How to Grow Nasturtiums

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Nasturtiums planting
  10. Growing Nasturtium in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Nasturtiums want it lean: poor to average soil with no extra feeding, since rich ground pushes the plant into leafy growth at the expense of flowers. Soak seed for 8–24 hours to speed germination, then direct-sow outdoors once the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.

The short answer

Site
6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–7
Biggest risk
Southern bacterial wilt

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Nasturtium scrambling and climbing over a garden bank — “Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

8 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

Nasturtium orange flowers among round green leaves — “20 May 2016, Tropaeolum majus in the Banks of Caminho de Albufeira, Vale Navio.” by Kolforn is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
“20 May 2016, Tropaeolum majus in the Banks of Caminho de Albufeira, Vale Navio.” by Kolforn is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 7
Sunlight 6-6 hours direct sun
Minimum survivable temp -5°C
Soil texture Chalk, loam, sand; poor to average soil
Drainage Well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts leaves, flowers, seed pods
Documented problems 2 diseases, 7 pests

At a Glance

Close-up of a red nasturtium flower — “-37 100 Nasturtium, Troika Red (50044729353)” by Carol VanHook is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
“-37 100 Nasturtium, Troika Red (50044729353)” by Carol VanHook is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Tropaeolum majus Nasturtium Southern bacterial wilt… Nasturtium virus diseas… Aphids Glasshouse whitefly Glasshouse red spider m… Slugs Mealybugs Caterpillars Flea beetles DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

Nasturtium scrambling and climbing over a garden bank — “Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Southern bacterial wilt (nasturtium)

Ralstonia solanacearum

Nasturtium virus diseases (unspecified/unidentified)

Pests

Nasturtium scrambling and climbing over a garden bank — “Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Aphididae (various spp.)

Glasshouse whitefly adult on a leaf — Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Glasshouse whitefly

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Two-spotted red spider mite with silk threads, magnified — Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)

Tetranychus urticae

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Mealybugs

Pseudococcidae

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Soil & Growing Conditions

Nasturtium scrambling and climbing over a garden bank — “Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Tropaeolum majus Garden Nasturtium Harmony Gardens Broadwater Farm Estate Haringey London England 01 large” by Acabashi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Soil pH range

6 7

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

A yellow and orange bicolour nasturtium flower — “2025-05-21 Tropaeolum majus（ナスタチウム）DSCF2401” by Matsuoka.A is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“2025-05-21 Tropaeolum majus（ナスタチウム）DSCF2401” by Matsuoka.A is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and germination 0 Soak seed 8-24 hours to speed germination, then sow about 1.5cm deep indoors in early spring or outdoors March-June after last frost (Horticulture.co.uk).
Establishment and climbing growth 1 Thin or plant out at 15-30cm spacing depending on variety, in full sun on poor to average, well-drained soil; scrambles over the ground or climbs a support (RHS).
Flowering 6 Long-spurred flowers in red, yellow and orange appear through summer and autumn; rich soil or extra feeding favours leafy growth over flowers (RHS).
Harvest of leaves, flowers and seed pods 8 Peppery leaves, flowers and unripe seed pods can all be picked and eaten throughout the growing season.

Harvest & Storage

Nasturtium leaves with developing seed pods — “3854 - Tropaeolum majus (Große Kapuzinerkresse)” by Tubifex is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“3854 - Tropaeolum majus (Große Kapuzinerkresse)” by Tubifex is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

When to pick: Deadhead to encourage further flowers; leaves, flowers and seed pods harvested for culinary use through summer and autumn (RHS)

Storage

Best used fresh; not typically stored long-term

Plan your Nasturtiums planting

Timing for Nasturtiums follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Nasturtium in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

These source is specific to this region. The full list of 8 sources behind this guide (GBIF, Horticulture.co.uk, NC State Extension and others) is in the references of our UK guide to nasturtiums; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH do nasturtiums need?

A pH of about 6–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect nasturtiums?

Our data links 2 diseases and 7 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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Last verified 2026-08-30

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