Expert Reveals One Pest-Trapping Plant That Everyone Should Have in Their Garden: ‘They Act...’

Thousands of years ago, the god of mountains caught a gang of thieves and ripped a sack of stolen goods from their hands, per Kitchen Gardens. As the pouch burst open, an enchanting spray of nasturtiums spilled outwards, tumbling along the rocky slopes, scattering throughout the world like a punctuation of colors. Nasturtiums, so lovely and vibrant, that their funnel-shaped flowers are often likened to the hoods of monks, which is where their nicknames “monk’s cress” and “Indian cress” come from. So spiritual that the sweet nectar inside their petals' cups feeds so many hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.

But little can someone imagine that these delicate, sensitive sweethearts could also turn into a trapper magnet. What is a lagoon of nectar for the birds becomes a trap for the insects if they dare disturb the plant’s bliss. In a video, TikTok creator @joesgarden tells gardeners that nasturtiums have “a place in every garden, no matter the size.” “Every part of my garden has to have nasturtiums. What’s really cool is that the whole plant, including the flowers, the seed pods, and even the leaves, is 100% edible,” the gardener said while showing sneak peeks into his garden and munching on nasturtiums along the way.

He decked his head into the stem of a nasturtium and tore and chewed one of its leaves. “It is a fantastic plant for your vegetable patch because absolutely everything loves to eat them,” he said with a cheer. “Slugs and snails can’t get enough of nasturtium foliage, and cabbage butterflies love laying their caterpillar eggs underneath the leaves. This means these act as a natural pest control as they help keep these unwanted garden visitors away from your prized crops,” Joe narrated while peeking from behind the bushes of his flowerbed. 

The video cuts to the scene of a flower shop. He said, “Now is the perfect time to pick up a few cheap nasturtium plants from the shops or even better sow some seeds to plant all around the garden where each year, they’ll grow, bloom, and self seed to return every spring giving you an almost endless supply, all from a few cheap plants.” The footage in the background showed the gardener picking some nasturtium stems, scooping out some mounds of soil, and planting the roots in the lip of the soil.

Hundreds of people resonated with Joe’s idea. “We put them in the veg patch as a distraction snack for the pests. Works perfectly,” commented @clairehansencakes. Referring to an orange nasturtium shown in the video, @wvlataa said, “That is the biggest nasturtium I've ever seen!” @jspo reflected, “Nasturtium is a great example of edible doesn't mean palatable. [They are] pretty, attract pollinators, and are good mulch, so they can stay.” @tammiefiddle wrote, "I love these. I just wish they were perennial."

Many excited viewers shared that they were going to plant nasturtiums right away after watching the video. “My seeds have come up and they look so lovely,” shared @amelia. @karen said, “I'm growing them this year! Yay!” @erika.jones exclaimed, “I will forever grow nasturtiums!”

You can follow @JoesGarden for amazing gardening hacks!