Monday, October 02, 2006

A few more for Olivia's 'to plant' list ...

AND, finally, a couple of Nasturtium pics for Olivia ... not so subtle persuasion as to why she needs to plant these beauties in her garden next year ...

Eminently edible, deliciously fragarant and all around easy, the only thing Nasturtiums ask is that you don't plant them in too rich a soil, otherwise you'll get fantastic foliage, and few flowers.

And not so subtle hint again ... throw them in your salads for a nice zippy peppery flavour ... if the flowers aren't enough for you, go for the foliage as well! Unlike the Castors, Nasturtiums are wholly edible and tasty too!

4 comments:

olivia said...

Those are beautiful!! Literally too good to eat ... ;) Just look at those inner bits!!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

And they're oooh so tasty as well. They belong in every serious gardener's space at some point ... plant them around tomatoes, for example ... just not too near anywhere where fertilizer may intrude.

If you've never eaten nasturtiums, you owe it to yourself to try them....

olivia said...

What do they taste like?

The borage tastes like cucumbers you said, what about these?

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

They have a mild, peppery flavor ... the leaves are much stronger in the peppery end, and most people don't use them. I've even seen these flowers for sale in the grocery store in the fresh herb section, but they ask a ridiculous price for them! Always best to grow at home, not only because they're fresher, but you know exactly how they were grown.

Get a pack next year Olivia ... they make great creeping plants or even as vining ones on a trellis as well. Easy, easy easy! Just don't ever feed them though!