Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant nasturtiums
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle May 10 – Jun 21; Spokane May 15 – Jun 26; Boise May 1 – Jun 12; Bend Jun 16 – Jul 28.
Your dates in
Nasturtiums are fast annuals from South America with round leaves and orange, red and yellow flowers, all of it edible, with a peppery bite like watercress. Bush types make mounds for edges and pots, while trailing types climb or spill over walls. Aphids love them, so some gardeners plant them as a decoy away from vegetables.
Puts nasturtiums on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 10 to 12 inches apart
- Planting depth
- ½ to 1 inch deep
- Frost
- Killed by frost
- Flowers
- Blooms about 50 to 60 days after sowing
Edible flowers and peppery leaves from big, easy seeds that kids can plant. They bloom best in poor soil, so skip the fertilizer. Frost kills them, so sow after the soil warms.
Nasturtium planting dates
| Towns | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | May 10 – Jun 21 |
| Spokane, WA, Astoria, OR | May 15 – Jun 26 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | May 1 – Jun 12 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Jun 16 – Jul 28 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | May 10 – Jun 21 |
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| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Cottage Grove, OR, Eugene, OR, McMinnville and Newberg, OR, Salem, OR | May 10 – Jun 21 |
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| Ashland and Talent, OR | May 13 – Jun 24 |
|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | May 10 – Jun 21 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | May 15 – Jun 26 |
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| Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR | Jun 16 – Jul 28 |
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| Burns, OR | Jun 18 – Jul 30 |
| Lakeview, OR | Jun 11 – Jul 23 |
| Madras, OR | May 26 – Jul 7 |
| Prineville, OR | Jun 8 – Jul 20 |
| Baker City, OR | Jun 1 – Jul 13 |
|---|---|
| Enterprise and Joseph, OR | May 31 – Jul 12 |
| Hermiston, OR, Pendleton, OR | May 3 – Jun 14 |
| Hood River, OR | Apr 27 – Jun 8 |
| John Day, OR | Jun 4 – Jul 16 |
| La Grande, OR | May 15 – Jun 26 |
| Ontario, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 9 |
| The Dalles, OR | Apr 25 – Jun 6 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Olympia, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA, Shelton, WA | May 10 – Jun 21 |
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| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | May 10 – Jun 21 |
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| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | May 15 – Jun 26 |
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| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA, Sequim, WA | May 10 – Jun 21 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA, Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | May 10 – Jun 21 |
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| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Apr 25 – Jun 6 |
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| Leavenworth, WA | May 17 – Jun 28 |
| Omak and Okanogan, WA | May 15 – Jun 26 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | May 22 – Jul 3 |
| Ellensburg, WA, Yakima, WA | May 15 – Jun 26 |
|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA | Apr 29 – Jun 10 |
| Goldendale, WA | May 26 – Jul 7 |
| Moses Lake, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA | May 4 – Jun 15 |
| Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA | May 8 – Jun 19 |
| Walla Walla, WA | Apr 25 – Jun 6 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | May 15 – Jun 26 |
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| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | May 15 – Jun 26 |
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| Lewiston, ID | Apr 25 – Jun 6 |
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| Moscow, ID | May 15 – Jun 26 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | May 1 – Jun 12 |
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| Emmett, ID | May 7 – Jun 18 |
| McCall, ID | Jun 29 – Aug 10 |
| Nampa and Caldwell, ID | May 6 – Jun 17 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Pocatello, ID | May 15 – Jun 26 |
|---|---|
| Idaho Falls, ID, Twin Falls, ID | May 16 – Jun 27 |
| Rexburg, ID | May 19 – Jun 30 |
| Salmon, ID | May 25 – Jul 6 |
Nasturtium year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | May | Jun | ||||||||||
| Cut flowers | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow nasturtiums
- Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
- Plant seeds on your city's dates, ½ to 1 inch deep, 10 to 12 inches apart.
- Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
- Harvest: Pick flowers and young leaves any time for salads; both taste peppery. Pick the green seed pods to pickle, or let them dry and save them to sow next year.
Growing nasturtiums in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Nasturtiums are easy here. Aphids often cluster on them, so check the undersides of leaves.
Coast
Oregon and Washington coast
Nasturtiums thrive in the cool, mild climate and often self-seed.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Heat slows nasturtium blooming; give them afternoon shade.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
Nasturtiums are frost tender. Sow after the last frost.
More nasturtium varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Alaska
Leaves marbled with cream and flowers in mixed warm colors. Compact and pretty in pots and edges.
Both sides
Empress of India
Deep crimson flowers over blue-green leaves. A compact heirloom variety.
Both sides
Jewel Mix
Semi-double flowers in red, orange and yellow, held above the leaves. Good for edging and kids' gardens.
Both sides
Tall Trailing Mix
Long vines that climb a fence or spill from baskets and walls, with mixed bright flowers.
Both sides
How much to grow
How many to plant
A few plants trail over a large area.
In the vase
Cut flowers last a few days in the vase.
Key numbers
- 60°F or warmerSoil to sprout
- 50–60Days to bloom
- ½–1 inSeed depth
- Black aphidsBiggest risk
Top care tip: Plant them in lean soil without fertilizer and check under the leaves for black aphids in summer.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
Big seeds, easy plants
Nasturtiums grow from big seeds that are easy to handle, which makes them a favorite for kids. Soaking the seeds overnight speeds sprouting. Sow after your last frost, since frost kills the plants.
Bush types stay compact for edges and pots, while trailing and climbing types spill out of baskets or scramble up a fence.
Poor soil, more flowers
Nasturtiums bloom best in lean soil. Rich soil and fertilizer give you a mound of leaves with few flowers. They take part shade, which helps in hot eastern gardens.
Water seedlings until they're established. In the cool west-side summer they bloom steadily until frost.
Eating them and pests
Flowers, leaves and young seed pods are all edible, with a peppery taste like watercress. Use flowers and leaves in salads, and pickle the green pods like capers.
Black aphids love nasturtiums, which is why some gardeners plant them as a trap crop. Check under the leaves in summer and pull or hose off heavily infested stems.
Good neighbors
Good neighbors
- Squash and cucumbers. Their flowers draw bees.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with nasturtiums in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Black aphids
Signs: Clusters under leaves.
What to do: Hose them off or remove bad leaves.
Cabbage worms
Signs: Holes in the leaves.
What to do: Hand-pick; they also feed on nasturtiums.
Saving nasturtium seed
Will it come true?
Nasturtiums come true for open-pollinated varieties and often sow themselves.
How to save it
Gather the large, wrinkled seeds when they turn tan and drop from the plant, then let them dry fully indoors for a few weeks. Store dry seed in a labeled paper envelope in a cool, dry place.
Common questions about growing nasturtiums
When should I plant nasturtiums in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: May 10 – Jun 21 in Portland and Seattle, May 15 – Jun 26 in Spokane, May 1 – Jun 12 in Boise and Jun 16 – Jul 28 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
Are nasturtiums edible?
Yes. The flowers, leaves and green seed pods are edible and peppery. Don't eat flowers that have been sprayed.
Why are my nasturtiums all leaves?
The soil is too rich, or they were fertilized. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil.
Do nasturtiums come back?
They're annuals here and die at the first frost, but dropped seeds sometimes sprout the next spring.
See what else to plant in May or June.
Dahlias
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Sweet peas
Tulips
Daffodils
Peonies
Cosmos
Marigolds
Calendula
Snapdragons
Ranunculus