Where shall I put nasturtiums?

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

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penny
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:48 pm
Location: London

Hi everyone,
I have about 20 3" pots with nasturtium black velvet and nasturtium mahogany. I choose the colours for courtyard garden at home (aiming for lime green red and burgundy) but now I am wondering if they woud be good companion plants on allotment? But for which plants?
I know they attract black fly but would I get even more if I used them??
Thanks in advance Penny
So far the only thing that's green on my allotment is me.
Di
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Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 11:07 pm
Location: Bristol

I'd put the posh ones in the garden to match your colour scheme and leave a note on the allotment gate asking for nasturtiam seed. They are very prolific once they get going and I'm sure someone will be happy to give you a handful of seeds left from last year.

You then have no dilemma,put them in any spare space.

If i'm not going to use a bit of ground for a while I let them come up and sprawl and then chuck them in the compost when I need the space - a rather informal and pretty green manure. They do get decimated by caterpillars and blackfly, but are very hard to kill.

If you left them infested they might create a problem with pests, but if you have lots then its easy to pull up ones that have bugs and drown them in a bin or chuck them on a bonfire...or dance on them ... choose your own method of revenge!

And they are good in salads too. :D
GIULIA
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Location: Liverpool

I believe you should keep them away from beans - the blackfly problem and also they can apparently inhibit the beans from flowering, not sure how or why but I read that somewhere (I think it was Joy Larcome).
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Deb P
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Location: Derbyshire

Bung them under your brassicas....they act as good companion plants and help suppress weeds too. I've just sown some direct under mine, peach melba and mahogany. :D
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