Companion Planting
| March 2, 2005 | Posted by Secretary under Gardening |
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For companion planting to work well, you have to forget conventional separate flowerbeds and kitchen gardens, and combine your vegetables and flowers.
This table shows which herbs to plant where. Some keep pests away from surrounding plants, because their scent acts as a deterrent to certain insects and attracts others. Others enrich the soil and help to bring minerals and nutrients to the surface.
| HERB | WHERE | WHY |
|---|---|---|
| Borage | Near strawberries and tomatoes | Attracts bees, which help to improve crop yield by pollinating plants |
| Chamomile | Near sick plants | Acts as a tonic and encourages growth. |
| Comfrey | Flower borders and vegetable garden. | Tap roots bring minerals to the surface of the soil. |
| Dill and Fennel | Amongst vegetables | Attracts hoverflies, which then eat aphids. |
| Garlic and Chives | Under roses | Keeps away aphids and black spot |
| Nasturtium | Amongst vegetables | Attracts aphids away from the vegetables. Also repels ants and whitefly. |
| Sage | Amongst cabbages | Repels cabbage white butterfly |
| Summer Savoury | Amongst vegetables and roses | Deters blackfly |
| Tagetes (African & French Marigolds) | Amongst tomatoes and vegetables | Deters aphids and whitefly through scent and by attracting hoverflies. Roots secrete chemicals which kill ground elder and bindwood. The root also stops eelworm from recognising their host plants, which include potatoes, tulips and roses. |
| Valerian | Amongst vegetables | Stimulates earthworms which helps to boost plant growth. |
| Wormwood, Hyssop and Rue | Vegetable gardens and flower borders | Acts as insect deterrents. |
Eve Morgan