Topic: Companion gardening

[anna]

found this article which might be interesting to some

http://houseofstrauss.co.uk/m-wfsection+article+articleid-265.html

[Moggle]

Interesting Anna, thanks!  :)

It says this about garlic:

'Can be made into potent 'tea' to spray on plants'

I assume this means making it with the bulb. Does anyone think this might be a good treatment for aphids? Is it likely to do damage to my strawbs and young pepper plants?

[GardnerJ]

hi
i am a hige fan of companion planting, i have mint and hyssop in my brassica bed, borage and basil around my toms, and i have also watered my brasscias with garlic tea! it is supposed to stop aphids. you have to do it regularly though so a lot of garlic is needed? i am growing garlic around my plot next year, there are some great articles on the subject just have a lookie in askjeeves or google.
Hope this helps
P.S. i am going to be sowing hundreds of marigolds as they are supposed to be excellent for certain pests namely whitefly and blackfly.

[CotswoldLass]

Have CG'd for the last couple of years since I started growing veg...will try to find link to the guide I use and post. Will report back, CL  ;)

[CotswoldLass]

Link to the companion planting guide I've used as a 'bible'....

http://www.allotments.btinternet.co.uk/complants.htm

Happy planting! CL xx  ;)

[busy_lizzie]

Thanks Cotswold lass!  What a very interesting and informative link.  It is really comprehensive and one I think I will be referring to in future.  "Good on Ya"!   :) busy_lizzie  

[Dusty]

I planted french marigolds all around my allotment this year - also about 15 in the greenhouse.  Out side marigolds were all eaten by something - still not found out what and the ones in the greenhouse survived but for the first time I have been overrun by whitefly and the chillies, peppers and aubergines have all died because they were so badly infested.   Will not be using marigolds again  :(

[Multiveg]

Did you stick the marigolds in after you noticed whitefly? Also, think some marigolds are better than others for deterring whitefly (though no good if whitefly already there).
Slugs & Snails got my marigolds outside (better them than other crops though!)

[Dusty]

Hi Multiveg - I put the marigolds - french - in at the same time as the tomatoes,  but just before chillies, peppers, aubergine.   There was no whitefly or anything else on the plants when I put them in the greenhouse - which is brand new and only put up at Easter.

As I said I have never had whitefly problems before and so do not know if this has just been a really bad year for them (or good year from their point of view :D)  Next year will either put nothing in at all, as in previous years, or will try something else - not sure what at the moment - will check my books.

[CotswoldLass]

MVeg, Dusty, my greenhouse has been infested with whitefly this yar for the first time. Didn't grow marigolds inside, but did outdoors and those toms were all pest free.
What to do about whitefly? I don't know, but the toms are still good and the small aubies will be Ok. After that I reckon I'll have to fumigate the place before sowing seedlings over the winter. It's been horrible going in there!!  ???
CLx

[derbex]

I'm not sure about F. Marigolds & whitefly. In my greenhouse I seem to get a spring infestation of whitefly, before the Marigolds flower. It doesn't last long -about the time the greenhouse strawbs are in flower- and then the spiders seem to breed themselves up to cope with it.

The Marigolds flower later and I've always treated them as something that attracts predators in, rather than having any benefit in their own right, and to that extent they seem to work.

Jeremy.

P.S. some I planted outside got slugged.