Companion planting

bekkie hughes

Id love to know what everyone else uses for companion plants, what do you find works best?

bekkie hughes

Not one ive come across before, i use poached egg plant, but might give this a try

philippa smith2

Summer Savoury with Broad Beans....Tagetes with Toms.

BBoy........I like Alyssum and always grow it but never thought to put round the veg plot.....well, the allotment anyway........thanks for that

bekkie hughes

Whats the summer savory for- blackfly?

philippa smith2

Yes..........it's also quite nice to use when you steam your Beans ( tho I admit I scoff most of mine raw from the pod so they rarely see the kitchen)

bekkie hughes

Believe it or not, i always used broad beans as compainon plants around the edge of the veg bed, i never tried the beans because id heard others say they wernt nice! Ive now had broad beans (frozen!) Of course as i wanted to grow them as a crop this year, the entire lot were munched by bean and pea maggot! Will try again next year, will also try summer savory

philippa smith2

BBoy........unfortunately the alyssum I have growing now are not in a position to self seed and grow on......but I will save the seed from the plants I have to get them round my new allotment.

To be honest, I let most of my stuff self seed but only in this garden for 2 years so still a bit of a way to go  However, my wildflowers are doing really well (2nd season) and all from bought seed last Spring.

The allotment (half an allotment actually ) is a different matter.......only taken over in april (when the weather here was still awful) and covered in grass/weeds.  Hand dug and have cleared half of it and already have Potatoes, Broad Beans, Kale, Spinach, Mange Tout, Dwarf Beans, Parcel, Chillies, Spring Onions, Leeks and Lab Lab beans as well as Rhubarb, Red and Black Currant (only last year's cuttings from garden but ok ), Physalis (Golden Berry) , Butternut Squash and Comfrey.  Also some clover and Cerinthe.....both of which the bees love. More flowers to go in soon. 

Sorry.....got carried away.....we were only talking about alyssum weren't we ?   

Chrissy the gardener

I use tagetes and basil in the greenhouse along side the toms.

  onions and garlic along side each other.

 

philippa smith2

Someone previously mentioned branches of the Curry Plant in their G/H as an antidote to pests.

bekkie hughes

I swear by nasturtiums with cabbages, or any brassicas, and callendula

Lily 3

Hi Bekkie - Great thread with some very interesting answers, so thanks all. I grow marigolds and basil round my toms. I read somewhere that it is scientifically proven that growing basil close to tons increases yields. Watch this space as its my first good go at it. I grow nasturtiums near my broad beans as black fly are supposed to prefer nasturtiums. So protecting the broad beans, which are yummy to eat ! I'm also trying onions with my carrots this year to confuse the carrot root fly. Alternate rows of each. Which so far seems to be working. That and minimal thinning and careful weeding. I'm also growing sweet peas and sunflowers with my runner beans to attract pollenators. I have 3 rows of 2 metre wigwams, with alternate beans and sweet peas. Hopefully help, but certainly look nice !