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Tending the crop…
🌸 Flower
How to Grow Nasturtiums
The edible flower with a peppery kick — leaves, petals, and seeds are all edible. A sacrificial trap for aphids and a living mulch that keeps the beans company.
Harvest
55 Days
Sunlight
full to partial
Watering
low
Medium
in-ground or container
Spacing
1 sq ft
-100%
Return on Investment
One nasturtiums plant produces roughly 0 lbs. Worth $0.00 vs a $2.99 seed cost.
Practical Maintenance
- Light:
- Water: Low — drought tolerant once established
- Spacing: 1 sq ft per plant.
Champion Varieties
Lineages for your homestead goals
Jewel
The classic compact bush nasturtium — a riot of color, great for beds and containers.
Alaska
Variegated cream-and-green foliage with bright blooms — pretty even when not flowering.
Jewel of Africa
A trailing type that scrambles 6+ feet — gorgeous spilling over walls.
Empress of India
Deep crimson blooms over blue-green foliage — the most striking in the catalog.
Guilds & Companions
Permaculture Allies
Complete Care Guide
Soil · Water · First 30 days · Monthly care · Troubleshooting · Harvest
Soil
Poor to average, sharply draining soil. pH 6.0–7.5. Nasturtiums flower best in lean ground — rich soil makes them grow giant leaves and almost zero blooms. Never fertilize; bone-dry and hungry is the sweet spot.
Watering
1/2 inch per week. Let the top inch dry between drinks. Overwatered nasturtiums go leafy and pale; slightly stressed ones bloom like fireworks.
🗓️ The First 30 Days
- Days 1–7Soak seeds overnight, then direct sow 1/2 inch deep, 8–12 inches apart, after last frost. Nasturtium seed is hard-shelled — soaking doubles germination. They transplant poorly, so sow where they'll live.
- Days 8–14Keep soil moist until sprouts appear (7–14 days), then taper off hard. The moment they're up, start starving them — this is a flower that blooms on hardship.
- Days 15–21Thin to one plant per spot. Bush types stay tidy in beds; climbing types (e.g., 'Jewel of Africa') will scramble 6 feet if you let them.
- Days 22–28Flowers begin 5–6 weeks from sow. Start picking — every bloom you eat or deadhead extends the show into fall.
- Days 29–30Plant a second patch in midsummer for a fall flush. Nasturtiums are cool-season bloomers in most zones and hate August heat in the South.