Flower
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
Peppery edible flowers that thrive on neglect — perfect first flower.
Full to partial
Low
Poor, well-drained
Very easy
Yes
Flowers & leaves
Annual
Half-hardy
5 L
15 cm
Vegetable
Courgette / Zucchini
Trailing nasturtiums shade the soil and decoy aphids.
Vegetable
Cucumber
Lures aphids and adds edible flowers to your salads.
Vegetable
Tomato
Nasturtium lures aphids and whiteflies away from tomatoes, sacrificing itself as a pest trap crop.
Leafy green
Kale
Nasturtiums trap aphids and cabbage moths that attack kale, sacrificing themselves as trap-crop hosts to protect the brassica.
Situations where this plant is a reliable fit — from someone's kitchen sill to a wind-blown rooftop.
Balcony
A few pots on a flat outdoor perch — some sun, some wind.
Hanging basket
Trailing plants overhead — light, dries out fast, wants a soft touch.
Wall crevice
A drystone pocket or crumbling brick — tiny root run, huge drought.
Vertical wall pocket
Living-wall pouches or stacked planters — very shallow roots only.
Ladder planter
A tilted step-ladder with a shallow tray on each rung — sun-facing, five tiers of herbs, salad and strawberries in the footprint of one pot.
Pallet wall garden
A wooden pallet stood upright and lined with landscape fabric — every slat becomes a shallow salad-or-herb pocket. Cheap, huge productive area, needs frequent watering.
Pocket planter
A canvas or felt panel of sewn-in pockets, hung on a sunny wall — instant vertical garden, works well on a balcony rail too.
Trellis tower
A freestanding obelisk, tepee or wire tower for climbers — beans, peas, cucumbers and morning glory turn one square metre into a lush wall of green.
Raised bed
A traditional plot or timber-sided bed — deepest root run, widest planting choice.
Recipes in the library that lean on this plant. Grown at home is grown for a reason.
Where to source
Get growing in United Kingdom
Shop local first
The best plants come from a real nursery, and the best trowel comes from the old-fashioned ironmonger down the road — people who know their stock and can advise. Try local first, both for the plant and the kit. It keeps small growers and small hardware shops alive.
Searching near London
For pots, compost, seed trays, twine and other kit — Amazon has the essentials if the local option isn't right. Not a plant nursery; use the local map above for the plant itself.
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