What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Cinnamon]

I have noticed that some of you have sowed flower seeds for companion planting with your veggies.

I like this idea, & can't think of anything nicer than having a row of something pretty inbetween my veggie patches,but need some help.

If it helps keep aphids at bay than all the better.

 

So, what should I be planting next to what?

[Valkyrie]

Poached egg flower (limnanthes) attracts the beneficial insects. Nasturtiums are used as a sacrificial plant - gets blackfly and cabbage white butterfly caterpillars - added bonus you can eat leaves, flowers and seeds (hot, hot, hot mustardy seeds!) - that is the ones not being attacked by pests!. I tried morning glories up the runner beans - very pretty, but not too effective. I always plant lots of tagetes or French marigolds - when I dead-head them I split the seed heads and lay them over the areas that have any aphids. They hate the smell. Most herbs are good too - like basil or coriander. Also pot marigolds. If you want to have some flowers for your vases, plant a row of those in between - larkspur/cornflowers etc. One year I tried some everlastings for dried arrangements. My veg bed is raised up - our garden slopes and there are different levels. The veg section is edged with dry stone walling which is covered with aubretia and valerian dotted around. Anything that will attract bees will help pollination too.

This year I am going to try undersowing with green manures such as clover - that will still work after the veg has been harvested and then will be dug in. First year try at that, so I will see what happens there.

How's that for starters - Bob Flowerdew has written books on companion planting (which I have and is very nice) but I prefer to use his organic veg book along with a few other "bibles"!

[Christian]

Marigolds/basil next to tomatoes. (stops whitefly) no potatoes near toms as blight is the same for both plants.

 

Spinach does well with strawberries.

 

Onions next to carrots/confuses the carrot/onion fly) as does sage/rosemary

 

3 sisters beds is good - sweetcorn, beans and pumpkins together.

 

Sweetpeas in a corner attract most winged things.

 

I also dot calendula around the veegie garden as hoverflies like them and they eat blackfly.

 

edit

 

Meant to say nasturtiums are good as they attract blackfly away from others things like broad beans.

[ubereglu]

Oooo, I shall keep an eye on this topic! I like the idea of companion planting, the ones I know of are:

 

~Nasturtiums and squashes together

~Basil and Marigolds around tomatoes to deter whitefly

~Three sister bed, Sweetcorn, Squashes, Beans

~Runner Beans and Sweet peas, Aids pollination and attracts pollinating insects.

 

Not sure of the others though...

[Christian]

**here** is a book all about companion planting.

 

 

[Cinnamon]

Great, thanks everyone

[redbug]

you can get those books from the book depsitory free p/p

[FruitandNutCake]

I have some Tagets Minuta seeds

 

this is what it does as far as companion planting (also has medicinal uses!):

 

"This plant is widely used in companion planting schemes[238]. Secretions from the roots of growing plants have an insecticidal effect on the soil, effective against nematodes and to some extent against keeled slugs. These secretions are produced about 3 - 4 months after sowing[200]. These root secretions also have a herbicidal effect, inhibiting the growth of certain plants growing nearby. It has been found effective against perennial weeds such as Ranunculus ficaria (Celandine), Aegopodium podagraria Ground elder), Glechoma hederacea (Ground ivy), Agropyron repens (Couch grass) and Convolvulus arvensis (Field bindweed)[200, 238]. An essential oil distilled from the leaves and flowering stems, harvested when the plant is forming seeds, is used as an insect repellent[46, 61]. It is also used in perfumery[238]. Dried plants can be hung indoors as an insect repellent[238]."

 

Which sounds great but does anyone know whether it distinguishes between weeds and crops? If it can inhibit weed growth, surely it will inhibit crop growth?

 

I'm going to try growing it away from my precious asparagus bed, and in a new bed that has been infested with bindweed for years!

[ubereglu]

There was a lot on companion planting in this month's Gardeners' World Magazine, which I found very useful!

[Valkyrie]

I don't know if you already know, but Tagetes minuta is quite tall - hence it overpowers the weeds. I would have tried it in my garden if it had been smaller. However, I am growing the ordinary tagetes and when dead heading I crush the seed pods and dot them over anything with aphids - they hate the smell and drop off the plants. Also it doesn't hurt the beneficial insects. Works well with both black and greenfly. French marigolds have the same effect.

[FruitandNutCake]

Yes, I just read that it grows very tall! Luckily my garden is at least 150ft by 40ft. I plan to plant it around the boundary, which is where the bindweed is coming from. As I can't weed my neighbours gardens, or the woodland at the back of my garden, I'm hoping these plants will form a barrier. I spent the last few years using weedkiller, and it didn't touch the bindweed roots, which just spread. If it does work, then great - if it doesn't, then I don't know what to do!