Companion planting - is it rubbish or is there something to it?

Here's a list of the things I've been told to plant together or seen planted together:
• French marigolds in between tomato plants
• Carrots and leeks together because they have strong scents that drive away each other's pests
• Nasturtiums with cabbages because the nasturtium leaves are apparently more popular with caterpillars than cabbage leaves (I'd love this to be true!)
• Garlic planted among roses to ward off aphids

You see, I'm about to order my seeds for next year, and I was wondering about all this - I can bring home some garlic to put in around my roses, and I can harvest nasturtium seeds from any of my neighbouring allotments, so should I get some French Marigold seeds and try the experiment? Or is it complete tosh?

Labels: allotment-companion-planting, allotment-seeds

Companion planting

I’m in two minds about this. I do undertake some companion planting: mainly things I remember my granddad doing such as plant French marigolds between tomato plants to deter aphids, growing carrots and leeks together (I think the leeks smell strongly enough to confuse carrot fly, although it could just be that he liked the look of carrots and leeks together, isn’t it odd how we pick up habits without really thinking about them?) and using nasturtiums as a sacrifice crop for cabbages – because the caterpillars eat the nasturtiums and leave the cabbages alone.

But can it really be true that those same marigolds can smother bindweed? I don’t think so. Not on any allotment I’ve come across, anyway. And does celery really deter cabbage white caterpillars from brassicas – I’d love to believe so, but I don’t think I’ve come across anything, except horticultural mesh, that really keeps the caterpillars off. Or rather, keeps the butterfly from laying the eggs that hatch on the plant and become voracious eating machines aka cabbage white caterpillars.

But I’m prepared to be convinced. Especially if it reduces the need to weed between rows and pick or wash off pests. So tell me - do you companion plant, and if so, what works for you?

Marigold by *micky

Labels: allotment-companion-planting, allotment-flowers, allotment-pests, allotment-vegetables