Nasturtiums: The Edible Flowers of Spring

Words by: Justin Butts  Photos by: Rachel Benavides

The most beautiful flower in your Spring garden is also thebrmost delicious! The bold flavor of
nasturtiums is one of the best-kept secrets of gardeners inbrthe Coastal Bend.

Nasturtiums are native to the Andes Mountains of Peru.brSpanish explorers discovered nasturtiums around 1560 and sent seeds home to Spain. Soon, nasturtiumbrcultivation spread to England and then to Colonial America, where pioneers called them “Indianbrcresses.”

The leaves and flowers of nasturtiums are exquisitelybrdelicious. The leaves have a spicy, bold, and
unique flavor. They are perfect for salads, but you can alsobruse nasturtium leaves on your
burgers instead of lettuce, or on pizza instead of basil.

The gorgeous orange, yellow, and red flowers taste almostbrlike fruit. In fact, Thomas Jefferson
classified nasturtiums with the “fruits” of his garden andbrgrew them in great abundance. Pickled
nasturtium seeds taste even better than capers.

As delicious as nasturtiums are, their true glory is thebrcolor they bring to your garden. The
beautiful flowers top the round and oval leaves that are abrdeep dark green. The leaves bead
water in a particular way that make dew-covered nasturtiumsbrthe most beautiful view in your
morning garden.

Nasturtiums are easy to grow in modest or even poor soils.brYour nasturtiums, planted in
January, will be fully mature by Spring Break. Nasturtiumsbrgrow best in a wide bed (four feet
wide or wider) of loose, well-tilled soil. Add an inch or sobrof high-quality compost to the bed
before planting.

Using your finger or the wooden end of a garden hoe, drawbrparallel lines six inches apart across
the width of the bed. Drop your large black nasturtiumsbrseeds about two inches apart down each row and cover with no more than 1/4 inchbrof dirt. Mulch between the rows with raked up leaves from your lawn.

You can order quality nasturtium seeds on-line from EdenbrBrothers or Baker Creek Heirloom
Seeds. Thin your nasturtiums to final spacing of six inchesbrand enjoy the thinnings.

Once the nasturtium plants mature, harvest a few the of thebrround leaves daily. Always leave at
least 2/3rds of the leaves to allow photosynthesis tobrregenerate new leaves. By taking a few
leaves each day, your plants will continue to grow lush andbrput on new leaves.

Harvest the red, yellow, and orange flowers as soon as theybrfully bloom. Fifteen or twenty
nasturtium plants will keep the typical kitchen plentifullybrsupplied with tasty nasturtium leaves
and flowers all the way into the heat of early summer.