First Nasturtium

[Two_Sheds]

Yay! Ate my first nasturtium at lunchtime. Lovely and peppery.
Brilliant plant: food, ground cover, guinea pig food (high in Vit.C) green manure, sacrificial plant (attracts blackfly like nothing else)

[JennieAtkinson]

Ny favourite too. I did sow some four weeks ago and they are just tiny wee plants at the moment, but I've done a tray of 60 tonight!

Once they get going I find if I then plant about five in a pot and let them grow on, I then sink the pot into the ground as I find they don't transplant very well. They take the place of the tulip pots (exactly the same size) so I have a continuous show of flowers (not my idea it was an Alan Titchmarsh!)

[Two_Sheds]

mine are super-early because they're self sown each year. I'm gradually weeding out the orange ones and trying to just grow lemon, dark red and rust ones.

[Alice]

I save my seed from year to year. Plant them wherever I reckon they have a job to do. I couldn't be without nasturtiums.
But why are packets of seed so expensive ? I sweep them up with a brush and shovel.

[LaurenGrows]

Can you eat the leaves and well as the flowers

[JennieAtkinson]

Yes Lauren the leaves are as tasty as the flowers! Both look lovely in a green salad.

[terrier]

Fresh ham with nasturtium leaves and home grown toms. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

[lyndap]

Monty don was sweeping up a path and sowing his nasturtiums into the sweepings!!!He said would make less leaves and more flowers and compact plant by 'treating mean'!I haven't started mine yet(late as usual) so might give it a try.

[dexterdoglancashire]

I'm trying these for the first time. Am I right in thinking I can put them in near my beans/peas? Wasnt sure I could eat any bit of them, but thanks for the advice!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Alice]

Hello DDL, you can put your nasturiums in any bit of ground that's not doing anything eslse. You can eat any bit of them. And do sweep up and save your seeds for next year. I spread them out to dry then put them in a brown paper poke or envelope for planting the following spring.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Brill, thanks Alice!

[Snadger]

The seed pods are nice pickled as capers!

[veggieginger]

Hello, I am a newbie. I have planted nasturtiums too, mainly because I had read you can eat most of the plant. Mine our out in the garden growing merrily, how soon can you eat the leaves? Is it best to wait until it is flowering?

This is a great site and I have picked up loads of tips already so thankyou

[Two_Sheds]

Hi veggieginger. you can eat the whole lot. you'll get more flowers if you 'starve' the plant, ie don't feed it. Otherwise, you'll get loads of leaf, which taste good too. Incidentally, its a great food for guinea pigs, being rich in Vit C, which they need every day (like us)

[Flummery]

You can eat the leaves as soon as you feel there are enough veggieginger. Obviously you will stress the plant if you remove all its leaves but if you take a couple from each of several plants and add them to your salad they they really pep it up.