Organic gardeners usually refer to companion plants as those deterring pests in some way. Tagetes planted alongside tomatoes and crops is a good example...
Is it only the more experienced who can really be successful organic gardeners? Well, it's certainly true that the more you know about gardening the more practical experience you have behind you to learn from, and that helps you take steps to avoid problems actually occurring rather than having to deal with them when they arrive.
But with such a wealth of good gardening advice now available from web sites and magazines, books, television, and even gardening events like Gardeners' World Live, hard-earned experience is now widely shared so those new to gardening can avoid pitfalls and be almost guaranteed success.
Of course nothing beats personal experience, and that's the fun of gardening. The more things you grow, and the greater your experience, the more you have to talk about and share with others. That's why it's great that so many people take the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas with others by posting comments on these blogs.
The more you garden the better a gardener you become - trying new things, growing new plants, and of course experience problems that you can learn from. After all, no two years are alike are they? When I first started getting interested in gardening organically I read a great deal about companion planting, and always keep this in mind when developing my veg plot. Put simply, companion plants are any plants that provide a benefit to their neighbours.
Broadly speaking this could include providing shelter from strong winds, support to help them climb, or shade from harsh sun. Organic gardeners usually refer to companion plants as those deterring pests in some way. Tagetes planted alongside tomatoes and crops is a good example, where the strong pungent scent of the tagetes foliage helps mask the scent of the crop from pests that search out their desired food crop by smell.
Many years ago I sowed these cheerful poached egg plants (Limnanthes douglasii) along the base of my path, under the fan-trained fruit trees. As flowers open through May, in partnership with chives, they'll provide welcome pollen to adult hoverflies. My hope is that hoverflies are attracted to my garden to breed, laying their eggs on surrounding fruit trees and crops. Eggs hatch into larvae with a good appetite for eating aphids and pests, so keeping pests under control without me needing to do a thing ... apart from enjoying these charming little flowers.
When flowering is over I let this hardy annual die down naturally, releasing seed back onto the soil where it will germinate to form plants that will flower next year. And so the cycle continues. All I had to do, many years ago now, was sow the poached egg plants in the first place. And I pass on this 'tried and tested' advice in the hope that others will sow and grow this cheap and cheerful annual, and keep pests at bay in the bargain.
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