This is an excellent cool spring plant with shockingly colorful flowers that will fade away as soon as it gets hot. We can prolong the blooms by choosing a location with afternoon shade. Botanically speaking, the nasturtium is Tropaeolum majus and is native to the cooler altitudes in the Andean mountains in South America. Nasturtiums are easy to grow from seed as germination takes place in about 10 days. Fertile, well-drained soil is a must.
Space plants about one foot apart.
When transplanting or using transplants, handle them gently because they have a brittle taproot. When I was a child growing up in Mason, Texas, a small German community, it was a treat to go down to Honey Creek and harvest watercress to be used in salads. Nasturtium also has the common name of Indian Cress. The tender leaves, flowers and young seedpods are edible and have a flavor resembling the watercress I harvested way back then. The leaves are round and give a unique texture in the garden and in a mixed container.