This spring I will attempt to grow nasturtiums (again). Nasturtium is native to the South American Andes from Bolivia to Columbia. Some consider them to be herbs as the leaves and blooms are edible. The leaves have a crisp peppery taste that ’s great as salad greens.
I especially love the cheerful crinkly flowers of orange, red and yellow. And the leaves remind me of small lily pads. Photo from Hume Seeds.
They are suppose to be some of the easiest flowers to grow. Yet when I attempted to grow them last spring, I didn’t have much luck at all.
This is all that grew in 4 weeks (photo from last spring). When I decided to transplant it, the whole thing just died a few days later.
I must not have seen this helpful tip from the seed packet: “Does not transplant well.” This year, I will be sure to plant them in a large pot or just straight into the ground.
A few more tips:
* Garden nasturtium enjoy sandy soils.
* Too much water and fertilizer could result in more leaves then blooms.
* It also enjoys full sun or light shade and prefers some shade in the summer sun.
* Nasturtium are somewhat drought tolerant but enjoy regular watering.
