Latest / The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners / Episode 44 – Nasturtium – Peppery, Playful, and Powerful

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Episode 44 – Nasturtium – Peppery, Playful, and Powerful · The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

• 0:28
  Welcome back to the Beanstalk, fellow beans.
• 0:32
  My name is John, your neighborhood garden buddy, and
• 0:37
  today we are diving into one of the most underrated,
• 0:41
  overachieving, bright and bold plants you can tuck into your
• 0:46
  garden beds. Nasturtium.
• 0:50
  This is one of those plants that looks like it's just there to be
• 0:53
  flashy and fun, but it quietly pulls a lot of weight behind the
• 0:58
  scenes. If you ever wanted something
• 1:01
  that feeds you, protect your veggies, attracts pollinators,
• 1:06
  and basically thrives on neglect, this is your plant.
• 1:11
  I get excited about this one every season because it proves
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  that a garden can be both beautiful and practical at the
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  same time. Why grow nasturtium?
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  Let's start with the obvious. It is one of the easiest edible
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  flowers you will ever grow. The leaves are round and Lily
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  pad like. The blooms are fiery shades of
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  orange, red, gold and even creamy yellow, depending on the
• 1:44
  variety. And the entire plant has this
• 1:47
  sprawling, energetic growth habit that fills in empty spaces
• 1:52
  fast. But beyond the looks, nasturtium
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  has a bright, peppery flavor that's somewhere between arugula
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  and radish. It's not just garnish, it's
• 2:05
  usable. It brings real punch to salads,
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  sandwiches, and even infused vinegars.
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  On top of that, it acts as a trap crop for aphids, meaning it
• 2:19
  draws pests away from more delicate vegetables.
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  So while it's putting on a show, it's also playing defense.
• 2:28
  That's a plant pulling double duty.
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  How to grow nasturtium is refreshingly simple.
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  It actually prefers poor soil. I'm not kidding.
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  If you put it in rich, heavily amended soil, it will produce
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  lush leaves and fewer flowers. So this is one of those rare
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  times where neglect works in your favor.
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  Direct sow the seeds after your last frost date.
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  They're large, easy to handle seeds, which makes them perfect
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  for beginning gardeners or even kids helping out.
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  Plant them about half an inch deep and space them roughly 8 to
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  12 inches apart. There are two main growth habits
• 3:18
  to consider. Bush varieties stay compact and
• 3:22
  mound nicely in beds or containers, while trailing
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  varieties can spill over. Raised beds, hang beautifully
• 3:31
  from containers, or creep along the ground is a living mulch.
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  They prefer full sun but will tolerate partial shade, though
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  you'll get fewer blooms in lower light.
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  Water them consistently while they're establishing, but once
• 3:48
  mature they're surprisingly drought tolerant.
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  They really don't like soggy soil, so good drainage is key.
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  Harvesting nasturtium is as easy as walking outside with a pair
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  of scissors. You can begin picking leaves
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  once the plant is well established and has several sets
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  of mature leaves. Younger leaves tend to be more
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  tender and slightly milder in flavor.
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  The flowers can be harvested as soon as they are fully open.
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  Snip them in the morning when they're fresh and hydrated.
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  If you want to experiment, you can even harvest the immature
• 4:34
  green seed pods and pickle them as a substitute for capers.
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  The key is to harvest regularly. The more you pick, the more the
• 4:45
  plant continues producing. Now let's talk common pests and
• 4:52
  problems, because even an easy plant like masturtium has its
• 4:58
  moments. Aphids are probably the biggest
• 5:03
  issue you'll see. Aphids are tiny, soft bodied
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  insects that cluster on new growth and the underside of
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  leaves. They suck plant SAP, which
• 5:15
  weakens the plant and can cause curling, yellowing leaves.
• 5:20
  They're attracted to tender growth, especially in warm
• 5:23
  weather. The reason Nestritians get hit
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  so hard is actually part of their charm.
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  They're sacrificial. To manage aphids organically,
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  you can spray them off with a strong blast of water, introduce
• 5:39
  beneficial insects like ladybugs, or use a diluted neem
• 5:43
  oil spray in the evening. Often I let them gather on the
• 5:48
  Nestritians and spare my kale and Peppers entirely.
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  Another issue can be powdery mildew.
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  This is a fungal disease that shows up as a white, dusty
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  coating on leaves, usually later in the season when days are warm
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  and nights are cool. It happens when there's poor air
• 6:13
  circulation and moisture sitting on foliage.
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  While nasturtiums are fairly resilient, crowded plants can
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  invite this problem. The solution is spacing, pruning
• 6:26
  for airflow and watering at the base instead of overhead.
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  If it shows up, removing affected leaves and applying a
• 6:35
  baking soda solution spray can help slow its spread.
• 6:41
  You might also notice flea beetles chewing tiny shot holes
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  through the leaves. These small jumping beetles can
• 6:50
  cause cosmetic damage, especially to young plants.
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  They're more common in warm, dry conditions.
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  Row covers early in the season can prevent them from landing,
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  and keeping soil evenly moist helps reduce stress on the
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  plant. In most cases, nasturtiums
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  outgrow the damage quickly. Companion planting with
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  nasturtiums is where they really shine.
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  They pair beautifully with tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and
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  brassicas. The bright flowers attract
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  pollinators, which increases fruit set on nearby crops.
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  At the same time, their strong scent and chemical compounds can
• 7:39
  deter certain pests. I love planting trailing
• 7:44
  nasturtiums at the base of tomatoes so they spill outward
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  and create a living mulch. They shade the soil, help retain
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  moisture and add biodiversity to the bed.
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  Seed saving nasturtiums is incredibly satisfying.
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  After the flowers fade, they form these plump green seed
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  pods. Let them dry on the plant until
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  they turn 10 and begin to shrivel.
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  Collect them before heavy rains if possible.
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  Once fully dry, store them in a cool, dark place in a labeled
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  envelope. They remain viable for several
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  years. Because nesertions are open
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  pollinated, the seeds will grow true to type unless you've got
• 8:35
  multiple varieties cross pollinating nearby, and even
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  then the surprises can be fun. Looking at the pros and cons.
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  The pros list is slow. They are easy to grow, edible
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  from leaf to flower, beneficial for pollinators, helpful as a
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  trap crop, drought tolerant once established, and visually
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  striking. The cons are relatively minor.
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  They can sprawl aggressively if you don't give them space, and
• 9:15
  in very humid climates they may struggle with mildew late in the
• 9:18
  season. They also don't tolerate frost,
• 9:23
  so there's strictly a warm season annual in most regions.
• 9:30
  And now for the best part. The recipe.
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  Today we're making a nasturtium pesto pasta that really lets
• 9:40
  that peppery flavor shine. You'll need 2 packed cups of
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  fresh nasturtium leaves, 1/2 of a cup of grated parmesan cheese,
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  1/3 of a cup of toasted pine nuts or walnuts, one clove of
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  garlic, half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of
• 10:12
  half of a lemon, one teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of
• 10:20
  black pepper. For the pasta, use 1 LB of your
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  favorite shape. Start by boiling your pasta in
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  well salted water until all dente.
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  While that cooks, combine the nasturtium leaves, nuts, garlic,
• 10:41
  and cheese in a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped,
• 10:48
  then slowly stream in the olive oil until smooth.
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  Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and taste to adjust.
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  Drain your pasta, reserving about half of a cup of pasta
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  water. Toss the hot pasta with the
• 11:08
  pesto, adding a splash of reserved water if needed to
• 11:12
  loosen the sauce. Serve immediately with the extra
• 11:18
  cheese on top and a few fresh nasturtium flours for garnish.
• 11:24
  It's bold, fresh and tastes like summer decided to show off.
• 11:31
  Here are some fun facts about nasturtium.
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  First, they are native to South America and were brought to
• 11:39
  Europe in the 16th century where they quickly became popular in
• 11:44
  kitchen gardens. 2nd The name nasturtium comes from Latin
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  words meaning nose twister, referring to the peppery kick
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  that can make your nose tingle a bit. 3rd.
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  The plant's leaves are actually hydrophobic, meaning water beads
• 12:04
  up and rolls right off them, which is why they always look
• 12:09
  freshly polished after a rainstorm. 4th Nasturtiums are
• 12:17
  rich in vitamin C and were once used to help prevent scurvy. 5th
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  different varieties can range from compact 10 inch mounds to
• 12:30
  trailing vines over 6 feet long, so choosing the right type
• 12:35
  matters depending on your space. And finally, those pickled seed
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  pods I mentioned earlier sometimes called the poor man's
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  capers, and they've been used in traditional European cooking for
• 12:50
  centuries. Welcome to the garden, nerd
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  corner, fellow beans. Nasturtiums belong to the genus
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  Trepaolum, and they're not actually related to true
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  watercress, even though their flavor is similar.
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  Their vibrant flower colors come from carotenoid pigments, the
• 13:17
  same compounds found in carrots and marigolds.
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  They also produce glucose cyanolates, sulfur containing
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  compounds that give them that sharp, peppery taste and
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  contribute to their pest deterring properties.
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  Botanically speaking, their unique leaf attachment is called
• 13:41
  peltate, meaning the stem connects near the center of the
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  leaf rather than the edge. That's why they look like little
• 13:50
  Shields. It's a small detail, but once
• 13:54
  you notice it, you can't Unsee it.
• 13:59
  Next time on The Beanstalk, we're turning our attention to
• 14:03
  milkweed. We'll dig into why this plant is
• 14:07
  absolutely critical for monarch butterflies, how to grow
• 14:11
  responsibly, and what you should know before adding it to your
• 14:16
  garden space. It's one of those plants that
• 14:19
  carries more ecological weight than you might realize, so if
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  you ever wondered how to support pollinators in a real and
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  tangible way, you'll want to tune in.
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  Until then, maybe tuck a few nasturtiums into your beds and
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  see what happens. Thanks again for hanging out
• 14:41
  with me today on the Beanstalk, fellow Beans.
• 14:45
  If you want to keep the conversation going, we've got a
• 14:48
  growing community over at the Beanstalk Garden Club on
• 14:52
  Facebook. Come join us, share your garden
• 14:56
  photos, swap ideas, and dig a little deeper into all things
• 15:00
  that grow together. If you're enjoying the podcast,
• 15:05
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• 15:09
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• 15:12
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• 15:17
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• 15:19
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• 15:23
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• 15:26
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• 15:30
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• 15:42
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