Got pests? Try companion planting
Other plants can work just as well as pesticides, without the nasty chemicals
Hello, friends!
We’re still taking photo submissions for the 2022 Calendar Contest. Read on for details.
Many of you are writing in for suggestions to combat garden pests naturally. There are a lot of home remedies; some work, others don’t. But you can discourage insects from chomping on your plants by strategically planting other plants nearby.
The concept is pretty simple: Just as we find some scents repelling, so do insects and wildlife. Here are 16 to try.
Lavender — Lavender repels slugs.
Basil — Basil repels aphids, flies, mosquitoes and mites; also has fungicidal properties. Plant around tomatoes to repel hornworms.
Catnip — Catnip repels ants, fleas and mosquitoes.
Tomatoes — Plant tomatoes around asparagus to repel asparagus beetles, and around roses to help prevent black spot. Keep away from cabbage, fennel and potatoes.
Oregano — Oregano repels cucumber beetle.
Borage — Borage repels tomato worms.
Onion — Onion repels ants, aphids, borers and moles. Also discourages black spot on roses. Plant around carrots, beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage, but avoid around beans, parsley, peas and leeks.
Rosemary — Rosemary deters cabbage moth, bean beetles and carrot fly.
Petunia — Petunia repels aphids, leafhoppers and Mexican bean beetles.
Thyme — Thyme deters cabbage worms and slugs.
Nasturtium — Nasturtium repels aphids, spider mites and whiteflies. Plant around fruit trees, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes (for improved flavor).
Mint — Mint repels aphids, cabbage moths and cabbage worms. Plant in containers, though, or it will take over your garden.
Radish — Plant radish around cucumbers and squash to trap beetles.
Marigolds — Pests (aphids, bean beetles and others) find the scent of marigolds repulsive, so plant them throughout the vegetable garden. French and African varieties eliminate nematodes from the soil.
Chamomile — Chamomile repels cabbage moths.
Chives — Plant chives around roses and lettuce to repel aphids.
👉👉If you’re enjoying this newsletter, why not share it with a gardening friend?
💡 If you do one thing this week…
It’s time to renovate the lawn. Remove dead patches, core aerate, apply compost and seed, if necessary.
📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: I want to plant a colorful array of cornflowers but need information on when to do this and whether to use seeds or established plants. — Joseph Fasano
DEAR JOSEPH: In my opinion, cornflowers aren't used enough in the garden.
You might know them as bachelor's buttons because, well, they’re cute as a button. And also because, allegedly, back in the day (not sure exactly which day) bachelors used to wear them on their lapels before spending time with a lady friend. If the flower wilted by the next day, then the romance would be doomed; if it was still fresh in the morning, the couple would have a promising future. It’s a wonder anyone got married because cut flowers that aren’t placed in water don’t survive that long today — and we have air conditioning.
Cornflowers are annuals, but they reseed readily so they do return every year, mostly in areas where the soil is disturbed, such as in cornfields, which are plowed every year. And the original electric blue ones are among a very small group of true-blue flowers (most plants that are called “blue” are actually a shade of purple.) Other colors — including white, red, purple, pink, and one called “black” that’s actually maroon — have been developed by plant breeders over the years.
They're super easy to grow and bloom through most of summer. If you're going to plant from seed, start them indoors about eight weeks before the last frost, then transplant them into the garden. If you'd rather buy them, you shouldn't have any difficulty finding cornflowers in garden centers. Plant them in full sun so they don't flop over in search of sunlight, and water them during heat waves.
Just leave them be until they dry up and drop seeds to ensure you’ll have a repeat performance next year, then you can (and should) pull them up. In fact, you can sow seeds outdoors at the end of this month and they’ll sprout in spring. Just weed an area, scatter some seeds, gently rake them in with a hand fork and keep them lightly watered. You can carefully move the little seedlings around when they pop up, if necessary.
Consider planting them with bee balm, poppies, coneflowers, calendula and foxgloves for a carefree, colorful garden bed.
👏 Sunday shoutout
Margaret Hanan of Rockville Centre, NY, shared this scene from her front yard. “As you can see I love color!” she wrote, adding that her garden bed contains both annuals and perennials. “I find my garden a source of peace,” she says.
📷🌼Your photo could be in my 2022 calendar!
Enter your best garden shots for a chance to win one of 12 featured spots
You know you take photos of your garden — we all do! Dig through all your pictures and send me the best, and it might be featured in the 2022 edition of Jessica Damiano’s Day-by-Day Garden Calendar.
Winners will get their photo (and name!) published in the calendar, and receive a free copy so they can brag to all their friends while getting 365 tips and chores to keep their gardens on track all year long.
Submissions have been pouring in all week, and I’m noticing a shortage of winter, fall and spring shots, so dig those up and send them in ASAP — submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. on August 15, 2021.
Some guidelines:
The location and month during which the photo was taken must be included with submissions. Photo entries representing all 12 months are being sought.
Photos can portray a single plant, tree or shrub; closeup of a flower, fruit or vegetable; or a garden or landscape scene.
Photos cannot include people or pets, but wildlife (birds, bees, squirrels, etc.) can be part of the scene.
Photos must have a horizontal orientation.
Entries must be original, full-sized, hi-res images.
You can only enter photos you personally took yourself.
You can enter as many photos as you like, but each must be submitted separately.
Entries must include your full name, address, phone number and email address.
Must be 18 and over to enter.
You can read the official rules here.
📧 Send me your feedback!
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.