“Nasties”

My friend Derek likes to call nasturtiums “nasties”. Graham calls them “starships”. He completely misunderstood what I said one day and the nickname stuck. I think nasturtiums are one of the most fun flowers to grow from seed because they sprout quickly. Like beans, they’re perfect for introducing kids to sprouting seeds. The seeds are large and easy to handle, and look like little brains. I should also mention that both the leaves and blooms of the nasturtium are edible. The leaves are peppery and can be tossed into salads, and the flowers make a unique garnish to fresh foods.

I got some seeds from a woman at Seedy Saturday in Oshawa who proudly proclaimed that she “gathers all of her nasturtium seeds by hand”. While I have never done this, it is something I will have to consider this season, since one of the varieties I’ve chosen to grow is an heirloom variety, Black Velvet, and therefore should grow true again next year if the seeds are collected.

I like having nasturtiums in my garden a lot because they’re very pretty and sprawl a good distance, making a nice low-growing bed seem very full. However, both last year and the year before I’ve had to pull them out when I discovered they were covered in black aphids. When I complained about this to my friend Gayla, she told me that a lot of people plant them on purpose in order to draw aphids away from other valuable plants, like tomatoes. *Cough* yeah, I meant to do that…

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