Nasturtium
Also called Garden nasturtium, Indian cress.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 6 days in the growing season, every 14 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 30 cm (12 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats safe, dogs safe |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Nasturtium entry.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Nasturtium is the plant to give a child and the plant to sow where the soil is hopeless. The seeds are the size of peas, they go straight into the ground, and they come up in a week. Sow after the frosts in the north, from March under cover through to May outside. In South Africa they are sown through the spring and early summer, and they appear on the September, November and December planting lists for good reason: they are quick, tough and cheap. Everything about growing them is restraint. No feed, thin soil, and water only while they are small. Leaves, flowers and the green seed pods are all edible and taste of pepper and mustard, so a nasturtium earns its space in a vegetable bed as well as a border.
Ailments observed
| Sticky residue on the leaves or the floor | Blackfly, which colonise the stems in early summer. Squash the first colonies and wash the rest off with water. Many gardeners plant nasturtiums near beans on purpose, because the blackfly go here first. |
|---|---|
| Holes chewed in the leaves | Cabbage white caterpillars, which eat nasturtium as readily as brassicas. Pick them off, and check the undersides of the leaves for the yellow egg clusters before they hatch. |
Filed underPlants that will not poison the cat, Plants that forgive a beginner
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