It makes us so happy the way everyone exclaims over our nasturtiums at the market! Nasturtiums get some of the most frequent comments. People have asked a lot about how we get them to flower like that, because theirs don’t. Hmmm… I don’t know that I do anything special. I got my seeds from Fedco, and have been thrilled with the results. They are generous with their seeds amounts, nearly every seed I planted seemed to grow, and they have a nice mix of colors.

Other than that, I started them early in flats, and make sure they’re in good sun when they get planted out. They don’t get a lot of pampering attention otherwise. Perhaps they bloom more because I pick a lot of them.

Nasturtiums are edible flowers. You can add them to salads, or put them on any kind of crudite plate to add color. Some people stuff their centers with a little cream cheese spread. They are really pretty atop a bowl of guacamole. They are a combination of sweet and zippyspicy. Some flowers are spicier than others; some people eat them whole and the stems too; others just eat the petals, and the leaves can go in salad. (I put a few young ones in the bags of “wild baby greens” we sell at the market). I’ve read recipes about pickling the seed pods to use like capers, but haven’t tried it.