way to simulate poorer soil or somehow get them to produce more flowers? Thank you.
Nasturtium Soil
It may be a bit late in the year for your nasturtium to produce any new flowers unless you are in a rather warm climate, so your best bet would be to harvest whichever seeds you can from the flowers that were produced and save them for spring. In order to make the soil poorer, you will have to dilute the nutrients by mixing small amounts of the soil with other, poorer soil. It would be best to simply use a different bag of soil next year, if possible, and save the good stuff for plants who crave it!
Nastrutium Seedling
Hi,
I am from India. Sowed nastrutium seeds 2 weeks back. Few have sprouted today but the top part does not look like leaves they are kind of weird. When will green leaves start coming? They are in container right now. They get 2 hrs direct sun.
Thanks in Advance,
SB
NATURTIUMS
I hope by now that you've had some growth on your plants. If they're only getting 2 hours of sunlight a day, that may be a problem. They require full sunlight to do their best. They're not shade lovers.
I have ants all over my
I have ants all over my nasturtium plant and am wondering if this is bad and need to do something about it? If so, what do I do?
Thank you!
ants on nasturtiums
Ants on nasturtiums usually mean that there are aphids attacking your plants. The aphids secrete a sugary liquid called honeydew, which the ants love. (Ants actually tend aphids, sort of like livestock.) To control the ants (which will fight off predators of the aphids), control the aphids. Check along the stems and under leaves for these soft-bodied insects, which come in all sorts of colors, depending on species. For control, please see this helpful video:
https://www.almanac.com/video/aphids-pest-control-tips-how-protect-your-plants
And here is another article on aphids and their control:
https://www.almanac.com/pest/aphids
Good luck!
Mulch on top while germinating?
Hi! I just planted a bunch of nasturtium seeds in my garden in Pennsylvania. I had mulch in that area, so I went on and put a little back over the seeds in the dirt. Can they germinate like that?
indoor?
Hi I am wondering if you can grow these plants indoor? I am looking for an indoor flower plant that is edible?
:)
growing nasturtium
To be honest, we’ve never grown nasturtium indoors. However, it could probably work on a windowsill with a lot of sunlight. This means you’d probably need to grow during the summer months unless you were going to look into grow lights.
Nasturtium Virus
My nasturtium plant has a virus that's causing yellow mosaic on the leaves. It has had it since it was a small seedling. Now it is a bit bigger, but every leaf that grows has the yellow spots. Is there any remedy to get the plant healthy again? The only suggestions I see only are to get rid of the plant.
nasturtium virus
There are several mosaic viruses that can affect nasturtiums. Some are transmitted via sap-sucking insects, such as aphids, and can also be transmitted through non-sterile pruning tools, a touch of the hand, etc. A few are seed-borne. To prevent the spread of viruses, it is best to remove the affected plant; also clean up any debris, weeds, etc. in the area, as some viruses overwinter. Viruses spread throughout the whole plant, so unfortunately removing a section (such as mottled leaves) won’t eliminate the virus. Usually, for the home gardener, there is no cure once a plant has a virus; one can only prevent its spread by eliminating the affected plant, and then try to control the vectors (such as insects) that transmit the disease.
Nasturtium Produces...?
How much does a single nasturtium plant produce... in pounds, ounces, etc.?
Nasturtiums suffering in full sun
My poor nasturtiums are really suffering in full sun here in South East Spain (zone 10) I reckon I'll be planting my next nasturtium seeds in the shade...
Nasturtiums need to be repotted?
Hi, I planted nasturtiums for the first time in a pot, not knowing much about them. I have several plants that all shot up very nicely and I can see they all have a lot of new growth, tiny baby leaves. About a week ago smaller inner leaves started yellowing and dying. I've tried a few things, but think I might have been underwatering (watering more often, but not enough actual water each time) so I'm giving it one big water once/week, and putting it in my sunniest spot. When I watered today, water started to fill the attatched overflow container, so I separated it to dump it out, and noticed a few roots poking out the bottom of the container, about six long stringy white roots. So I'm wondering three things - does the roots poking out mean its rootbound and needs to be in a bigger container, can nasturtiums be repotted successfully, mine are quite tall at this point, and if the roots are that long, does it make sense that if I wasn't giving it enough water with each watering, the long roots were never getting the water and that's why some leaves were dying?
Thank you!
nasturtium consternation
If water is flowing out the bottom of the container, that’s too much water—at least for nasturtiums. See above; overwatering is ill advised. That may be the cause of the yellow leaves, or it could be a pest bug; nasturtiums are notorious aphid magnets. See above and click through. The “long roots” are harder to explain. Moving on, it is said that nasturtiums do not transplant well, so moving to a larger container may not be successful. If the long-term plan was to transplant them, starting seeds in peat pots is recommended because the entire pot would be planted, leaving the roots undisturbed. Depending on how the plant is doing in the near term, it may be worth your while to start again, if possible—it’s still early in the growing season! Read the guidance above and see if you get better results.
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