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The companion plants for the vegetable garden will aid the gardener in reducing plant damage from insects, and help reduce the need for chemical remedies.
Companion plants draw insects to the garden for several important tasks. One task is pollination. For plants to produce fruit or seeds, these plants need to be pollinated.
The second task is survival. The plant world has survived due to, in part, the relationship plants have made with others. Nature has a way to providing protections from insects and diseases just by having the right companion plants in the neighborhood. Some companion plants lure pests away from their target plant while, yet, others can repel insects in the vicinity all together.
Today, we are going to focus on Insectary plants – those plants that lure insects to the garden. Insects that can prey on problem insects are called beneficial insects. Let’s focus on the plants that draw in the ‘good guys’. Later, we will indicate the damage that the ‘pests’ can do to crops and plants.
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| Bee on cilantro |
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| Dill blooms |
Chamomile will bring many beneficial insects to the garden like hover-flies and wasps.
Alyssum, is a pretty little plants with tons of blooms and fragrance. This plant will self-seed and adds a dainty ground cover around the garden.
Monarda, or Bee Balm, is a taller Insectary plant that blooms in the mid-season. Many different bees, wasps, and hummingbirds adore this plant.
Cornflower, or perennial bachelor’s button, can be a great companion plant for inviting beneficial insects. And any member of the Aster family, like yarrow, tansy, cosmos and coreopsis will certainly draw the insects to the garden. The pollen and nectar of these plants entices the beneficial insects to the garden.
Plants starting at top left: Buckwheat, Calendula, Yarrow, Poppy, Marigolds, Cornflower, Goldenrod, Tansy.
Chives and catnip are garden favorites. Mint and oregano act as Insectary plants in addition to enhancing the herb garden.
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| Chives in flower. |
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| Tachinid fly on catnip. |
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| Mint with metallic flies. |
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| Bee on Oregano |
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| Borage , annual Herb |
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| Sunflowers in Garden |
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| Comfrey in Bloom in May |
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| Nasturtiums in Cabbage Bed |
5 comments:
I enjoyed this post. I want to point two things out, though. I would not grow Queen Anne's Lace in my vegetable garden. It grows pretty large, and spreads. I decided not to grow it in my flower beds, either.
The chives in your photo are garlic chives. Those things reseed themselves around, and are very difficult to get rid of. They are one of those plants that are persistent, even when you dig them out with a shovel. When we moved, I didn't grow them for a couple years, but then, decided to grow a clump in a pot. I let it bloom, but cut the green knobs off before they get a chance to produce seeds. Even then, I put them in the garbage, and not the compost pile.
Companion plants are a real key to success. I've experimented with a number of different plants and I've come to the conclusion that have the greatest amount of diversity is the best ticket. From the amount of different things it looks like you're growing from the photos in your post, I think you've got diversity well under control.
I have also used common milkweed as a companion plant in my gardens. I never remove them when I am weeding and have found that plants growing near common milkweed actually grow larger and have better crops.
I grow nasturtiums and petunias with my tomatoes, the tomatoes always seem to do better with nasturtiums just on their own. I also grow dill and common milkweed next to my vegetable beds.
Thank you for posting this! I am in the process of planting my vegetable garden, and wanted to plant some beneficial bug inviting plants. I will definitely add some of these plant to my garden this year.
Setting up a home garden is also big challenge for several household, because you still need to look for a good plants or flowers that you want for your garden. You can also improve your home garden by adding some outdoor decors.
Littleton landscape
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