Best Marigold to plant with Veg

[jnkimjones]

Is there one variety that is the best to plant alongside my veg?

[Two_Sheds]

Calendula (English or Pot Marigold) to attract hoverflies
French Marigold to repel whitefly
Mexican Marigold (tagetes minuta) also repels whitefly, but it's 6 ft tall

[Kristen]

I believe that:

French Marigolds deter whitefly.
English Marigolds attract hoverflies.

[Eyren]

Tagetes 'minuta'* is supposed to control slugs, nematodes and even couch grass - I have some seed (from Chilterns) but didn't get around to trying it this year.

* so-called because of its tiny flowers - the plant itself is 4ft+!

EDIT - just found out it's the same as Mexican marigold

[jnkimjones]

So I'll order English, French and Mexican Marigolds. I will have a very cosmopolitan veg patch

[Flapjack]

I plant masses of french marigolds as sacrificial flowers - the slugs prefer to eat the marigolds instead of my veg!

Not heard of Mexican marigolds before - how do they deter slugs?

[Demeter]

Apparently the Mexican ones secrete something from their roots which is how it is supposed to control couch grass (or so I've heard) - assume that it is this that also deters slugs?? I wonder whether it might also "control" your crops and/or the beneficial soil fauna? Worth finding out before planting them in with our veg!

PS done a bit of googling:
In my travels I saw claims that the mexican ones can control not just couch grass but also bindweed and ground elder - if the claims are true, then it sounds like a pretty potent plant! Wikipedia says Mexican marigolds can inhibit some herbs. Another detailed page on companion planting claims that it can be a herbicide for beans and cabbage. Another page lists "marigolds" as a good companion for most plants, as well as being pest-repellent, where as "mexican marigolds" are down purely as being suitable to repel pests and control weeds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/companion.htm

All in all - I would suggest caution?

[rustylady]

French Marigolds smell really obnoxious, so can be used between brassicas, onions & carrots to deter their main pests by confusing the sense of smell which is how they find your precious crops. I interplanted my summer PSB with french marigolds to deter whitefly which had been a major problem last year, and also cabbage white butterflies. Worked really well till the plants reached two feet tall plus, while the poor little marigolds were still around 9 inches tall.

[Snadger]

I grow dwarf single tagetes in the greenhouse bed soil. They look pretty but the foiliage stinks!

I must have got a few marigold seeds mixed in when I was sowing and now some of the marigolds are taller than the toms in the greenhouse!

[zazen999]

Yup; they do stink. I dead head them and if I forget and do it before the weeding; I regret it big time - whifftastic.

I find you have to get them in at the start of the season though; to really make a dent in the bug population. So, when sowing your brassicas and tender plants, stick a few tagetes seeds in and they will grow alongside your crops and serve you well. Also gives a bit of colour prior to crops ripening [desperately needed this august].

[smallblueplanet]

Lol! We grew mexican marigolds last year, they're supposed to inhibit bindweed and ground elder....they were taller than next doors 6ft fence and they still hadn't flowered!!!

Seemed to help with the weeds though.

[Jardiniere]

we dont call them french marigolds here.....................

[Two_Sheds]

So I'll order English, French and Mexican Marigolds.

don't pay money for them. For an SAE I'll post you a load of English Marigold seed.

[tootles]

Call me odd - but I like the smell!!!!

[SlugLobber]

It could be any kind of marigold, it won't grow in my garden. The slimy ones nibble them as they come through, I think. I haven't had ONE germinate.

Any ideas on how I can improve my yield next year? I have tried two packs of seed, one of which was after the 'Slug-wars', involving metaldehyde!!