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Companion flower · Easy to grow

Nasturtium

Tropaeolum majus

A cheerful, edible trailing flower that works as a trap crop: aphids and cabbage white caterpillars often go for it first, sparing your veggies. Peppery leaves and flowers are lovely in salads. Easy from seed, even in poor soil.

When to plant where you live

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Add nasturtium to my garden

Planting times for other areas

Varieties (2)

  • AlaskaCream-splashed leaves; compact
  • Jewel mixCompact, bushy and colourful; good for small beds

Neighbours

Grows well with

From seed to plate

  1. Plant

    30 cm apart, seed 15 mm deep. Full sun or part shade.

  2. Water

    Water while young, then sparingly; too much water and food means leaves, not flowers.

  3. Feed

    None needed; it flowers best in lean soil.

  4. Pick, from about 7 weeks

    Pick leaves, flowers and young seed pods for eating any time.

Good to know

  • Plant at the edge of the bed so it can trail over
  • Check it for aphids each week; when it's covered, pull it and sow another
  • It self-seeds; pull extra seedlings so it doesn't take over

Common problems

  • Aphids clustering under leavesthat's the trap working; pull and bin badly infested stems
  • Cabbage white caterpillarspick off, or bin the worst leaves

If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.

Ask the garden helper about nasturtiumAny question, answered from the plant libraryHow others are growing nasturtiumQuestions, tips and harvests from the community

Wildlife

Good for: bees, insects.

Where this information comes from
  • Sustainable Gardening Australia: companion planting (companions, low confidence)
  • ABC Gardening Australia: nasturtium fact sheet (growing, low confidence)
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control: Nasturtium (non-toxic) (toxicity, medium confidence)

Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 28 Oct 2026. Version 1.