Topic: Nasturtiums and veg

[caroline7758]

I have lots of nasturtiums on my plot and I don't like to pull them up because they are so pretty. I also reckon they do a good job of covering the soil so stop it from drying out so quickly. But they are rather swamping my courgette/squash patch so I wondered, will they take much goodness and /or sun away from the veg? Given that the squash are very leafy anyway I wouldn't have thought they'd do much harm?

[Silverleaf]

You could eat them! :)

[ed dibbles]

Given that a weed is simply a plant growing in the wrong place if they are causing a problem you could cull a few.

However they are shallow rooters so unlikely to rob or bother unduly the cucurbits, being strong growers themselves.

They certainly look pretty and so useful to bees and cabbage whites!

[squeezyjohn]

I find they also often tempt the blackfly away from more valuable crops.  However - I never know if that means that it attracts more blackfly to the area or stops them eating so many of my broad beans!

[saddad]

I have hundreds of self sets growing up the back of the toilet block where little else would establish itself...