Cool Things About Nasturtiums
If you aren’t familiar with nasturtiums, they are old-fashioned flowers with bright green, rounded leaves and delicate, ruffled blooms. Although your grandma’s nasturtiums were probably limited to bright orange, gold and red, newer varieties come in yellow, cream, mahogany, salmon, apricot, and even cream with purple spots or a red so deep it looks black.
I usually don't like planting seeds (I love instant gratification with bedding plants) but nasturtiums are an exception. There’s no need to plant seeds indoors ahead of time. In fact, nasturtiums don’t like it when their roots are disturbed so it’s best to plant the seeds exactly where you want the plants to grow. This can be just about any sunny spot in your garden because nasturtiums aren’t choosy about soil as long as it isn’t soggy.
Nasturtiums have a flowing growth style that works in the ground or in containers. The seeds germinate quickly, and if you want them to sprout even faster, soak the seeds in a bowl of water overnight.
These colorful bloomers are great for budget gardening because a packet of seeds grows a lot of flowers.If you have little kids, give them their own patch of dirt and let them plant nasturtiums. The big, wrinkled, pea-sized seeds are easy for little fingers, and the plants provide instant (okay, almost instant) gratification. Nasturtiums are definitely edible. The blossoms are sweet and spicy, and the zesty leaves are packed with vitamin C.
