I remember growing nasturtiums in my mom’s garden when we lived in South Carolina. I helped my mom plant the chunky seeds from the packet with the funny name. The second “t” is soft like mashed potatoes. I don’t know why I remember it that way, but I do.
I grow nasturtiums in my grown-up garden. After Thanksgiving last year, while everybody else filled up their online carts with electronica, I shopped the Botanical Interests seed sale. I purchased both ‘Jewel Blend’ and ‘Alaska Variegated’ seeds for my garden and set them aside for my winter sowing experiment.
This is my year for winter sowing and nasturtiums were the first seeds I sowed. Have you heard of winter sowing? I first read about in Kevin Lee Jacob’s A Garden for the House. It’s essentially creating mini-greenhouses that you set aside in the coldest days of winter. The greenhouses protect tender seedlings from harsh weather. When the days warm in early spring, you have seedlings all ready for planting.
I sowed the nasturtium seeds in milk jugs. I used a utility knife to cut through the milk jug at its equator, leaving a 2-inch gap “hinge” just below the handle. I used the utility knife to cut a few slits in the bottom for drainage. I filled the bottom half of the jug with potting mix and placed about a dozen nasturtium seeds in the soil, pressing them lightly and covering them with just a touch more soil. I sealed the jug with packing tape and marked the flower and date on the milk jug. I removed the cap, watered in the plants and set them in the sun. That was February 18. By March 16, seedlings were ready for planting in containers.
Growing Nasturtiums
The seedlings were so ready, they were outgrowing the milk jugs:
Once I removed the tape and pulled the top off, the seedlings splayed out, stretching into a new world.
This is what the Winter Sowers Facebook group calls a “hunk of seeds.” I gently loosened the clump and placed it in the container. I filled with more soil and watered the plants in.
A few weeks later, the plants were settled in. This is my full sun front porch, a tad warm for nasturtiums, so I water them just about every day.
More Gardening Stories from A Cook and Her Books
Join the Conversation
Let’s talk about gardening and more on Instagram and Facebook. I’d love to hear from you!
