Once they finish flowering, they begin to form the seeds. They look like little green brains, three to a flower, no pod or husk. I usually put them in a saucer, on paper towels. They 'come away' easily, if ready. They may not come 'true' from seed, though.

Nancy.

I mostly grow hybrid Nasturtiums which I don't expect to come true from seed, buy fresh seed every year. but...

They're edible. Think a tossed salad! Flowers collect a little bit of nectar which we loved to nip-n-suck as kids. Seed pods are black-pepper-like in flavor and can be pickled to use instead of capers.

...little green brains? I don't want to think about it!

Oh Solana - you are such a wuss!! It's just a description!!!

lol. Nancy - btw - my Out of Africa's are coming very true from the original!!!

If you are only growing one kind, or kept it isolated from other nasturtiums, would it come true?
I bought a pack of Epress of India for next yr. I hope the seed from these next yr will come true like yours midnightsmum. Would love to find a few others. Doesnt seem like anyone is trading these tho.

Well, I bought several packages of Empress of India nasturtiums because I wanted to do a red bed and wanted the crimson color. If these are crimson I'm the Pope.

proudgm, those definitly are NOT the color I have seen in pics for those. Thats rather disapointing.
Tammy

Here's my Empress of India from last year. I didn't save seeds.

{{gwi:672685}}

I would call this scarlet, not crimson.

In a DVD on Victorian Kitchens, Ruth Mott pickled nasturtium seeds to use as a substitute for capers!

I definitly agree, that is not scarlet.
Schoolhouse, I have read in several places about that substitution. I have never had capers tho, so I cant say.
Tammy

proudgm~ your Empress of India doesn't have the burgundy foliage I've always associated with that cultivar. foxesearth's photos are closer to what I've grown.

Tammy~ if you save seed from hybrids grown in isolation, you'll still get some variation due to the differences in the 'grandparent' plants. You can rogue out off-types so they don't cross-pollinate with the ones you like and after a couple years of saving seed, should get something that comes fairly true.

Ummm, I live in central Florida (zone 9a) and I just purchased some nasturtium seeds I was planning to plant the end of August. I was hoping they would do well in the cooler season of Sept. - Nov. here. Should I wait until later to plant them so they'll bloom in early spring? I've never grown them but remember a neighbor lady from my childhood who had loads of them and used them in her pickle jars. But, being a child I don't remember what time of year they were growing and blooming.
k.

Naturtiums self seed on my allotment in various colours. You can persuade them towards the palette you want by selection. I rogue out the rampant orange ones as much as possible and now have a mixture with a good proportion of reds, mahoganies and pale yellows, some with variegated foliage on fairly well behaved plants.