Ive been told i should add herbs or flowers to keep pest away but is there really enough space? It’s arugula, lettuce, spinach and kale. What would you add? Also my next bed will be bush beans, snap peas, beets, radish and carrots should i add anything special with them?
by Prinesspeach2927
3 Comments
Onions ain’t bad for bug prevention
For most of what you’re growing the pests that’ll affect you most I think will be is slugs and caterpillars. I’ve heard plants in the allium family will help with that like onions and garlic but in my experience it hasn’t done much to repel. I think companion planting can be a bit over hyped. What works great in my experience is like for example not planting all my cabbage or kale in one spot for pests. If I spread them out in different spots I usually have less damage. I do usually end up spraying organic pesticides though like neem oil and bt when I do get pests.
If you want to interplant herbs or flowers, many don’t require lots of nutrients, and as long as their watering needs are compatible with the primary plants then all should be well.
Keep in mind which herbs are annual and which are perennial as well as chemical compatibility. Alliums and Legumes don’t mix well for example.
Oregano, for example. A small patch can lead to a long term supply in the right spot. I started mine 5 years ago from seeds and it always comes back.
Mint will take over a bed, so it either needs its own pot or a corner of your yard that you don’t mind being minty.
Sage and fennel are sort of loners. Sage prefers dry soil and fennel has chemical conflicts with many other plants.