(probably) a daft question on companion planting

[zazen999]

Well, snohare.

In my container planing days, i sowed a mixed veg box. Toms, beans, peas and later popped a courgette in. I got bad aphids, so thought i'd try the marigold. I bought 6, in modules and popped one in. At the time, the tom was just starting to flower and the beans and peas had germinated quite alot earlier and were a couple of feet tall, and producing small inch long fruits at the time. The tops of the peas and beans had blackfly, and the toms had a bit of greenfly. A few days later, they were all clear - so I've used it ever since. I have had NO aphids since - they only time I get them is on the chillis indoors over the winter. Whether it is the excretions or attracting other insects that eat them - I don't care!

ETA: i think it was researching companion planting for this problem that brought me here in the first place...

[Jardiniere]

tootles ...did you grow SOUCI? they are much the same as pot marigold and totally different to tagetes...

[tootles]

Yes, that was the one....
Do you have any idea of the botanical name???
Blast, now I have loads of the wrong stuff! - would explain the white fly though!

[coreopsis]

I planted some French Marigolds last year-the germination was super speedy-about 3-4 days.They grew very well and even survived my rough replanting.The only disadvantage is smell-I don't really like it-I thought it would be excellent flower that will be slug resistant.I was wrong.Slugs were chewing very happily on them,especially on flower buds.Will grow them this year with toms though.

[Dottie]

I sowed loads of seeds, used them as dividing lines between crops and just to generally make the plot attractive to insects.

It served the purpose of keeping most bugs at bay and I had lots of bees. Cabbages had no nibbles at all, although I still had whitefly on the broccoli. Don't know if that's because the broccoli was taller that the marigolds, so they were not totally surrounded like the cabbages were.

Also had sweet pea and love-in-a-mist in other areas, so the plot looked lovely and colourful.

[bramble]

I always plant Tagates with my tomatoes and never have any problems with aphids.
marigolds and any member of the marigold family are a favourite food for slugs.
You win some and you loose some.

[archerellie3425]

marigolds

Try this site, has been really handy for me as a first year newbie for information on companion planting

Companion Planting

[inearlygaveup]

oops posted twice.

Do they need mollycoddling in the propagator or can I do them with a bit of clingfilm?

Clingfilm works fine................

[Glutton4...]

Lazy wotsit here can I just throw seed around????

[Two_Sheds]

Lazy wotsit here can I just throw seed around????

With Calendula (English Marigold) you can, because it's hardy.

French Marigold is only half-hardy, and if you want it to flower & repel insects, you need to get it started end of Feb indoors

Sow late winter to mid spring at 21-24.C in a good seed compost. Germination usually takes 5-10 days. When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant into 3" pots and grow on in cooler conditions.

[MaureenHall]

This might need to be in the Flower section but I was wondering, since Marigolds deter aphids, would it be a good idea to grow some round my climbing rose? It gets awfully attacked by greenfly every year and I get fed up of squirting washing-up water on them. Might have just answered my own question there

[Two_Sheds]

When we talk of tomato aphids, we mean whitefly. I don't think roses get whitefly

[Dottie]

This might need to be in the Flower section but I was wondering, since Marigolds deter aphids, would it be a good idea to grow some round my climbing rose? It gets awfully attacked by greenfly every year and I get fed up of squirting washing-up water on them. Might have just answered my own question there

Roses love garlic is a popular expression. In fact, members of the onion family such as chives, ornamental alliums, and edible onions, are rumored to increase the perfume of roses, ward off aphids, and prevent black spot.

They are also very good for fruit trees, preventing scab. I grew spring onions around the base of a young apple tree last year and intend on planting chives in a circle around the base this year and around roses I have in the garden. I already grew lots of chives both in the garden and allotment, as I love the fact that I can eat them and still get lovely flowers.

Lavendar is also good around roses, seems most things that have a strong smell is good, so having a few marigolds around too, is likely to be beneficial.

[FionaH]

So I need to be sowing marigolds now??! Flipping eck running out of windowsills as it is!

[Alice]

Janeyo, if you grow some Basil in the greenhouse with the toms that seems to take care of the whitefly - and smells a lot better than the tagetes.