When and how do I sow nasturtium seeds?

Direct outdoors from May, after the last frost. The seeds are large and easy to handle. Push 2 cm into the ground, 30 cm apart for climbing varieties, 20 cm for bush types. Water in. Germination in 7–14 days. Don't bother starting indoors — nasturtiums hate transplanting and root-disturbance.

Why is my nasturtium all leaves and no flowers?

The soil is too rich. Nasturtiums flower on lean, poor-to-average soil; rich beds give a riot of foliage and almost no flowers. Don't dig in manure before sowing; don't feed during the season; in containers, use peat-free compost without added feed. The plant wants to be slightly under-cared-for.

Are nasturtiums edible?

Yes — every part above ground. Flowers are mild, peppery, look beautiful in salads and ice cubes. Leaves taste like rocket — peppery, zingy, good in sandwiches and salads. Young green seed pods pickled in vinegar give poor man's capers — startlingly like the real thing. Pick young leaves and flowers; older parts toughen. Don't eat sprayed plants.

Climber or bush — which type should I choose?

Climbing (Tall Mix, Jewel of Africa) for 2 m of quick cover on fences, walls, wigwams; useful as a screen or for filling gaps in roses. Bush (Tom Thumb, Empress of India, Black Velvet) for containers, edges, the front of borders, and ground cover. Both have the same flowers, just different habits. Grow both for variety.

Do nasturtiums really help with aphids?

Yes, as a trap crop. Aphids (especially blackfly Aphis fabae) prefer nasturtium foliage to most other plants and concentrate on it. Planting nasturtiums beside vulnerable crops (beans, brassicas, courgettes) draws aphids onto the decoy and away from your dinner. You can then ignore the nasturtium aphids, hose them off, or feed them to encouraged ladybirds.

How do I make nasturtium poor man's capers?

Pick young green seed pods (still soft, before turning yellow). Soak in salted water overnight; drain. Pack into a sterilised jar; cover with hot white wine or cider vinegar; add a few peppercorns and a bay leaf. Seal. Mature for at least a month before eating. Use anywhere you'd use capers — they're remarkably similar in flavour.

Nasturtium — Grow

Nasturtium

Tropaeolum majus

ornamental☀️ full-sun🪴 poor soil📏 small🌡️ RHS H1c

📋Quick Facts

Water

💧💧 Average watering

Hardiness

Zone 2-11

About

Sow nasturtium seed direct from May, after the last frost — the seeds are large, easy to handle, and the plants hate transplanting. Nasturtiums are frost-tender annuals (RHS H1c) but ridiculously easy: push a seed 2 cm into the ground, water in, and the plant does the rest. Climbing varieties (Tall Mix, Jewel of Africa) scramble 2 m up netting or wigwams; bush forms (Tom Thumb, Empress of India) make compact mounds 30 cm tall. The flowers, leaves and young seed pods are all edible — peppery, like rocket. Nasturtiums also work as a trap crop for blackfly, pulling aphids away from beans and brassicas. Don't over-feed; rich soil gives leaves and no flowers. Self-seeds happily in mild gardens.

Top tip

Nasturtiums thrive in poor soils; avoid rich feeding and pick flowers and leaves regularly for salads.

Also known as: Tropaeolum / nasturzio, Kapuzinerkresse, Nasturcja pnąca / ogrodowa, Nasturtium, Capuchina, Oost-Indische kers, Capucine, Capuchinha

How to grow nasturtium

1
Sow direct from May
Wait for the last frost. Push seeds 2 cm into the ground, 30 cm apart for climbers, 20 cm for bush types. Water in. Germination in 7–14 days.
2
Pick climber or bush
Climbing (Tall Mix, Jewel of Africa, Spitfire): scramble 2 m up netting, wigwams, or fences. Best for height and quick cover. Bush (Tom Thumb, Empress of India, Black Velvet): 30 cm tall mounds. Suit containers, edges, and bedding.
3
Don't over-feed the soil
Nasturtiums flower best on lean, average-to-poor soil. Rich soil and fresh manure give endless lush leaves and almost no flowers. Don't dig in compost or feed; standard garden soil is fine.
4
Position in sun or light shade
Full sun for the best flowering; will tolerate light shade but flowers less. Nasturtiums in deep shade are mostly leaves.
5
Provide support for climbers
String or netting on a fence; a wigwam of bamboo canes; threading them through other shrubs and roses. Climbers don't grip with tendrils — they twine — so the support should have horizontal elements they can wrap around.
6
Plant near beans and brassicas as a trap crop
Aphids (especially blackfly) prefer nasturtium foliage to the main crop. Planting nasturtiums near runner beans, broad beans, brassicas, and courgettes draws aphids onto the nasturtiums and away from the food crops. You can then ignore the nasturtium aphids (they're decoy fodder) or hose them off.
7
Eat the harvest
Flowers — toss in salads, fill with cream cheese, freeze in ice cubes for summer drinks. Mild peppery flavour. Leaves — like rocket, peppery and zingy in salads. Young seed pods — green and soft, pickled in vinegar make poor man's capers — almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
8
Save seed in autumn
Nasturtium seed pods turn from green to pale yellow when ripe; they drop to the ground freely. Collect a few and store in a paper envelope; the rest self-seed for next year's free flowers. Open-pollinated cultivars come true from seed.

Common questions

Pest Resilience

2/5 — Somewhat vulnerable

Blackfly (black bean aphid) and caterpillars are very common; often used as a trap crop.

Companion Planting

Grows well with

Tomato Cabbage Cucumber Runner bean Courgette Apple

Visual Characteristics

🍳

Culinary

Culinary Use

Flowers in salads, pickled seed pods (caper substitute), pesto, stuffed flowers

The nasturtium year in your garden

Dispatching imaginary bots to check your garden out...

What to do now

How to Propagate

🌰Seed

Easy

Hardiness Zones

H1a (tender)H7 (very hardy)

H1a

H1b

H1c

RHS H1c

USDA 10–11 equivalent

Nasturtium

Nasturtium

📋Quick Facts

About

How to grow nasturtium

Common questions

Pest Resilience

Companion Planting

Visual Characteristics

The nasturtium year in your garden

How to Propagate

Hardiness Zones

Names in Other Languages(7)