Here are the best Reasons to Grow Nasturtium in the Garden that is going to encourage you in planting this herb and make most of Nasturtium Benefits!
Perfect for the beginner gardeners, the whole Nasturtium plant is useful, right from its leaves to flowers! So, if you don’t have it in your yard, here are some of the best Reasons to Grow Nasturtium in the Garden and enjoy nasturtium benefits that are surely going to tempt you into planting it!
Check out our article on growing Nasturtium in containers here!
Reasons to Have Nasturtium in Your Garden
1. Totally Edible
The incredible thing about nasturtium is that the whole plant is edible! Flowers, seed pods, and young leaves can be eaten raw in the salad and also in cooked form. It can really amaze you with its peppery, mustard-like taste.
Note: Avoid consuming any part of nasturtium during pregnancy.
2. Easy To Grow
Nasturtium is one of the easiest herbs to grow. Even if you are a newbie to gardening, you are going to find it super easy to plant. Just toss some seeds in the soil, water them regularly and they’ll grow on their own! This is probably one of the best reasons to grow nasturtium in the garden.
3. Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
Nasturtium leaves are super rich in Vitamin C, iron and some other minerals. Flowers are also not far behind, containing vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and minerals like manganese, iron, phosphorus, and calcium. Have their leaves or flowers at any time of the day to benefit from this nutrient-rich plant.
4. Attract Pests
Nasturtium works as an excellent trap crop. Planting these nearby fruits and vegetables will keep pests like aphids, cabbage looper, leafhoppers, leafminers, and slugs away. It helps in keeping tomato, pepper, bean, strawberry, cabbage, and lettuce, safe from these bugs by attracting them.
5. Helps in Pollination
Nasturtiums aids in pollination by attracting pollinators to the garden. It can lure bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds with its bright and colorful flowers. However, do ensure that you are not using chemical fertilizers while planting them, as they are harmful to pollinators. This is probably one of the best reasons to grow nasturtium in the garden.
6. Mild Fragrance
The flowers of this plant not only look dazzling but also spreads pleasant mustard-like fragrance. They are also a great choice as cut flowers. In fact, nasturtium has uses in many perfumes because of its spicy edible scent.
7. Stops Invasive Weeds
Fed up of invasive weeds destroying your vegetation? Nasturtium offers a simple and eco-friendly solution! Just plant them on the unused part of the garden where weeds are likely to grow. This will stop the weeds from taking over your garden. Also, it’s very easy to get rid of nasturtium once you decide to plant something in the growing season.
8. Grows in Poor Soil
As plants obtain nutrition from the soil, it becomes quite necessary to take measures for improving the quality of the soil. This is not the case with planting nasturtium. You can plant them in poor soil. Thus, it is going to save you time, effort and money required for soil preparation.
9. Versatile Plant
Nasturtiums are one of the most versatile plants you are going to find. The reason being, you can grow it as a ground cover, as well as a hanging plant in window boxes. You can also plant them in hanging baskets. Also, you can have them in a rock garden to improve the aesthetic appearance of the landscape!
10. Eco-Friendly Bug Repellent
One of the nasturtium benefits is you can keep pests away. All you have to do is to take one cup of nasturtium flowers, leaves and buds and place them in one liter boiling water. Cover the bowl and brew the mix for approx 15-20 minutes. Strain and pour in a sprayer and your natural and eco-friendly bug repellent is ready for use. Common pests will abhor the peppery taste and smell of nasturtiums in high concentrations.
11. Haircare
Nasturtium is one of the best ways to clean the scalp, keeping hair healthy and shiny. You can apply the paste of nasturtium leaves directly on the scalp to improve blood circulation and stimulating capillaries.
12. Antiseptic Properties
You should always have a plant which has antiseptic properties in your garden. Because of nasturtium’s antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, it provides a perfect solution to clean and heal wounds as first aid.
13. Good For Skin
Are you sick and tired of using cosmetic products to treat acne and they do not have any effect whatsoever? Well, nasturtium provides a perfect solution! Its leaves fight bacteria effectively because of the antibacterial nature. Make a paste of leaves and use it as a facemask to get rid of stubborn acne.
14. Promotes New Blood Cells
It has been found that nasturtium leaves promote the formation of new blood cells. As it aids new blood cell formation, it can also be given as a blood purifier and detoxifier.
15. Natural Antibiotic
Antibiotic properties of nasturtium help in fighting against a lot of diseases. Chewing fresh leaves of nasturtium every hour is going to give your sour throat a drastic relief. This is probably one of the best reasons to grow nasturtium in the garden.
16. Effective Against Obesity
Nasturtium flowers contain T. majus ethanol extract (TME) which is found to be a potential remedial agent for the treatment of obesity. According to a recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it is observed that nasturtium flowers can prove to be helpful against obesity.
17. Cough Suppressant
Nasturtium leaves are a natural home remedy for cough. It’s a natural source of expectorants, which you can find mostly in cough medicines. It gives relief against cough by breaking up congestion in the respiratory passage. Consuming nasturtium leaves, in the form of herbal tea, is a delicious remedy for cough.
18. Easy To Remove
The problem with most of the easy growing plants is that it is really tough to get rid of them, once they spread. This is not in the case of nasturtium, as you can easily pull them out from roots in the springs. Isn’t that wonderful!
19. Used as Capers
Capers give a salty, tart and vinegary taste to many recipes. Although capers are pickled flower buds, nasturtium seeds can also be used like capers in salads, sauces, mayonnaise, pasta dishes, and pickles. Enjoy the improved taste, along with other health benefits, by using nasturtium.
20. Nasturtium Butter
To prepare nasturtium butter, take 3-4 teaspoons of red, yellow, and orange nasturtium petals in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, and black pepper. Spread it on parchment or wax paper, make a roll and refrigerate it for 1 hour until it gets firm.
Wow I had no ideal how many uses and benefits nasturtiums had. I have a large patch yum!