Jeff here. I plant flowers because they are beautiful. More insects do came. Man you could put out some bunching onions in those little open spots. Little clusters of onions would be yummy!! You know I’m trying to change your mind! lol! For me, my garden is almost completely empty. Got tarps on some of it. This fall/winter I’m working more on firewood. Lots of work but I love it! I want to plant more but I worry about the cold. I do have broccoli, cabbage, and ONIONS!! I just want to relax and get into the woods and cut firewood. Thanks.
I hate marigolds and tried them anyway. My tomatoes were always destroyed by horn worms. This year, I planted basil with my tomatoes and had a bumper crop of both. The logic is that the smell of the basil deters the moth. Bonus: both are edible.
Right but the studies show you need a lot of them. I still like marigolds and for what it's worth I didn't get a single hornworm this year and no marigolds by my tomatoes
I do my companion planting a lot like you mentioned with peppers / tomatoes and to have the short stuff on the south side. Also planting sensitive things like lettuce in the shade on the north side of a taller plant
My "companion" plants, cone in the form of trap crops, mostly. Stuff I know the critters like but I don't care if I lose. The things that work for me (in zone 5a Iowa) are calendula and swamp milkweed specifically for aphids, and Brussels sprouts for cabbage moths. I've never grown a sprout to maturity, but my cabbages and broccoli always fare well.
Since all my garden is in containers I don't plant a lot of companion plants in the same container. Having different plants in the garden does bring more pollinators but doesn't really affect pests.
Hi Ben, I've tried companion planting without much success except for one thing-cilantro. Cilantro stinks, plain and simple. Planting it among tomatoes will help to keep hornworms and armyworms from the tomato plants. It works better against the hornworm moth than the armyworm. Vigilance is still essential. Spinosad helps too. With marigolds, I think they are more for soil nematodes. Deer don't like them, so planting them in a flower bed among other flowers may help to keep the deer away. I'm not sure. It isn't a big concern for me. If deer eat a few flowers, so be it. As long as they don't get to my food. I have plenty growing for the pollinators, so a few eaten flowers won't discourage them . It is raining here in Sylacauga AL; the first time since September. Yeah. It is also harvest time for me. I've harvested my first crop of Pak Choi and Swiss Chard. I'll have more Pak Choi ready in about two weeks. Also ready to harvest are Komatsuna, Tatsoi, Yellow Heart Winter Choy, and turnips. The broccoli and cauliflower are coming along, and will be ready soon. The red cabbage and Napa Cabbage are forming heads. It won't be long. Also growing are beets, parsnips, and carrots. It is enough to keep me busy for the next few weeks, then it will be time to break out the heat mats and grow lights, and sow seed starts for next year's garden. As a rule, I have cold hardy plants in the ground by February 20th. This year has been weird. If I don't get snow, and it turns out to be a mild winter, I may try to get an earlier start.
Hey Sandy, err Ben(😂😂) I hope to be on the live tomorrow but if im not, its because we don't have power. We are suppose to get 60-80mph wind and where I'm at, it seems to be one of the last places in the area to get power back. There are calling it a Boom Cyclone but basically its a hurricane on the west coast. Gotta get out and do what i should have done a couple months ago and screwdown the green house to the deck.
Batten down the hatch! Praying for all of y’all in that area! I’m on the east side of Washington, I don’t believe we are going to get any of it! Hang in there!! 🙏
I haven't had rain in about 8 months.
Sorry to hear that I know it makes growing hard.
Basil integrated everywhere with all my tomatoes made a huge difference for me this year. 😊
Basil is the best!
Jeff here. I plant flowers because they are beautiful. More insects do came. Man you could put out some bunching onions in those little open spots. Little clusters of onions would be yummy!! You know I’m trying to change your mind! lol!
For me, my garden is almost completely empty. Got tarps on some of it. This fall/winter I’m working more on firewood. Lots of work but I love it! I want to plant more but I worry about the cold. I do have broccoli, cabbage, and ONIONS!! I just want to relax and get into the woods and cut firewood. Thanks.
Keep working at it you might be able to change my mind
Great info Ben. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I hate marigolds and tried them anyway. My tomatoes were always destroyed by horn worms. This year, I planted basil with my tomatoes and had a bumper crop of both. The logic is that the smell of the basil deters the moth. Bonus: both are edible.
Something ate my basil this past summer. I think it was slugs. I had it right next to the tomatoes. It seemed to work for other insects.
Right but the studies show you need a lot of them. I still like marigolds and for what it's worth I didn't get a single hornworm this year and no marigolds by my tomatoes
I do my companion planting a lot like you mentioned with peppers / tomatoes and to have the short stuff on the south side. Also planting sensitive things like lettuce in the shade on the north side of a taller plant
I abandoned the marigold myths too. I plant them for variety.
My "companion" plants, cone in the form of trap crops, mostly. Stuff I know the critters like but I don't care if I lose. The things that work for me (in zone 5a Iowa) are calendula and swamp milkweed specifically for aphids, and Brussels sprouts for cabbage moths. I've never grown a sprout to maturity, but my cabbages and broccoli always fare well.
Since all my garden is in containers I don't plant a lot of companion plants in the same container. Having different plants in the garden does bring more pollinators but doesn't really affect pests.
Been missin the live shows, should be on the next one! This cold snap gonna upset some growth rates.
How dare you be to busy. Hopefully we will see you there
My Favorite Gardening books is...
CARROTS LOVE TOMATOES
Hi Ben,
I've tried companion planting without much success except for one thing-cilantro. Cilantro stinks, plain and simple. Planting it among tomatoes will help to keep hornworms and armyworms from the tomato plants. It works better against the hornworm moth than the armyworm. Vigilance is still essential. Spinosad helps too.
With marigolds, I think they are more for soil nematodes. Deer don't like them, so planting them in a flower bed among other flowers may help to keep the deer away. I'm not sure. It isn't a big concern for me. If deer eat a few flowers, so be it. As long as they don't get to my food. I have plenty growing for the pollinators, so a few eaten flowers won't discourage them
.
It is raining here in Sylacauga AL; the first time since September. Yeah. It is also harvest time for me. I've harvested my first crop of Pak Choi and Swiss Chard. I'll have more Pak Choi ready in about two weeks. Also ready to harvest are Komatsuna, Tatsoi, Yellow Heart Winter Choy, and turnips. The broccoli and cauliflower are coming along, and will be ready soon. The red cabbage and Napa Cabbage are forming heads. It won't be long. Also growing are beets, parsnips, and carrots.
It is enough to keep me busy for the next few weeks, then it will be time to break out the heat mats and grow lights, and sow seed starts for next year's garden. As a rule, I have cold hardy plants in the ground by February 20th. This year has been weird. If I don't get snow, and it turns out to be a mild winter, I may try to get an earlier start.
I have found that cilantro helps to keep away bad bugs and I just love it.
Hey Sandy, err Ben(😂😂) I hope to be on the live tomorrow but if im not, its because we don't have power. We are suppose to get 60-80mph wind and where I'm at, it seems to be one of the last places in the area to get power back. There are calling it a Boom Cyclone but basically its a hurricane on the west coast. Gotta get out and do what i should have done a couple months ago and screwdown the green house to the deck.
Batten down the hatch! Praying for all of y’all in that area! I’m on the east side of Washington, I don’t believe we are going to get any of it! Hang in there!! 🙏
Good luck man hope to see you there!
I Family plant so I can rotate crops to help soil stability. Sure Its not really necessary on a small 200sqft garden, but it cant hurt.
That's a good way to do it and look at it
I've found that dill and cilantro do much better at protecting tomatoes.
We cant have cilantro in the ground at the same time if just bolts cause of the heat.
@@sandybottomhomestead Here either. It goes before and after to keep attracting those parasitic wasps.
@@sandybottomhomestead I did have one cilantro make it though a couple of summers in North Texas. It was Caribe from High Mowing seeds.
That's not true. You don't have to plant a whole field.
ok