Nasturtiums

[MiniAcre]

I want to grow a lot of Nasturtiums this year...I love the flowers and leaves in salads!

I tried growing a lot of them last year and I had loads of problems. From bugs, to rotting, to stunted growth.

Any suggestions for getting amazing Nasturtiums? I usually grow Empress of India.

[Kisal]

I love nasturtiums and have grown them for the past 30 years.

Don't know what to tell you about the bugs. All mine have ever been bothered by were black aphids, and that was only for one season. I have heard, though, that nasturtiums are very attractive to aphids, so much so that some people use them as "aphid traps" to lure the pests away from the veggie garden.

They do best with a little neglect. You don't want to feed them, or you'll end up with lots of pretty leaves and few, if any, flowers. They also don't like a lot of water. I only water mine when they begin to look like they're on the verge of wilting. That can be as infrequently as once a week or less during cool weather, or as often as every day if the temperature gets over 100º.

[applestar]

Is it just me or is Empress of India harder to grow? I wanted the red flowers to add to my hummingbird garden, but had very hard time growing them last time -- I think it was around 2 yrs ago. I'm currently growing the Jewel Mix. It did well in my garden last year when grown with strawberries and under a tomato, but not as well in a slightly shadier location.

Anyone know if there is a variety that taste better than another?

[rainbowgardener]

Don't know about the taste, but I agree that I've had better results with the Jewel mix than the Empress of India.