Company? for vegetables? As in "invite friends over for cocktails and talk to the tomatoes?" No, I'm talking about introducing Companion Plants to your garden, which will attract beneficial insects and deter garden pests.
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| Borage is beautiful and edible. |
I've always planted basil and marigolds around my tomatoes. I've also always had parsley, sometimes cilantro, oregano, thyme and rosemary in the garden. But this year I picked up some borage and nasturtiums at
a local herb fair. Both are gorgeous! The borage is large and covered with pollinators. The flowers are lovely and the tiny hairs on the plant sparkle in the sun. Nasturtiums grow up around the base of tomatoes and wind up the trellis with cucumbers. I have also learned that their flat leaves will attract both slugs and cabbage worms, so next time I'll plant them around my cabbages.
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| Look closely for the tiny caterpillars, aka hungry cabbage worms that decimate all types of brassica. |
I planted cabbages fairly early and they were attacked again and again by several varieties of cabbage worms. Within a week of adding the companion plants to the garden bed, I noticed a distinct uptick in the the number of insects in the garden and was fascinated to observe a wasp attacking and eating the cabbage worms!
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| Wasp eating cabbage worm. |
Besides being good for the garden, companion plants add beauty in the form of foliage and flowers. My "garden" is largely in my front flowerbed this year, and will always be in the front/side yard since that is where the sun lands. I love "edible landscaping" or "kitchen garden" approach -- functional can also be quite beautiful, and companion plants offer a cost-effective, beautiful and organic approach to building a healthy garden.
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| Bee pollinating cucumber. |
Companion plants can also be other vegetables! Onions mix well with strawberries...chives will improve the flavor of carrots...this is important knowledge that we must not loose! I also intend to learn to use some of the medicinal herbs beyond "just" for cooking.
the brassica family has suffered here in the hot and dry Midwest..but i still refuse to poison my environment with pesticides, so i planted gloriosas and every kind of meadow flower i had access to in the local fields..
ReplyDeleteindeed, bees and wasps came to visit and some of my tired and pithy cabbages seem to be recovering and i have not seen the dreaded white butterflies lately..and bees are busier around the cucurbits..hey i want some cantaloupes.
can't find borage here, i use leaves in salads, cut with scissors, tastes cucumbery! prevents arthritis as does comfrey..