What is nasturtium?

[Bam]

I know several of you has mentioned nasturtium as a bunny-favorite to grow yourself, but what is nasturtium? I took it to mean Garden nasturitium or Indian cress of the species tropaeolum, but I’m nolonger sure. Is it perhaps nasturtium water-cress you guys mean?I bought seeds for Indian cress, but if that’s the wrong kind I won’t try and feed it to the bunnies. 

This year herds of wild rabbits are ravaging my allotment plot like never before, they’ve dug holes everywhere where the ground is the least bit soft, it’s actually ridiculous and they’re lucky to be so incredibly cute (the main survival trick of the bunny-species I suspect) or I would have been really annoyed. As it is, I’m just a little worried about this invasion. Perhaps it’s no good trying to grow anything bunny-attractive this summer, but I’ll still try. 

[Roberta]

http://www.smallgreengarden.com/nasturtium-for-pest-control-and-edible-beauty/ 

Just don’t let them have the seeds, keep those for yourself.

[Deleted User]

This page has articles as well as product info might help to clarify. Sorry about the wild rabbits, nasturtiums can be grown in pots or window boxes though so perhaps that may help.

http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/search?keywords=nasturtium

[Bam]

Thank you! It seems I’ve bought the right type of seeds!

The really sad thing about this abundance of wild bunnies is that such an invasion most likely will result in myxo hitting extra hard in the fall and probably the calici-virus as well. I’ve never experienced so many rabbits any spring before, it’s probably the warm summer last year + the very mild winter that have made them thrive. I have a secret love for them (secret??? not so much, perhaps), because they are so beautiful. To see a baby bunny attack the new chives in spring – your heart melts =) (They will eat chives but I guess they know exactly how much to eat in order to not get sick.)

One year I remember I picked un-ripe nasturtium seeds and canned them with vinegar and salt according to a recipe. They were supposed to be used as capers. I forgot about them and they sat for ever in the fridge so in the end I threw them out without even tasting them. It was many year ago, before I had bunnies. Perhaps I’ll try to find that recipe again and do a new batch this summer and try to remember them this time (if there will be a summer this year, some years we get a parody of summer when nothing wants to grow properly.)

[Deleted User]

I wanted to grow them last year but first the local garden centre didn’t have any, then they were all sold out! So I played it safe and ordered three kinds from the site I posted. All three made reference to the flavour of those particular varieties (Empress of India and Rumba are two of them, can’t remember the other off the top of my head) and I’m looking forward to growing them in a couple of large flower boxes and sharing them with my rabbits. The flowers bright colours should make some really special salads!

I’ll be thinking of your little wild rabbits, I do hope they don’t have a surge in disease to contend with come autumn.

[Author]

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