Name:
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus

How many plants:
25 to 30 seeds per garden.

Type of plant:
Annual.

Best Varieties:

Sowing:
Sow a few seeds in clumps at about half a metre interval (1 1/2 ft). Flowers produce a large seed that can be collected or just left to fall where they are to colonise the area every year.

Growing Habit:
Trailing plant that can be trained on a trellis to about 5 ft high. Compact varieties are good in borders.

Growing Conditions:
Naturtium can be grown in the poorest of soils. It's especially good in sandy or gravelly soil.

Too much fertiliser leads to leaf growth at the expense of flowers. So save yourself the effort and don't worry about feeding these plants too much.

Only minimal fertiliser is needed but good drainage is a must.

Companions:
Nasturtiums attract aphids so plant them near veggies or flowers that are usually plagued by these pests.

Problems:
Can be too vigorous in some shady gardens and may need to be thinned out.

Uses:
When grown with ornamentals and vegetables, nasturtium makes a good aphid control in the garden. The flowers also attract hoverflies that feed on aphids.

The flowers and leaves are edible and have a nice spicy taste when used in a salad.

Featured article:

Encouraging Natural Predators

Controlling plant pests in an organic garden can be a struggle because there are no suitable organic chemicals to treat them. However, there are some effective controls to rid your garden of pests including encouraging natural predators.

Here are some of the 'garden friends' and ways you can encourage their help:

Birds
Sometimes regarded as a pest, placing productive and nesting boxes near your garden will encourage birds into the garden where they feast on grubs, caterpillars, slugs and aphids.

Frogs and Toads
A garden pond is perhaps the ideal compliment to attract frogs and toads, however, they really only need water for breeding. Frogs and toads are excellent for controlling slugs, woodlice and other small insects.

Lady Beetles (lady bugs)
These aphid devouring predators are easily identifiable by most gardeners. The less familiar, slate-gray larvae are not as recognizable, but eat as much, if not more, than their adult counterparts. They can be lured into the garden by cultivating a varied selection of plants.

Ground Beetles
These black garden beetles prey on cutworms, leatherjackets, slugs, snails and many other pests that have a larvae or egg stage. Some species will even pursue prey that live on plants or trees such as gypsy moths and tent caterpillars. Providing permanent plantings, stones, or loose leaf cover will encourage these voracious hunters and give them a place to hide during the day. They will come out at night and feed on the pests. Adults can live 2-3 years.

Lacewings
Planting pollen and nectar flowers and providing a water source will encourage lacewings into your garden where they will lay their eggs on the underneath of leaves. These eggs will hatch in 4-7 days and the larvae will feed on aphids and other soft bodied insect pests for about 3 weeks, and then pupate in the soil for 5-7 days. Generally, 3-4 generations per year. Surviving adults will then overwinter and emerge in the Spring to begin the cycle.

Hover Flies/Flower Flies
The larvae, which resemble thin wasps, feed on aphids. Adult flies lay their eggs directly in the aphid colonies. Eggs hatch in 2-3 days and the larvae feed on aphids for 3-4 weeks. Two to four generations per year. Hover flies can be attracted to the garden by planting marigolds and nasturtiums close by.

There are many ways that nature provides checks and balances. As organic gardeners, it is important to remember not to elminate our beneficial 'friends' in our efforts to eliminate pests.