🌼 Nasturtiums: Peppery Blooms with a Purpose

Beautiful, edible, and brilliant for your garden.

Growing nasturtiums? Use our South Africa-specific Nasturtium Grow Guide for sowing depth, spacing, regional timing and ongoing care.

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) bring vivid flowers, pollinator activity and a peppery edible crop to suitable gardens. They are also sometimes used as monitored companion or trap plants, but they do not provide guaranteed pest control.

🌿 A Feast for the Eyes and the Plate

Correctly identified nasturtium flowers, young leaves and immature green seed pods are commonly used as food. Only harvest plants grown without pesticides or other treatments unsuitable for edible crops, rinse them carefully and try a small amount first if they are new to you.

🌸 Flowers

The flowers are the showstoppers — bright, delicate, and bursting with colour. Scatter them across a green salad, float them in a summer cocktail, or use them to decorate cakes and cheese platters. The slightly spicy bite pairs beautifully with creamy ingredients like goat’s cheese or ricotta.

🌿 Leaves

Young leaves are tender and full of zest. Use them anywhere you’d normally add herbs or salad greens — folded into omelettes, blitzed into pestos, or tossed into sandwiches for a peppery twist.

Try this simple Nasturtium Leaf Pesto:
Ingredients

• 1 cup young nasturtium leaves (loosely packed)

• ½ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup grated Parmesan or hard cheese

• 2 tablespoons nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, or sunflower seeds)

• Juice of half a lemon

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

2. Adjust oil for your preferred consistency.

3. Serve over pasta, roast vegetables, or grilled chicken.

🌱 Tip: For a vegan version, swap the cheese for nutritional yeast and the nuts for sunflower seeds.

🌰 Seeds — The “Poor Man’s Capers”

Once the flowers fade, nasturtiums form plump, green seed pods that look like tiny brains. Pick them young, before they harden, and you can turn them into a flavour-packed preserve.

✨ Pickled Nasturtium “Capers”

You’ll need:

• 1 cup young green nasturtium seed pods

• ¼ cup salt

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• ½ teaspoon sugar

Method:

1. Rinse the seed pods thoroughly.

2. Dissolve salt in water and soak the pods overnight.

3. Drain and rinse, then pack the pods into sterilised jars.

4. Bring the vinegar, mustard seeds, and sugar to a simmer.

5. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the pods and seal.

6. Store for two weeks before tasting — they’ll develop a tangy, peppery kick similar to real capers!

🫙 Perfect for salads, potato dishes, seafood, or to jazz up a homemade tartar sauce.

🌺 Nasturtiums in the Garden: Beauty with Benefits

Beyond the kitchen, nasturtiums are true garden multitaskers.

🐞 Natural Pest Protection

Nasturtiums may attract aphids or other pests and can sometimes be used as a monitored trap crop. Results vary by pest, season and garden. Inspect plants frequently and manage affected growth promptly; do not expect nearby vegetables or roses to be protected automatically.

🐝 Pollinator Power

Nasturtiums are magnets for bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. These beneficial insects help pollinate your garden and keep pest populations balanced.

🌱 Soil & Growth Tips

• Soil: Nasturtiums prefer poor to average soil — too rich, and you’ll get more leaves than flowers.

• Sunlight: Full sun gives the best colour and bloom production.

• Watering: Moderate — they tolerate dry spells once established.

• Growth type: Choose trailing varieties for baskets or climbing varieties to scramble through sweetcorn or beans.

🌼 In South African gardens, sow nasturtiums after frost and enjoy continuous blooms through the warmer months.

🌿 3 More Tasty Nasturtium Recipes

1. Stuffed Nasturtium Flowers

Ingredients:

• Fresh flowers (rinsed and patted dry)

• 100g cream cheese or ricotta

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• Fresh herbs (chives, dill, or parsley)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix the filling ingredients until smooth.

2. Gently open each flower and spoon in a little filling.

3. Chill before serving for a fresh, elegant appetiser.

2. Nasturtium Leaf Butter

A beautiful way to preserve the flavour of summer.

Ingredients:

• 100g butter, softened

• Handful of nasturtium leaves and flowers

• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Finely chop leaves and petals.

2. Stir into softened butter and season with salt.

3. Roll into a log and chill.

Slice over grilled veggies, steaks, or warm new potatoes for a burst of peppery freshness.

3. Nasturtium Vinegar

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nasturtium flowers

• 1 cup white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Pack flowers into a clean jar.

2. Pour in vinegar and seal.

3. Leave in a sunny spot for two weeks, shaking occasionally.

4. Strain and store in a bottle.

Drizzle over salads or use in dressings — it’s tangy, floral, and absolutely unique.

🌸 Why Gardeners Love Nasturtiums

✅ Easy to grow
✅ Edible from flower to seed
✅ Attract pollinators and may serve as a monitored companion or trap plant
✅ Great for borders, pots, and veggie patches
✅ Gorgeous and delicious!

💚 Nasturtiums combine warm-season colour, peppery edible parts and useful pollinator appeal. Any trap-crop effect is variable and should form only one part of regular garden monitoring.

Important Note: Use only unsprayed flowers/leaves intended for eating and rinse gently. If you’re new to edible flowers, try small amounts first.

👉 Shop Nasturtium Seeds on Gardening.co.za - your garden (and your taste buds) will thank you! 🌿