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Post by daylilydude on Feb 22, 2018 4:17:30 GMT -5
We have all heard of companion planting in the vegetable world where you can't plant this next to that or you can't plant this/that where you planted this/that last year, but my question is... is there a companion planting deal with the flower beds, and those of you that plant both in your flower beds (veggies and flowers) is there certain companion plants that you have to be careful of?
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 22, 2018 10:16:11 GMT -5
I am not a big believer in companion planting per se. I am more careful with plants that cross pollinate with other plants or grow to sizes that may effect the other plants either with their roots or by shading them. I will be growing a larger variety than normal of beans for drying and I will save seeds so I am going to try to be careful to separate them as far as I can. It has nothing to do with their "companionship" to any other plants. Same thing with the Glass Gem corn that hairymooseknuckles sent me. I will want to keep it separate for seed saving purposes, not companionship.
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Post by paulf on Feb 22, 2018 10:25:02 GMT -5
Companion planting is a fascinating topic. There are lots of books out there. I just try to keep flowers away from the vegetable garden because they attract insect pests I would rather not have in the garden. My vegetables are surrounded by my wife's flowers so that is really difficult. I just plant what I want where I want it without referring to the books.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 22, 2018 13:08:07 GMT -5
I like to plant Marigolds with my tomatoes. Past that I don't really do companion planting.
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Post by meandtk on Feb 22, 2018 14:23:03 GMT -5
I've thought about it, but ordinarily only seek to avoid cross pollination of varieties.
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Post by bestofour on Feb 22, 2018 14:36:27 GMT -5
I've always heard that marigolds help keep bugs away from the vegetables so I have planted them for years but I don't think it helps one bit. Looks pretty though.
I always plant basil with tomatoes supposedly to help the taste but who knows. A few years in a row I planted borage with the tomatoes but couldn't tell it made a change in their taste.
A few years I planted spearmint, peppermint, wintermint, any mint I could find with the squash in the hopes of deterring squash bugs - nope.
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Post by september on Feb 22, 2018 15:17:37 GMT -5
I don't pay any attention to companion planting. As long as things have room for roots to spread out and don't have to compete for nutrients or sun, I've never experienced any difference. In fact, for years I've grown peas along one edge of a raised bed with a fixed support panel, while the rest of the bed contains onions. According to companion lore, peas and onions don't get along. Now if you actually tried to put onions between and next to each pea plant, maybe it would be detrimental, but who in their right mind would plant that way anyway?
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 22, 2018 15:44:36 GMT -5
I've tried various companion planting ideas, and putting flowers amongst veggies. Honestly, I couldn't see most of the supposed benefits of companion planting, such as improved taste, repelling insects, etc. However, there are three aspects of companion planning that work: 1. Really mixing up your plants up seems to keep your plants from getting overrun by pests. By "really mixing up" I mean planting a whole lot of different veggies, herbs, and flowers all scattered amongst each other. You can't have any rows, blocks, or groups of the same plant together, except for small patches of small plants like carrots or radishes. The result can be messy, and it is easy to miss things that need harvesting. If you don't plan carefully, some of your desirable plants will be shaded or crowded out by more vigorous neighbors. But it can also be pretty in a natural or "wild" way, and usually the pest damage is minimal. You'll get a little damage here and there, but usually nothing serious. The pests seem to have a harder time finding their host plants when they are all scattered amongst other types of plants. Also, the herbs and flowers host beneficial insects that prey on the pests. However, this doesn't work for certain pests like SVB. Sooner or later one SVB moth will still find your squash, and it only takes one SVB larva to kill your plant. 2. Companion planting can help with garden space and/or time management. Like planting radishes or fast-maturing greens surrounding your squash or melons, for example. The radishes won't keep the SVB away, but they'll be harvested before the squash spreads out or melon vines start to run. Or planting short, soil-covering plants that will tolerate a little shade (like carrots or lettuce) at the foot of vining plants like peas, beans, or cucumber. The short plants help cover the soil to preserve moisture and and prevent weeds,and both plants can grow next to each other happily. Or the classic "three sisters" combination where beans feed the corn, corn provides "poles" for the beans to climb, and squash shades the soil to conserve moisture and shade out weeds - plus you get three crops out of the same patch of ground. 3. Marigolds for nematode prevention or reduction....BUT it takes a lot of marigolds. It only works if there is no path that nematodes can take to get to the roots of your pepper, tomato (or whatever crop) plant. So each crop plant has to be completely surrounded by marigolds. I just found it easier to grow my nematode-susceptible plants in Earthboxes.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 22, 2018 15:54:54 GMT -5
I really haven't found any companion planting that worked for me. Basil is supposed to keep insects off a lot of things, but I think making a spray of it might work better! And marigolds with tomatoes is for nematodes, which I don't have to worry about.
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Post by tomike on Feb 22, 2018 16:49:33 GMT -5
Okay, now the companion does not need to be another plant growing in the garden (above ground) but can also be something in-ground that is beneficial to or for the roots...... the following video explains......
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 22, 2018 19:07:59 GMT -5
I don't have the nematode problem either but I did read that it is only a certain variety of marigold that helps and it is called a French Marigold.
I also read that putting a spoonful of crushed eggshells in the planting hole for tomatoes helps too. The eggshells attract a type of nematode that likes eggshells but is also a predator of the root knot nematode so I would do this if I had root knot nematodes just in case it worked.
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Post by octave1 on Feb 22, 2018 20:23:41 GMT -5
I do not grow plants according to the companion planting method. Being that my garden is a highly artificial, man-made environment, I plant based on size. And sometime I don't get that right either.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 23, 2018 12:10:59 GMT -5
I don't have the nematode problem either but I did read that it is only a certain variety of marigold that helps and it is called a French Marigold. I also read that putting a spoonful of crushed eggshells in the planting hole for tomatoes helps too. The eggshells attract a type of nematode that likes eggshells but is also a predator of the root knot nematode so I would do this if I had root knot nematodes just in case it worked. You're right about only the French marigolds helping with nematodes. That's the kind I used. And I can tell you that (at least in my yard) it requires planting nematode-susceptible plants completely surrounded by a sea of marigolds. Funny story: one year I tried interspersing clumps of marigolds among my tomatoes in a raised bed. All but one tomato plant did very poorly - they were weak and very stunted, and made no fruit. When I pulled them, the roots looked like a horror story of lumps: nematodes gone wild! There was one plant that did somewhat better. It was still small, but it made a few fruit. When I pulled it, most of the roots were as horrific as those of the other tomatoes. But that plant had grown one root sideways, directly into a clump of marigolds. The root under the marigolds was pristine. In South Florida, some home gardeners grow marigolds as a summer cover crop in their gardens, and then remove them to plant tomatoes, peppers, etc., in that spot in the fall. The anti-nematode effect from the marigold roots lasts long enough for one good growing season before the nematodes return. I could try that, but the marigolds would be there for less than two months up here in North Florida. My spring tomatoes usually come down in early to mid-July, and I set out my fall tomatoes in very late August or early September. I don't know whether two months of marigold growing would be enough; most of the studies I've seen have had marigolds growing for 3-4 months. Sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea, is be used the same way, and also serves as a green manure: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng043 It's also used as a nutritious summer crop on deer food plots. However, the studies on Sunn hemp as a nematicide have been based on a 9-12 week growing period. Again, again I don't have that long a growing period, unless I sacrifice either the fall or spring tomato crop. So I haven't tried it. I hadn't heard of crushed eggshells for nematode reduction before. I have heard of using them as a calcium source for tomatoes, though. I did a web search about using crushed eggshells for nematodes and came up dry. Do you have a link to which you can refer me? Crushed crabshells can be used for nematode control; the chitin they release as they break down causes nematode eggs to hatch prematurely. But unless you know a crab processor with shells to dispose of, it's an expensive way to control nematodes. Solarization also works; six weeks would be sufficient if we don't have too much rainy weather. But solarization nukes all of the beneficial microorganisms in the soil as well. That would probably be the cheapest option if I were farming tomatoes. Since I am growing relatively few tomato plants, I just punted and started growing my solanums in Earthboxes. The other edible plants I grow can usually do okay in my raised beds, providing that I add enough compost every year.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 23, 2018 18:54:41 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL , I read about the eggshell idea in a Tips and Tricks booklet from Rodale many years ago. I tried to Google it and couldn't find it but I did find this: Regularly amend soil with materials that contain chitin, such as seafood meal, eggshells, or shrimp hulls. In the soil, these materials feed microorganisms that chow down on chitin, including nematode eggs.It is from here: www.growveg.com/plant-diseases/us-and-canada/tomato-root-knot-nematodes/
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Post by bestofour on Feb 24, 2018 16:07:28 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, I plant squash in straw bales that I line up in a straight row. If squash bugs find a plant it's easy to move on down the line. This year I'm going to put the bales all around the yard and see if it helps. Won't help with the SVB but so far I haven't had much of a problem with that joker.
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