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Organic Gardening - Battling Pests With Companion Plants

If you've decided, whether for your own health, or the health of the earth and animals in general, to try organic gardening, you may notice that you are having trouble controlling pests, diseases, and other problems without the use of chemicals. Luckily, there are natural techniques that can be used to solve these common gardening problems. Companion planting is one of those techniques.

By companion planting, or strategically planting specific flowers, herbs, and vegetables together, you can enhance the taste of vegetables, as well as naturally control common pest and bug related problems in your garden.

Companion planting is both useful and important to control pests in natural gardens, as well as in vegetable gardens. For example, if you move two of the wrong types of vegetables close together, the taste could be very bad. On the other hand, if you move correct vegetables close to each other, the taste is great.

One great companion plant combination is basil and tomatoes. If they are planted together in the same container garden, the tomatoes will taste great, especially in homemade sauces.

Another example of companion plants that work well are chives and either tomatoes or carrots. The flavor and growth rate of the plants will improve, and aphids will be repelled away from the tomatoes, and carrot rust flies will be deterred from the carrots.

If chives are planted by roses, they can also help to prevent black spots on them. It takes 2 or 3 years of companion planting

before this common disease is prevented, however.

Cabbage is a plant that can have either positive or negative companion planting results. Planting cabbage around celery, dill, onions, or potatoes will be good for all of the plants. Planting the cabbage too close to tomatoes or strawberries, however, will have a negative effect and can reduce the growth rate and production.

Marigolds (Calendula) are have been used for centuries to repel pests around landscaping. Scattering them around your yard and garden will help to repel a large number of bugs and pests. If you don't use marigolds with a scent, they will not work to repel bugs. Since it is the smell that is repulsive to insects, you need to make sure that you can handle it yourself before planting too many of them. You don't want to be kept out of your own garden area or yard!

Thomas Fryd looks at natural plant pest control sharing from his decades of plant growing experience. Thomas regularly offers his professional knowledge at www.Plant-Care.com where you'll find an evergrowing collection of plant and landscape information.

posted by xnrr @ 2:28 PM