Whether flea beetles are relieve oneself lace out of your eggplants ortomato hornwormsare despoil your favourite slicingtomatoes , we ’ve all battledinsect pestsin the garden . Fortunately , besides handpicking , relying on constitutive insecticidal grievous bodily harm or employing lightweight blow row covers , organic gardeners have another weapon in theirintegrated blighter managementarsenal : fellow traveler planting . With the proper combination of familiar plants and decoy plants , you’re able to rid your garden of destructive pests and enjoy your favorite vegetables with fewer worries .
How Does Companion Planting Work?By planting particular plant near one another , you’re able to keep some insects at bay tree . Some companion plant combinations drive insect pests aside , while others pull beneficial insects that , in turn , help keep the numbers of harmful worm in check . Still other combination put to work to “ immobilise ” or set apart sure kinds of insects . Some companion - plant combination can even do all three !
For the best results , you should have a good mix of perennial herb and flower along garden border and interspersed with your vegetable craw . While it ’s true that fellow traveler planting wo n’t guarantee gadfly - free produce , it for certain can facilitate to make a dent in the numbers of problem insects .
Common Companion PlantsMarigolds and pot marigolds ( akacalendula ) re some of the most well - known fellow flora . The scent of marigolds deters cabbage maggots , Mexican bean beetle , aphids and many other pests , and calendula turns off tomato hornworms andasparagus mallet . Plant both along crop row and between industrial plant for a trivial supernumerary color and added insect protection .
Otherherbs , while be delicious additions to the dinner table , also forked as great companion plants . For trouble in thecabbagepatch , try thyme , which is thought to guard off cabbage insect , and peppermint , to assist keep lolly butterfly stroke away . works catnip amongst your murphy , as it repels the vexing Colorado potato beetle , or near your cucumber and eggplant , as it drives off flea beetles and squelch bugs , too . Nasturtiums , likewise , can deter squash hemipteron , assorted beetle and some type of aphid .
Interestingly , some of the very plants that are repellent to insect pests — like peppermint and thyme — are quite attractive to beneficial dirt ball that feed on aphids , mealy bugs and other troublemakers .
If you have a special dirt ball foe , use the familiar plants below to keep them at embayment :
AphidsSometimes found feeding on young scratch heads , on the bottom of simoleons or Spinacia oleracea leaves , or even on sweet corn tassels , aphids are among the most coarse dirt ball pests . Thankfully , the larvae of immature lacewings and ladybugs , as well as adult ladybeetle , will eat turgid numbers of these easygoing - bodied freeloader . plant with bunch of tiny flower heads , like yarrow , cilantro , Queen Anne ’s lacing , fennel and dill , will pull in both ladybugs and green lacewings .
CaterpillarMany types of caterpillar wreak mayhem on boodle , as well as broccoli , Brassica oleracea botrytis , Brussels sprouts and motley putting green . The undecomposed word is that you could enlist predatory wasps to do them in . To attract the petite , stingless helpers , try many of the same plants that invoke to lacewings and ladybugs along with lemon balm , Petroselinum crispum , chamomile , peppermint and catnip .
LeafhoppersWhile Solanum melongena , tomato , potatoesandbeansoften descent victim to leafhopper , leafhopper , in tour , can fall prey to the larva of hover fly , which are attracted to many of the same plants as predatory wasps . Hover fly also will gravitate to English lavender , buckwheat , statice and sweet alyssum .
Trap CropsYou can protect your green groceries in one other peculiarly tricky fashion . By grow “ trap ” crop — establish well - jazz to draw in specific insect pestilence — alongside any plant life you wish to protect , you may amuse attention away from your veg and isolate the damage that problem insect can do .
Scented Geraniums and Four O’clocksWhile Japanese beetle can be especially troublesome , you’re able to draw them away from your green bean or those prized roses by planting sweet geraniums and four o’clocks nearby . Although the adult beetles love to deplete both , the flowers of scented geranium and the leaves of four o’clocks bechance to be toxic to them . Although it wo n’t vote out them , borage is also said to be another unspoiled Japanese beetle lure . Should you imbed it as a trap crop , be inclined to handpick the insect daily to rap down their numbers .
NasturtiumsAnother popular trap craw , nasturtiums will pull large numbers of black aphid ; to ascertain their universe , you may handpick regularly or periodically treat with an organic , insecticidal soap . For very heavily infested plant , simply rip them out and discard well away from the garden .
Extra VegetablesPlanting an superfluous row or two of whatever vegetable you wish to grow can also make to trap and isolate worm pests , as most dirt ball pests stay on or near the innkeeper plants from which they in the beginning hatch . Mixing depleted - growing herbaceous plant in between private vegetable plant and between rows of tomatoes , tater and other crop can further aid to throw insects off the track of potential legion industrial plant .
Of course , despite our just effort , it ’s normal to experience some release in the garden , though with the right combinations of familiar and trap flora , we may not have to share as much of the harvest with louse pests .
