Nasturtiums: Versatile and Easy to Grow
Reading Time: 4 minutes
By Karin Deneke Nasturtiums are one of my favorite annuals. Their showy, striking orange, red, and yellow flowers and unusual shield-shaped leaves make a beautiful addition to any garden. Their colorful blossoms attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
Nasturtiums are not just eye candy, the entire plant is edible, and pickled seedpods add zest to potato salad or deviled eggs — flowers and leaves may be added to freshly mixed greens to enhance their taste — or used just as a colorful garnish.
You do not have to be a Master Gardener to raise this delicate, striking, warm-season gem from seed, as seeds are much larger than most other flowering annuals and are easy to grow. They thrive in poorer, well-drained soils, soils slightly acidic to neutral, and love a sunny location. Plant your seeds at a depth of approximately one-half inches, 10 to 12 inches apart. Allow seven to 10 days for germination, depending on your location and soil temperature. They are recommended for Zones 9 to 11 — yet I have also raised nasturtiums in cooler climates. Nasturtiums draw few pests, the most common are cabbage worms and aphids, and I can relate that I have never encountered either.
Gardeners have the choice of trailing or vining nasturtiums — the latter is well-suited for those with limited spaces, such as balcony gardens or window boxes, and the bushy types for larger garden plots. Seed packets can be found where annuals are sold at garden centers, or they can be ordered from nursery catalogs.
I like to collect my mature seeds in the fall for next year’s spring planting and prefer storing them in lunch-size paper bags until it’s time to put them into the ground.
An old-time favorite, nasturtiums were most famous in this country during the early 1900s. And long before that, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) grew this versatile plant in his vegetable and herb gardens at Monticello.
Nasturtiums in Peru
Most folks would assume nasturtiums are native to the United States. However, that is incorrect. These colorful flowering herbs were discovered in Peru during the 17th century. It was a Spanish botanist who first introduced this plant to his native soil. Primarily used in herbal medicine at the time, little by little, nasturtiums found their way to various European countries. For centuries, herbalism was the primary source of healing. This herb, which is high in vitamin C, is also a source of lutein. It was used to treat, among others, urinary and respiratory infections and, oddly enough, hair loss!
The Order of the Capuchin Monks in Southern Italy (Kapuziner Moenche in German) also embraced the plant’s herbal values by growing nasturtiums in the gardens of their monasteries. When researching this subject matter, I remembered colorful nasturtiums blooming in my parent’s flower garden in Germany. We referred to them as Kapuziner Kresse. The shape of the blossoms somewhat resembles the Capuchin Monks’ hoods! And Kresse, translated into English, means cress.
Raw or Pickled Nasturtiums Can Enhance Your Meal
Edible flowers make incredible decorations for salads — depending on the type of flower — and can add zest to the greens.
Trendy restaurants take pride in the presentation of their offerings, and edible flowers — just one or several — can make an elegant garnish.
The showy flowers and leaves of nasturtiums (both edible) have a unique flavor that is peppery and should be used sparingly in salads.
It is always advisable to wash your edible flowers or leaves thoroughly, to remove possible residue of pesticides and small insects that could be hiding within the blossoms.
Most cooks and connoisseurs are familiar with pickled capers, which can be found on the shelves of most groceries. Similar in taste, pickled nasturtium seeds are not among them, and it is a condiment you will have to create yourself.
It requires more extensive plantings of this annual to collect enough seeds for pickling. Never use seeds that have matured; if they have turned brown and hard, you can save them for next year’s plantings.
Once the flowers have dropped, watch closely for these large, up to half-inch green seeds to develop; one seed per flower is all you get.
Pickled Nasturtium Seeds
- 1 cup of washed green, firm nasturtium seeds
- 1/3 cup cider or white vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- A few peppercorns
- Fresh or dried dill
- Bring to a boil
- Sterilize an 8-ounce canning jar.
- Fill with one cup of nasturtium seeds. Pour boiled liquid over seeds.
- Seal jar and store in a cool place for 1 to 2 weeks.
These little gems are great when added sparingly to potato salad or deviled eggs.
Originally published in the May/June 2023 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
