Companion planting for tomatoes
Did you know that companion planting can help your tomato plants stay healthy and increase your harvest? Companion planting is all about growing different plants next to each other that are known to benefit one another, for example, by providing nutrients in the soil, offering protection from wind or sun, suppressing weeds and also by attracting beneficial insects or deterring harmful ones. It also makes better use of gardening space and therefore increasing the overall harvest. Companion planting actually creates a diverse garden more akin to nature!
Two of my favourite plants for growing alongside tomatoes are marigolds and basil.
Basil
Not only do tomatoes and basil taste great together, they also grow well together! Basil helps to deter many common tomato pests when planted close to tomato plants, including white flies, aphids, thrips and hornworm as well as mosquitoes and house flies and even some fungal diseases.
The strong smell of basil protects tomatoes from pests by masking the scent of the tomato plants so they can’t find them. The wonderful scent of basil also attracts bees and butterflies, as well as ladybirds, which feed on aphids.
Tomato plants also help basil grow better. Basil prefers moist soil and light shade and the large, leafy foliage of tomato plants create a perfect growing environment for basil as the canopy of tomato leaves helps prevent the soil from drying out in the sun.
Some gardeners also believe that planting basil close to tomato plants improves the flavour of your tomatoes!
Marigolds
Marigolds are really easy to grow and care for, and the bright and colourful flowers attract many of the insects that help to keep insect pests at bay such as aphids and caterpillars. Research studies have also indicated that planting marigolds between tomatoes protects the tomato plants from harmful root-knot nematodes, parasites that feed off of the nutrients in a tomato’s root system.
As with basil, the strong scent confuses insects so they can’t find your tomatoes as easily!
Both marigolds and basil can be easily grown from seed and you can also buy as inexpensive plugs or small plants and then just pop into borders, pots or grow bags!
Have you tried companion planting? Comment and let us know!
Author: Denise Hope, home educating mum of two