10 Marigold Companion Plants for a Pest-Free Garden

raise these marigold associate plants to draw pollinator and repel pests .

Kindra Clineff

While there are many pest - repellingcompanion plants to try in veg garden , marigold are at the top of the list for a good understanding . grow marigold companion plants can attractbeneficial insectslike hoverflies to garden bed , but marigolds also behave as snare crops for pest insect and dissuade other bugs , deer and hare . When arise marigolds in your backyard veggie plot orraised layer , these companion plants will reach the most pest protection from these flowers .

marigolds planted with kale in garden

Credit:Kindra Clineff

Potatoes

Marty Baldwin

Potatoes are comparatively easy to arise , but they can be plagued by pest like Colorado potato beetles from clip to time . While a small universe of white potato vine beetles wo n’t do much damage , large infestation can defoliate potato stems , weaken plant , and make potato get fewer spuds . fortuitously , marigold are experience to deter a variety of beetles , including murphy beetle , and theyhelp to distract aphidsfrom potato plant too .

Squash and Pumpkins

Helen Norman

As any nurseryman can tell you , crush bugs are one of the hardest pests to eradicate in vegetable garden and they ’re peculiarly drawn to plants in the cucurbit syndicate , like squeeze and pumpkins . Once they go far in gardens , squelch bugs congregate in magnanimous mathematical group and significant infestation can get plant stress , wilt , and vine prostration . The good word is that marigolds can assist with squelch bug too , but you ’ll call for to seek outAfrican marigoldsto get the good results .

Brassicas

Brie Williams

lapin know nibblingon leafy greens and they ’re often drawn to brassica plant , like kale and Brassica oleracea italica . But if you interplant marigolds among your brassicas , you may be capable to cross these furry garden visitors and protect your vegetable craw from damage . Even better , marigolds repel Brassica oleracea maggots and nematodesand their flowers entice predatory insects to garden bed to keep pests in line .

Cucumbers

Cucumbersattract an assortment of pests , but marigolds can keep many of those insects at embayment . Once they ’re done banquet on squash plants , squash glitch may visit cucumber vines , but they are less likely to creep in if there are marigold grow nearby . Marigolds also help to distract mallet off from veggie plant life , include the most infamous cucumber pest : thecucumber beetle .

Herbs

Matthew Benson

Herbs like lavender , sage , thyme , and basil get along with most common veggie and their simple growing needs make them double-dyed marigold companion plants . Beyond that , odorous herbs are also ideal for garden gadfly and disease ascendency , and growing them side by side with marigold can make pests even less probable to call your veg garden . If you need to make your herbs even more attractive to ladybugs , lacewing , and other beneficial insects , allow your herbaceous plant plants to blossom .

Tomatoes

Blaine Moats

bright colored marigold blossom add pizzazz to grim veggie layer while gardeners await sass - wateringharvests of tomatoesand other crop . But marigolds also directly benefit tomato plant by releasing limonene , which repels negative whiteflies . While tomatoes are typically ego - pollinating industrial plant , growing marigolds nearby can also further pollinator activeness and make plant produce more yield .

Melons

Robert Cardillo

Cantaloupes , honeydew , watermelon , and other melon all belong to to the cucurbit family , which means they ’re vulnerable to many of the same pests as Cucumis sativus , squash , and pumpkins . Just like squash plants , melons can be targeted by destructive squash bugs and cucumber beetle , but using them as marigoldcompanion plantscan deter these troublesome pests . On top of that , marigold blooms will entice pollinators to visit melon vine flowers , increase pollenation rate and crop yields .

Peppers

Carson Downing

Peppers and marigold both thrive in bright Dominicus andwell - drain soil , so it ’s no surprisal that they produce well together in toilet or expectant veggie layer . Brightly colored marigold bloom complement the shades of developing Vanessa Bell andhot pepperfruit , but peppers also benefit from marigold ’ pest - repelling property . If you ’re growing peppers in a small distance but still require to use marigolds to your advantage , adjudicate growing nanus marigolds , which only grow about 6 inches tall .

Carrots

nematode worm cause problems for a across-the-board variety of food for thought crops , including pea plants , Lycopersicon esculentum , and melons . But nematodes are particularly problematic for carrots since they specifically targetcarrot roots , the part of the plant people most want to eat . Once they invade , nematodes induce carrots to acquire into distorted shapes and develop unsightly galls and defect . However , African andFrench marigoldsproduce substances that toss off nematodes course .

Eggplants

Like carrots , eggplantsare also vulnerable to nematodes , butcompanion planting with marigoldscan cuticle eggplants from nematode damage . What ’s more , interplanting eggplants with marigold can draw more pollinator to your garden , which will increase pollenation rates and meliorate eggplant harvests too . Although eggplants are ego - pollinate crop , studies have found that eggplants producelarger fruit when they ’re pollinate by insect .

https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H183/index.html

https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/lincolnmcpherson/Cornell%20Guide%20to%20Companion%20Planting.pdf

harvested potatoes

Credit:Marty Baldwin

Companion plant with Gallic marigold protects tomato plant plants from glasshouse whitefly through the discharge of airborne limoneneConboy NJA , McDaniel T , Ormerod A , George D , Gatehouse AMR , et al . ( 2019 ) Companion planting with Gallic marigolds protect tomato plant plant from glasshouse whiteflies through the discharge of airborne limonene . PLOS ONE 14(3 ): e0213071 .

R. Krueger , K. E. Dover , R. McSorley , K. -H. Wang . MARIGOLDS ( TAGETESSPP . ) FOR NEMATODE MANAGEMENT . University of Florida Extension .

squash plant and marigolds