PlantFiles: Nasturtium, Mastuerzo
Tropaeolum majus

Probably best to direct sow these. I tried growing them indoors first and only got one to take off out of the ten I tried...but one is all I needed!

It's nearing the end of August and that one has trailed along the ground at least ten feet. It is growing like our butternut squash (and kind of resembles it on a smaller scale).

I have red flowers all over the vine. Since it's in my front yard I don't get to stare at it very often, but I wouldn't doubt that this flower probably attracts a bunch of hummers. I might try planting it in my backyard next year and see if my theory is correct. :-)

All in all, a great plant. I let my flowerbed get overrun with weeds (I have a couple of toddlers and no time!) and this one plant just flourished. It climbed around my house and onto my porch. Sure, it's a bit messy...but had I taken the time to trellis it I bet it would be even more pretty.

These will flower madly in poor soil, need little watering, and have a slight peppery flavor added to salads. May also be floated on soups, or cooked down into any savory dish as a seasoning. The flowers are also a beautiful garnish with a few sprigs of parsley on the side of a steak platter.

I'm not really fond of nasturtiums, although I grow them every year because they are so darn easy! They are easy to germinate (direct sowing) and fast to grow from seed. They always look a bit of a mess in my garden though - flopping all about and with the flowers mostly hidden among the leaves. I'm not fond of the colors either. Harsh and flat. Not the most attractive garden plant, in my opinion. Maybe they need a more hot dry climate.

This is a great herb! In NCentralTX I plant in late February and cover if there is a freeze. They bloom almost continuously from April to mid June. I have them spilling over a retaining wall - I love the round leaves. I guess the heat in Texas is too much - I just pulled them up last week, but I replant every year. Have never had any seedlings from previous years come up.

At first I watered it regularly and got nothing. Then I left it on its, watering only about every 10 days. Flowers like crazy. I planted it in ordinary soil, not too fertilized. Kept blooming after all the other annuals had stopped. Very beautiful, and carefree. It's supposedly edible, but I'd rather look at them than eat 'em.

How should I cook or use my Nasturtium in an edible way?
I know it is positively planted near beans in biological gardening.

These were some of the most beautiful Nasturtiums I have ever seen. They were growing in Stinson Beach Ca. It doesn't freeze there, except for a freak, once in ten year's type of thing. They are most likely perennial, but I listed the bloom time from Spring to mid-winter, as they go dormant when it gets into the low thirties.They seem to not be annual,as they have grown to cover a vast amount of space.The leaves are up to six inches across and look almost like lily pads in size.

Hello - I started from seed a little late (June), and now have lots of foliage but not one flower, and I have about 5 plants.

This plant is a heat-loving annual. Flowers are used as an ingredient in salads and other dishes.

To make "capers" from the seeds, one should pickle them in a vinaigrette/brine solution.

The seeds are extremely easy to harvest, and this is a good candidate for beginning gardeners from children to adults.

The leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of all varieties of Nasturtium are edible They have a pleasant, "peppery" flavor when added raw to salads, etc. The seeds can be especially "hot", but with a unique flavor. Use judiciously. The lower end of the "funnel" shaped flower can be bitten off and a tiny drop of nectar sucked out, much as with honeysuckle flowers.

Naturtiums here n So. California grow easily, bloom luxuriantly, require almost no attendance, and can reseed invasively. The invasiveness is simple to control, however. Pruning or uprooting is quick and easy.

Thanks for the great pictures of this plant. I'd like to know if all varieties of Nasturtium are edible.

Grow in low-fertility soil or few flowers will appear. Nasturtiums also make great houseplants. If you provide extra light, they will bloom indoors all winter.

This plant is edible and you can use the seedpods as capers.