Edible Flower
Peach Melba Nasturtium is a showstopping flower cultivar that delivers edible blooms with the unmistakable flavor of peach, apricot, and vanilla wrapped into big, ruffled petals. At just 12 inches tall with a 80-day growth window, this nasturtium from the Tropaeolaceae family produces a striking visual contrast between its foliage and flowers that makes it equally at home in containers, borders, or trained along a trellis. Both flowers and leaves are edible, bringing unexpected sophistication to salads and garnishes. Direct sow after your last frost date into full sun soil kept at 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and you'll have blooms within weeks.
Full Sun
Moderate
6-11
12in H x ?in W
Annual, Perennial
High
Hover over chart points for details
The petal formations are genuinely luxurious: big, flouncy, and rounded, with a color reminiscent of fresh peach preserves. The real draw is the flavor complexity hidden inside those blooms, an unlikely combination of stone fruit warmth with vanilla undertones that makes them a revelation when tasted fresh. Pair that with the dramatic color play between the foliage and flowers, and you have a variety that works as hard visually as it does culinarily.
Peach Melba Nasturtium flowers are best appreciated fresh, where their delicate flavor and texture shine most vividly. Scatter the blooms across salads to add both visual drama and an unexpected flavor note, or use them as sophisticated garnishes for desserts, cakes, and plated dishes where their peachy sweetness complements both fruit-forward and vanilla-based preparations. The edible leaves can be used similarly, offering a peppery contrast to the floral sweetness of the petals.
Starting seeds indoors is not recommended for this variety. If you choose to start them indoors, sow 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date in biodegradable pots, since the roots are sensitive to transplant disturbance and will establish better if the pot itself can be planted directly into the ground without handling the seedling.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after your last frost date, planting the entire biodegradable pot directly into the soil to avoid root damage. Space transplants 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart.
Direct sowing is the recommended method. Sow in early spring, 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date. In mild climates, sow in fall for winter bloom. Soak seeds overnight before sowing to improve germination rates, then plant them outdoors in rows.
Harvest flowers and leaves as needed for culinary use once the plant is established and flowering, which typically occurs around 80 days from sowing. Pinch or cut flowers and leaves in the morning when they are freshest, using clean scissors or by hand. The blooms are at their peak flavor and texture when fully open but still crisp, and they're best used immediately after harvesting. Continual harvesting of flowers encourages more blooms throughout the growing season.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.