Companion Planting

Companion planting in the vegetable garden is a method of using two or more different plants in a beneficial way to detering and controlling pests naturally, while still attracting pollinating insects and other wildlife into your garden.

DETERING PESTS WITH COMPANION PLANTING

Flowers and pungent herbs are great planted next to vegetables, the smell will disguise it from the pests or deter them completely

Vegetables 

Beans --  Plant french marigolds these help repel white-fly and aphids.

Broad-beans -- Plant summer savory, this helps deter blackfly

Carrots --   Plant onions, spring onions or leeks. The onion smell deters Carrot root fly.

Potatoes --  Plant french marigolds, this will help deter eelworms.

Sweetcorn --  Plant with french marigolds they will help repel white-fly and aphids.

Tomatoes --  Plant with Chives and onions, The onion scent can deter aphids.

Planting Nasturtiums near your crops will also help deter pests. By attracting black-fly, so they don't munch on your vegetables.

Nasturtiums also attract cabbage white butterflies so plant them near :- 

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Kale.

Planting Basil in pots and placing them in the greenhouse to attract white-fly away from the 

Cucumbers

Tomatoes.

Attracting Wildlife

To attract pollinating and predatory insects is to plant some nectar rich flowering plants near your crops. This can also help to increase your harvest.

CLIMBING BEANS - Plant sweet peas with climbing beans. Grow together up an obelisk or wigwams canes. The sweetpeas will attract pollinating insects and provide colour interest to the frame.

Courgettes - Plant Calendula near Courgettes. They will attract pollinating insects.

Soft fruits - Sow poached egg flower seeds under soft fruit bushes to attract bees and other insects.

Improving the Health of Plants.

Sweetpeas, Lupins, peas and beans take nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots.

Which in turn benefits the soil, so plants grown near get the excess that is made available in the ground.

Aubergines - lettuce-peppers and tomatoes - Plant Basil as it can increase the productivity and improve the taste.

Fruit bushes and trees - Peas, beans and sweetpeas release nitrogen from their roots which will benefit the fruits.

If you need further assistance please contact us for more advice and information or call us on 020 8421 5977.

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