Hi all. I have studied and learned what it is to Companion Plant which means plants that assist each other to grow well, repel insects, and repel other plants. I tried this principle for the first time in my 2011 Growing regimen.
An example is the carrot which needs ample lime, humus, and potash for sweet tasting carrots. But excessive nitrogen will cause poor flavor just as too long of a hot spell.
Planting carrots with onions, leeks and select herbs like rosemary, wormwood or sage as well as black salsify (Scorzonera hispanica) are natural repellents against the carrot fly (Psila rosae). Carrot fly maggots or the larva will attack the rootlets of young carrot plants.
Tomatoes are compatible with carrots, chives, onion, parsley, marigold, and nasturtium. If you plant garlic between tomatoes the garlic will effectively repel red spider mites! Stinging nettle planted near tomatoes will help improve their keeping quality.
I planted a 4' x 8' bed in this manner and will log the results as I get them.
Companion Planting
Very good experiment, I am excited to hear how it works out.
Josephine.
Once upon a time there was no HD to get chemicals from and people used a variety of ways to produce more food including companion planting. I am curious how it works out too.
C
Interesting! I picked up a book on companion planting the other day and it has pairings listed for most types of flowers and veggies.
Garlic and onions can be paired with just about everything to repel bugs.
Here is my 4'x8' bed that I planted using the companion assist method. So far all is looking great and coming to the point to start thinning out.
There is far more planted than what the picture shows and I will post other pics. as I can.
This message was edited Mar 2, 2011 2:36 PM
Very neat bed Michael.
I like the covering, very handy.
Thanks Cheryl and Josephine!
I am actually about to tear apart the wagon canopy and build a more permanent top with a gable end and polycarbonate panels. This top I currently use is not the most functional and my wife cannot lift it. So redesigning the top to allow for framed panels to be lifted like a window rather than trying to lift the entire top. Also, polycarbonate panels with last so much longer than the 3 mil film that I currently have.
I always used marigolds in my garden especially around the tomatoes and it seemed to work to help repel pests..
Would underplanting my Hibiscus with Marigolds help with the white fly and other things that get on my Hibiscus?
The book I have says marigolds help, but it may take up a year for there to be a significant difference. It also suggest Nasturtiums help repel whiteflies, but they are subject to aphids if lime is low.
Chives or garlic planted among roses will help control aphids. Flea beetles hate the scent of catnip, plant it around eggplants. Basil and Dill will repel tomato hornworms. Yarrow attract ladybugs and predatory wasps that prey on insect pests. Marigolds deter nematodes when interplanted with garden crops-especially beans. 'Nursery plants' lure destructive pests away from wanted plants, then can be destroyed or treated:ie, radishes planted among squash and cucumber draw cucumber beetles, scattered in among cole crops the radishes serve as traps for flea beetles and cabbage maggots... Not my memory, a page I collected from a magazine in 1996, 'Herbs for Health', and the kudos go to books that may be out of print...'Planting Companions:Winning Plant Combinations for every garden' by Clive Nichols and Jill Billington.
I knew pennyroyal works like catnip for flea beetles...