Easy to grow nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are easy to grow, add colour to the garden and are edible. Their petals can be added to salads, they taste quite peppery and hot. The flowers come in a variety of colours; creams, yellows, oranges, reds and burgundy.

When to grow: You can sow from March to May, outside where they are to flower. They will flower from the summer through to the autumn.

How to grow:  Nasturtiums prefer well drained soil in the sun. Sow in rows 20 mm deep and 30 cm apart. They can be thinned out later if they become crowded.

One of the best things about nasturtiums is that you don't need to buy more next year, you can simply collect the seed pods when they begin to change colour from green to brown, dry them on some newspaper in the greenhouse or on the windowsill and plant out next year. 

As the flowers are pollinated by visiting bees you often get different colours every year. It's great fun and cheap.