I started seeds of some nasturtium variety, Cherry something, somewhere around the middle or end of May, after we knew we'd gotten the house but before we actually moved into it, and it has been my opinion ever since then that nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) suck. I had two sprouts came up, out of a whole package (something like 15-20 seeds to start with), which admittedly I didn't presoak them like the package said to, but I was prevented from doing so because of the whole problem of living in two different places at the same time and not being guaranteed a chance to get to the house every single day because of whatever. So it is totally not my fault that I couldn't soak them first.
Anyway. The two plants popped up, and looked very sad for a long time. I came to the conclusion that whether it was because they'd been started late, or because it's been a cold, wet summer so far, or some other reason, leaves were as much as I was going to get out of these. And so I kind of forgot about them, because I appear to have a tough time remembering that I have plants outside, particularly when they're being sulky or stupid. So of course now I'm getting buds..jpg)
And I suppose this means I can't write them off completely for next year. Though next year we'll pre-soak first.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Random plant event: Tropaeolum majus flower bud!
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8 comments:
It looks like it will be tasty!
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What, it's a nasturtium!
You mean you don't eat your nasturtiums? Leaves are peppery, and flowers are beautiful in salad.
I would be happy to eat the nasturtiums, but I kind of wanted to wait until I was sure they were going to stay alive first. (It's still sort of an open question.)
The buds in the picture have since opened (the post was written a few days ago), but we apparently had a storm last night while I was asleep, because they look like they've been tumble-dried. Pictures eventually.
It looks like it will actually be cherry coloured! Last year I sowed McKenzies "Dwarf Double Cherry Red" nasturtiums, and most of them came up big single orange.
I guess soaking the seeds makes a big difference. I've found nasturtiums very easy but I did soak them first.
Gave up on them. Growing them has never been difficult, but blooming was another story -- never succeeded in getting any to bloom.
I think mine were considering blooming--but then I tossed 'em all. They were harboring spider mites.
And nasturtium are totally tasty! A nice salad out of bean leaves, nasturtium, basil, arugula, and any other leafy green you have laying around is delicious with some oil and vinegar! (But, then, I like spicy/peppery meals. I put wasabi in my lasagna.)
Nasturtiums are a real pain to grow, in my opinion, but OMG, the fabulous, fragrant flowers and spicy leaves and buds make it so worth the agony of getting them to grow and bloom. Glad you didn't toss them!
I love the flowers and the look, but never had any luck at all growing them. Gave up with far too much frustration.
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