Gardening is an expression of love. The harvest it provides makes the efforts worthwhile. It really is fun watching the garden begin from a seed. My grandmother and mother-in-law have both always had gardens. I enjoy gardening and learning something new every year.
One thing is for certain, tomatoes in the garden are a must for my bunch! There is truly nothing better than a homegrown tomato, something about our GA dirt makes the tomatoes taste so good and acidic. In our garden, around our tomato plants, we plant marigolds to help keep insects away. This year we wanted to add some other companion planting options.
Companion planting is the practice of planting certain varieties of plants together that offer mutual benefits to one another. The benefits can include pest control, providing essential nutrients, and enhancing soil fertility. The following are examples of good and bad companion planting:
Good Companion Planting Examples:
1. Tomatoes and basil: Tomatoes release chemicals that help keep away pests harmful to basil, while basil repels insects that are harmful to tomatoes.
2. Corn, beans, and squash: Known as the “three sisters,” these three plants complement each other. Beans fix nitrogen in the soil for the corn to use, while the squash provides ground cover to limit weed growth.
3. Carrots and onions: Onions repel pests that may harm carrots like aphids, carrot flies and cabbage butterflies.
Bad Companion Planting Examples:
1. Tomatoes and potatoes: Tomatoes and potatoes are both members of the nightshade family, which makes them susceptible to similar pests and diseases, so they should not be grown together.
2. Peppers and beans: Pepper plants tend to stunt the growth of the beans and reduce yields.
3. Cucumbers and aromatic herbs: Strong-smelling herbs, such as sage and rosemary, can stunt the growth of cucumbers by inhibiting their ability to ripen.
Overall, companion planting can be an effective way to maximize yields and reduce pest problems if the right plants are matched together. However, nothing works 100%! We have to manually remove bugs too because we enjoy having an organic garden and don’t want to use harmful sprays unless they are organic. We always seem to have more stink bugs than anything. Manual removal involves picking off insects (squish while you pick) by hand from plants, don’t worry, we always have our garden gloves on.
This year I plan to try some Neem oil as a natural pesticide. Neem oil is an organic insecticide that is taken from the neem tree. It can be used to control a wide range of pests, including aphids and whiteflies. In the past, we have used Garlic and pepper spray: A homemade garlic and pepper spray can be made by mixing minced garlic or chili peppers with water and dish soap, which can be sprayed on plants to repel pests.
