GardenAnnual Flower · 21 varieties
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
Tropaeolaceae — the only crop in its plant family here.
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) is an annual flower. It wants full sun and pH 6–6.8 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. It matures in about 35–65 days from sowing, or 20–40 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and bacterial wilt. Below: its full sourced profile from 10 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–6.8
- Soil texture
- Sandy, Loam, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Tender
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 1–10 ft
- Mature spread
- 1–3 ft
- Growth rate
- Fastest
- Spacing in row
- 8–12 in
- Between rows
- 8–12 inest
- Planting depth
- 0.5–1 in
- Container size
- 1–3 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
- Support
- Self-supporting
- Grown from
- Direct sow, Transplant, Cutting
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1 in/wkest
- Critical water
- Establishmentest
- Feeding
- Low
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 35–65 days from seed · 20–40 days from transplantest
- Harvest cues
- First flowers
Planted again for autumn
- Set plants out by
- early Oct typical · zone 6b
20 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Edible parts per source: leaf, flower, seed pod, seed.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
On the WVU companion list, with an aphid-magnet reputation. If aphids pile on, pull those plants before they breed.
Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the leaf and flower and seed pod and seed; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Type | Habit | Days | Color | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Mix | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 55–65 | Bicolor | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · happy in a pot |
| Black Velvet | Dwarf Bush | Dwarf | 20–40 | Black | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
| Bloody Mary | Semi Trailing | Compact | 55–65 | Bicolor | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · happy in a pot |
| Double Dwarf Jewel Mix Heirloom | Dwarf Bush | Dwarf | 20–40 | Bicolor | Wildwood Outdoor Living describes this asextra rows of petals · happy in a pot |
| Empress of India Heirloom | Dwarf Bush | Bush | 20–40 | Red | Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible |
| Fordhook Favorites Mix | Semi Trailing | Vining | 20–40 | Bicolor | epplantco.com describes this assmells good · draws bees and butterflies |
| Gleam Mix Heirloom | Semi Trailing | Vining | 55–65 | Bicolor | Pinetree Garden Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible |
| Golden Gleam Heirloom | Semi Trailing | Vining | 50–60 | Yellow | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
| Jewel Mix | Dwarf Bush | Bush | 55–65 | Bicolor | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · happy in a pot |
| King Theodore Heirloom | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 20–40 | Brown | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
| Milkmaid | Trailing Climbing | Vining | 20–40 | White | She Grows Veg describes this asthe flowers are edible |
| Moonlight | Trailing Climbing | Vining | 20–40 | Yellow | Select Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · smells good · draws bees and butterflies · deer usually leave it alone |
| Peach Melba | Semi Trailing | Vining | 55–65 | Bicolor | Pinetree Garden Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · happy in a pot |
| Phoenix Heirloom | Dwarf Bush | Bush | 20–40 | Bicolor | Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this ashappy in a pot |
| Spitfire | Trailing Climbing | Vining | 20–40 | Bicolor | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
| Tip Top Mahogany | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 20–40 | Purple | Lake Valley Seed describes this ashappy in a pot |
| Vesuvius Heirloom | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 55–65 | Red | Select Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible |
| Whirlybird Cherry Rose | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 20–40 | Red | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
| Whirlybird Mahogany | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 20–40 | Purple | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
| Whirlybird Mix | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 20–40 | Bicolor | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this asthe flowers are edible · happy in a pot |
| Whirlybird Scarlet | Dwarf Bush | Compact | 20–40 | Red | NC State Extension records this asdeer usually leave it alone · gets by on less water · draws hummingbirds · draws bees and butterflies · the flowers are edible · happy in a pot · drops seed and comes back on its own |
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- NC State Extension
- University of California Marin Master Gardeners (UC ANR)
- University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC ANR)
- University of Minnesota Extension
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
- Washington State University Extension (Skagit County Master Gardeners)
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 13 of the 19 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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