Nasturtium the wonder plant

For years I've known that nasturtiums are edible (although I didn't know until recently that this applied to all varieties), but having tasted it once before, and decided I didn't like it, I never gave it much thought for years, and with the exception of once a few years ago, it was never a feature of my garden until this year.

This year I grew some Nasturtium in a patch of garden that is very poor soil, the idea being that the Nasturtium would fill the space for this year, and then be dug in when the frost gets it as part of my effort to improve the patch to become a veg patch next year. As expected, it did an excellent job of filling that patch.

Recently, the wife and I decided we wanted make a real effort to reduce the amount of food we waste, save a bit of money, eat nicer food, and cut down on 'food miles', so we've been getting rather imaginative in our cooking. The nasturtium, well known for its qualities as a salad leaf (something we don't like it for - it sounds odd for a couple that love spicy food to say we like our salads rather bland ), but I've been chucking it in soup and all sorts. It really livens up the flavour.

But one thing that's always bothered me is this. With the very worthwhile trend of people growing more of their own veg, what about the bees? If we grow more veg, surely we have to grow less flowers, and the conservationists are always telling us to grow more. Once again, here comes nasturtium to save the day. My nasturtium patch is perhaps the most lively part of my garden, and the two neighbours either way. All the bees come to see my patch.

So there you have it. An easy to grow, delicious food crop, good ground cover to help block out weeds, pretty to look at, is happy in poor soil, can be harvested right through summer and right up to the first frost, and is good for the bees. I'm told it is also a good companion plant for brassicas too.

Top marks for nasturtium the wonder plant:gnthb:

 

Interesting. I've always loved nasturtiums for their flowers but I've never eaten them. I know they can be eaten raw but if you cook them, how long do give them?

 

Clueless1 If your concerned about the bees by growing more veg, don't forget companion planting, that is growing things like marigold in rows between the veg. This will not only keep the bees happy, but these plants will bring in other predators such as hoverflies. I hope this helps?

 

I would guess that they don't need very long at all, but I don't use the flowers. I have an agreement with the local bumblebees. They can keep the flowers and I'll have the leaves and some stems. My rule of thumb with any veg is to cook it for the least amount of time possible, thus retaining the flavour and texture. If I boil stuff, the leafy stuff will go in literally at the last minute, for about 1 minute max. Tougher leaves like cabbage get 5 minutes max. For fruits like peppers, maybe 5 minutes. Roots get 15 to 20 minutes. In the wok, you can shave about half that time off for most stuff.

Thanks for that, good point. I was vaguely aware of the idea of companion planting, but haven't really researched it much to be honest. My goal for next year is to make a very productive garden that also looks nice, and includes something for the wildlife, so I'll have a good read up on companion planting. I also want to include more stuff that I can share with the wildlife. Beans and peas for example, they get the flowers and in return I get the pods. I'm also thinking of making best use of space by including climbing/hanging stuff, so they have a small 'footprint'. Obviously beans and peas tick that box, but I'm also thinking about strawberries in hanging baskets, and I think I read somewhere that there is a variety of tomatoes that do well in an outdoor hanging basket.