Companion Planting

[rary]

There are a number of different plants recommended for companion planting for example marigolds to help keep whitefly off tomatoes, now there are several different types of marigold as well as different varieties, so what type and variety is the best, I have also came across referrance to using onions to avoid carrot root fly, again there are several different types and varieties of onion so which ones are the best
With all the different plants we grow and multitude of pests that there is what companion plants would you use to protect what plant and do they work?

[ESBkevin]

As you might guess with carrot and white fly the smell of the marigolds or onions is the thing. I think many sacrificial plants work the same way.
I'm no expert on whats best and I've learned that there is no foolproof way to protect plants from all attacks. A combination of healthy well fed plants and sensible preventative measures gets you the best results. There is always an element of mother natures share.
I've searched before for guides to companion planting and there is no consencus it seems.

[greenishfing]

Nothing, but NOTHING, stops carrot fly in my opinion. I once planted nasturtiums to help attract black fly away from my beans. I now let them reseed at will and only remove them if they are in the way as they do a great job and look pretty into the bargain.

[burnie]

Nothing, but NOTHING, stops carrot fly in my opinion. I once planted nasturtiums to help attract black fly away from my beans. I now let them reseed at will and only remove them if they are in the way as they do a great job and look pretty into the bargain.

I grow carrots fly free in my raised beds, I did have problems when they were direct in the ground.

[veggiechicken]

"They" recommend Tagetes/French marigolds to plant alongside tomatoes. I usually bung some in - seems to work.
Sow spring onions between your carrots they don't take up any space and you'll have 2 crops in the same space as one.
Don't sow blocks of any one veg or the pests will home in on them. Mix things up to confuse them.

[bramble]

Tagates for me as well.
I always grow them alongside my tomatoes.
Havnt seen white fly for years in my greenhouse.

[FBI]

The best known companion planting tricks have been mentioned but there are a couple of anti-companion tips I've picked up, too: fennel inhibits growth of plants around it, especially brassicas (see the beetroot I had last year next to it compared to that planted elsewhere) and beans & onions don't go well together either.

[Penellype]

I tried tagetes in my tunnel to protect the brassicas from whitefly - I still got loads of whitefly, although not quite the clouds of them that I had in 2018 (could have been due to the hot summer).

Nasturtiums as a decoy for blackfly seemed to do the opposite - the nasturtiums attracted blackfly which then spread to the nearby beans, whereas the beans further away avoided blackfly completely.

I can tentatively recommend nasturtiums as a deterrent to pea moth - I've been bothered with the pest on and off for years, but the 2 years I grew nasturtiums alongside the peas I had no pea moth at all. it could be that I hit on 2 years that would have had no pea moth anyway though...

[SarrissUK]

I saw this link on FB today, posted by Incredible Edible:
https://livelovefruit.com/companion-...OI-J3tCAHqEa4g

[veggiechicken]

That linked article has me all confused!!

Beets and beans should also be avoided next to one another as they can stunt each others growth.

Beets can be planted next to bush beans, Brassicas, corn, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mint and potatoes. Avoid planting beets next to pole beans.

[Thelma Sanders]

Tagates for me as well.
I always grow them alongside my tomatoes.
Havnt seen white fly for years in my greenhouse.

Same here

[Bren In Pots]

I grow both Tagates and Basil along with my toms in the GH, basil is supposed to deter aphids and white fly. I let Nasturtiums grow all over my garden only really pulling them up if they get in the way to much.

[Mamzie]

"They" recommend Tagetes/French marigolds to plant alongside tomatoes. I usually bung some in - seems to work.
Sow spring onions between your carrots they don't take up any space and you'll have 2 crops in the same space as one.
Don't sow blocks of any one veg or the pests will home in on them. Mix things up to confuse them.

This is so true - myself and my husband often have heated debates about how to garden. I love kitchen mixed up planting, mulches and no dig. He likes bare soil, straight lines and mountains of horse manure.

Tomatooo, tomatoeee lol

[mcdood]

As others have said Tagetes for toms, not sure how much it works but it looks pretty. I agree with Penellype on Nasturtiums too, I had a few aphids one year on Dahlias so grew Nasturtiums the following year supposedly as a sacrificial plant. The blackfly did prefer the Nasturtium but to the point where they were so rampant that I couldn't see any green on the Nasturtium and the blackfly also spilled over to the Dahlias worse than ever. Last year no nasturtium and very little blackfly.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I use T & M's french marigold variety colossus both among the tomatoes in the greenhouse and in the onion bed and they work brilliantly by deterring whitefly and the onion rootfly. they are also very decorative