If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Interplanting Vegetables As Natural Pest Control 1:39 Flower #1 5:45 Flower #2 7:16 Flower #3 9:59 Flower #4 13:36 The Flower I'm Avoiding 15:35 3 Important Pest Control Lessons 18:26 Adventures With Dale
I feel like the biggest flower you missed was alyssum inter-planted with tomatoes. I had 100 tomato plants last year, and only a couple healthy hornworms. What I did find was dead hornworms that had been parasitized by braconid wasps which are attracted to the alyssum. Alyssum is definitely my favorite flower now.
@@sandrajohnson9926 One of my fondest memories is from when as a small child we lived in an apartment in a large city and my mom ( a country girl) put plastic up in the windows to make a green house and planted allysium. In the winter I would open my window and that gorgeous scent would hit me😊 Think I will go buy some seed😅
@@deboraballes9044 I am drawn to flowers with scent whether it's roses, heliotrope, dianthus, alyssum or any other. What a wonderful gift from God. He fills up my senses.
I gave up on trying to micromanage my garden. I dont spray, i barely weed. I mulch gardens with shredded leaves in the fall. have 2 wildflower patches in my yard. one near pumpkins & melons and the other near my peppers, cucumbers, peas etc. Since i added them, ive created a healthy and diverse ecosystem that has its own checks and balances. Much more peaceful to let nature do its thing. Gardening shouldn't feel so stressful
I love that most of my companion plants and flowers self-seed themselves at this point. I get free nasturtiums, marigolds, sunflowers, sweet peas, basil, sweet alyssum, calendula, zinnia and so many more every year! I love seeing what will pop up in the spring and what fun new crosses will appear. This year my sweet peas are all different shades of pink and purple and some of them have purple pods, which is a trait I haven’t seen yet. The plant genetics lottery is so fun.
Borage is an Herb. Here it is also called Cucumber Weed. In Germany we use it daily in our salads. Especially cucumber salad. Just cut it up like parsley. Dill, etc. Don't let the leaves grow too big because they will get tough and very prickly.The flowers are edible as well.
I planted in grow bags ( cherry tomatoes) an elder told me to plant in separate containers and set around the grow bags,,BASIL,, I have been harvesting the most delicious tomatoes and not one. NOT ONE TOMATO BUG,,, and I used Newton basil and two sweet basils, not only has this been wonderfull but now the basil is going to seed, so I’ll have them for next year, this is my first time for ANYTHING,I can’t tell you how happy I am. But the taste of the tomatoes are sweet and no acid, my son loves them and I’m not Italian but tomatoes and basil wow, I have loved your videos all along,, THANK YOU
I used marigold for decades and never had any bug issues BUT the last two years they didn’t work AT ALL!! That tells me that hybridizing has ruined the marigold. They used to smell up the entire area and attract bees. But, the last two years, I could not smell them when in the garden much less approaching the garden. Very Sad!!! They’re so easy to grow!
Yes, I agree. Especially since the pandemic, the seeds are not healthy and weird things are happening in the garden. I buy seed from several places, few germinate and few plants are healthy.
There are French and African varieties. I read recently to only use the French. I’ve had good luck using them all around my little garden. At least so far.
@@TheMillennialGardener I live in Northern UT (completely different climate from NC) and since planting marigolds have basically never seen an aphid on my tomatoes or peppers. Worked amazingly. It’s probably dependent on your local pests.
@@TheMillennialGardener It might also be a good idea to plant whitefly repellent crop as well. Basil and chives work great 👍 Apparently dill works as well, and lavender if you have the space for it. Thank you for sharing your experience, and best wishes for this season!
For those that don't already know, this guy really knows his stuff. This is not just things he read in some book, but he has solid experience with this information and has tested it. Remember this is specific to his area or zone, so this is not universal advice.
My husband and I watch 2-3 hours of you tube with dinner and relaxing in the evening… by far this video was explanatory, helpful, easy to listen to, easy to follow, enjoyable and well planned out.. thoroughly enjoyed it and learned valuable info. The best video hands down we have seen all month! Good job!
Greetings from New Zealand. So far the only companion plant video that I have come across that mentions the pros and cons of the types of bad bugs that they attract as well as the bugs they repel.
Marigolds are awesome mosquito repellents. They are great to grow around outdoor patios and decks to assist in keeping mosquitoes at bay. While you may have not had success with them in your garden, you could have re-homed them to your outdoor patio spaces.
@@OurFreeSociety Marigolds do a great job at repelling mosquitos, and they certainly LOOK better than a citronella plant. You can dead head the flowers, dry them out, and have tons of seeds for the next growing season. And, if any seeds spread out, you may have some pop back up in your beds or pots, or wherever you planted them.
I'm 68 yrs old and thought a victory-type garden would be a good idea. I rent in town so I've been researching container gardening. It's overwhelming! What to plant, when, where and how. There's soil and fertilizers. Now bugs?!!!! I just wanted to grow my father's type of garden...dig a hole, plant a seed, let nature take it's course, and viola!!! A beautiful garden every year. Not so much, I'm guessing. Great video. I appreciate the knowledge. Thank you for sharing!!!
Start out small. Pick one type of plant you like to eat and plant it. Learn everything you can about it. Next year add another. And so on. First I learned tomatoes. Planted in 5 gallon buckets. Then the next year I added a few peppers. Now I have two small beds and lots of buckets and containers. You will learn gradually. That's why I say plant small and plant what you eat.
I just wanted to add that of course learning how to plant a container garden is overwhelming & can def be challenging at times too, BUT don’t let some video or comment discourage ya bc yes at first figuring out how to grow a plant in a container is intimidating but once you finally start to do it you’ll see that it’s def worth the time & effort to learn. plus IMO growing in containers allows you to have WAY MORE control over the plant/environment esp as far as pests & other plant problems are concerned. Like if a bad bug invites it’s buddies to help infest/takeover your traditional garden, an entire row of crops could literally be DECIMATED overnight if you’re not careful! Whereas with a container garden you can easily prevent that from happening by simply just moving it. even if the container plant were to get a pest infestation though, sure you may still lose a plant or 2, buuut at least it’s not an ENTIRE row of 10+ veggie plants lol! 😮 that’s why the CONTAIN part of the word “container” is so fitting to me bc it “contains” whatever is inside . . . including the pests ha! 😆
Gardening doesn't work that way. Any part of it takes effort and there is no "viola" for gardening. If you don't want to do any weeding, use grass clippings around the plants as long as the grass has not been treated. Your effort will pay off with lots of food!!🙂
I have Eastern Phoebes, Carolina Wrens, and Eastern Bluebirds taking care of the pests in my gardens. The Phoebes are phenomenal, hunting the gardens throughout the day.
I think knowing your area is important. Marigolds work well in Missouri. I remember my aunt having a massive garden and every other row was marigold with a marigold border and never had bugs of any kind in her garden. Most of my California family used huge patches of sunflowers, so I wasn't surprised to see it listed. Thanks for sharing.
We plant marigolds the same way in SC. Borders only and every other row. It also helps keep deer and rabbits away. We have both as we live in the woods. Critters don't bother our garden.
I've found alliums (mainly chives) are the best all around pest repellant plant. Also spraying an area or individual plants with a mix of castile soap, water and certain essential oils (lemon grass, cedar, clove, peppermint, etc.) works wonders for deterring pests
I always plant marigolds between all my plants!! Last year the marigolds lasted until NOVEMBER!! Never had them last that long!! And I also never had any insect problems in the garden! (knock on wood!!😬😬😅)
@@lauram.511 East NC is either zone 8a or possibly 7b. I'm up in VA in the 7a zone so it's helpful to watch his videos with it being fairly similar to my area.
I interplant garlic cloves in tomato beds at the time of the tomato planting. The plant lives through the summer, too small to die back early and somewhat shaded by the tomato vines. No harvest of bulbs that year. In the spring, the garlic plants grow multiples, creating a clump of plants growing too close together to mature. Lift out the clump with a fork, separate it, and plant it among the next year's tomato plants. I expect to harvest garlic bulbs this summer from the replanted shoots
I really liked your video on insect repellent flowers. I've used Marigolds to ward off tomato horn worms. Since I haven't had any horn worms in a while, I did lay that to the marigold. However; I plant my brassica's in a different season than the tomatoes. I'm going to give all your flower suggestions a try. We have always planted zinnia's to attract the pollinators in our garden. This is something that was handed down from my great grandfather. He always had zinnia's in his garden. It was said so he could pick a bouquet for my great grandmother. And that may be true. We pick bouquets for our wives, as well as get the benefit of the pollinators. Happy Gardening Gregory Baker Liberty Hill, Texas
I hope so. That’s my dream one day. My dream is to have a homestead and use it as an experimental orchard and garden, make these videos full time and donate a lot of the food.
I planted Mammoth sunflowers in my garden last year (NC, piedmont, zone 7b) and the stink bugs were all over them from the second they bloomed. So much so that I was actually worried about the amount of stink bugs being attracted to my garden. This year I planted them a little farther away so hopefully that will keep them off my veggies.
Here in SW Missouri, we don't have the problem with borage re-seeding; but you did not happen to mention certain side benefits. Borage flowers have a delightful cucumber flavor which I love sprinkling over my salads. Nasturtiums, likewise, have a (to me) delicious peppery flavor for the same purpose. I gather various greens throughout the year to freeze for winter use, and find the leaves of either plant add a nice touch, subtle but still there. We do our best to waste nothing that can be put to use. Thanks for your vids!
@@contestwill1556 The flowers also have the same flavor, which I love. I believe the more "Foo-Foo" cooking channels recommend rolling them into multi-colored bundles and cutting them into thin slices like confetti for topping salads. Love them that way!
Along with other flowers i plant a basil plant every year. They repel bugs and the bees absolutely adore them. In november last year my marigolds and basil were the only things blooming and they eere both covered in bees and butterflys.
Wow. Just threw marigolds under the bus huh? This was a lot of great information and I appreciate you introducing me to some new natural solutions to garden pests. I hate you had that experience with marigolds because here in the southern central US, marigolds are a godsend. Horned worm, (some)ants, aphids, stink bugs, mosquitos...almost nothing is coming near those things. I never had a problem with them self-seeding but they do have a tendency to grow quite large and compete for sunlight from shorter plants.
I planted marigolds, onions, nasturtiums, sunflowers and borage. I have not had the usual pests like horn worms or squash vine borers. However I have had an infestation of pill bugs ugh. So far the Sloggo and DE have stopped them eating my green beans and strawberries. I read that worm castings repel insects and I added it to all my raised beds and and have never had so few bad bugs.
A trick I like is to co-plant areas of crops that the pests really like (you can also do this with a sacrificial 'trap' crop) with flowers that support the predators for that pest. A good example here is brassicas (aphid magnets) and native flowers like yarrow. We have food for the adult predators (lacewings, parasitoid wasps, etc) and the young predators eat the pests away from your garden in the trap crop example. If you eliminate the pest population completely, there's nothing to really sustain the predator population.
Planting nasturtiums are fabulous for this! The 1st time I planted them I didn't write outside of the garden area. There was a couple of coffee cans sitting behind that I didn't see. Native tree frogs had laid their eggs In the cans. When they became little frogs that needed little bugs man oh man I had hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs eating off them! So sweet.🪻🌱🐸
Last year, I had my brassicas covered with fine netting so the cabbage moths could not get inside. I noticed that they flew around my nasturtiums, instead, but they did not lay eggs on it. Both the leaves and flowers are edible. I have only planted borage once, and last year, they were prolific. The bees love the borage flowers, so I am ok with that. I trim off the segments getting ready to go to seed and more stems with buds appear all season. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible, too. I have planted marigolds once, also, and yes, they do self seed. While I have not noticed pest issues with them, they do provide a source of food for butterflies and bees in the fall after all other flowers have died off, even after frosts. They are the last to go in my garden.
Thank you for all the high quality information you share succinctly in your videos. It’s like taking a gardening course. You should write a gardening book just the way you share the information in your videos.
I'm in the SFBay area. I find Borage to be a bee magnet, so I let it reseed itself. It's easy to recognize at a young stage & easy to pull out at any stage. I encourage it to grow all over my garden. It's such a beautiful plant! Borage looks amazing growing with the California Poppy! In the past I found that snails loved Marigolds. The years of droughts has greatly reduced snails in my garden. Early in the spring and summer I love Nasturiums, but later in summer black aphids arrive, and it's bye-bye Nasturiums. I want to try Tanacetum coccineum!
I am up the road from you in the Sac area with Borage and Nasturtium. I grow Salsify to attract the black aphids. They cannot resist that plant. The history on Salsify is interesting. My favorite part was that it lined Roman roads and if you were hungry you could cook up a few...
Nasturtium is a weed for you! The snails will eat your succulents too. I loved all the different geraniums growing in the landscapes in the city. Its a great place to grow plants. 😊
Nasturtium can definitely be invasive in the central valley and CA coast. I've seen pictures of whole swaths of land covered and have seen them take over in SF.
@@joshblack4291 I Suppose invasive would describe them. Years ago when I lived in the Boston area, I had trouble growing nasturtiums, and I commented about it to a visiting Californian who said they grew like weeds in CA. I was shocked! When I to CA, I saw them everywhere. I love them, though, so I encourage them to reseed, that is, I sprinkle them around my garden beds. When they get full of aphids I just pull them up and hope they'll come back next year. They're easy to pull up.
@@annawimpey5307 Nasturtium a weed? Well, maybe, but I encourage it by sprinkling seeds around my garden. When the aphids invade, I just pull the nasturtiums out; they're easy to pull out. We used to have snails, but the last 10 years have been drought years, and now I rarely see snails. I don't miss the snails. I used to pay the kids in the neighborhood a penny a snail. They made out like bandits, but they barely made a dent in the snail population.
My biggest pest challenge here in Northern California is the tomato hornworm. This year I only found 2 so far, by this time last year it was at 15. I did three things different this year. I planted basil amongst the tomatoes to disguise the smell. I planted sunflowers amongst the tomatoes to draw birds. And lastly I planted alyssum as it draws predatory wasps that prey apparently lay their eggs on the hornworms. Although if you had such troubles with marigolds you may not want to deal with alyssum, lol. I believe the combination of the above is what is working for me. Happy gardening!
I'm with you on the marigolds. The issue we had in my area(WI) wasn't them bringing in cabbage moths. It was they attracted earwigs. We eventually set out traps(olive oil and soy sauce), and each morning we checked, there were around 25-50 in each trap.
I'm using Marigolds as a trap crop this year. Last year we have a huge japanese beetle problem and they went for my zinnias and marigolds instead of my tomatoes.
Exact same experience with Marigolds here in Iowa Zone 5a. The Japanese Beetles focused on the Marigolds and left everything else alone. In fact, on just two blossoms, I must have crushed close to 200 beetles. I think the smell of their own dead bodies makes the blossoms that much more attractive. Not much left of those two blossoms at the end of the season, but oh well. I did notice a high number of Cabbage White Butterflies, but they did little harm as far as I could tell. I don't grow Brassicas.
@@karmen9514 Tall Marigolds. We planted Ferry Morse Cracker Jack Mixed Colors, but I think any tall variety with a dome shaped bloom would do. He is right about the white moths, though. We had more than our share. It wasn't a problem for our garden, but it might be for others.
Milky spore will annihilate the Japanese beetle while in its grub stage. Amazon. These miserable bugs decimated my flowering maples before I knew what hit me. Simple to apply and long lasting effects -- milky spore!
That Peredovik sunflower is now my favorite flower. Leaf-footed bugs are my nemesis! Worse than the dang horn worms, and you've got something for them too, hooray! My entire small garden was eaten last year. I didn't even plant anything this year because I was so discouraged. I'm just getting started with gardening, so I don't have much, just a few small containers starting out. I'm originally from the midwest, and now I'm in the Florida panhandle, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what passes for winter here, so figuring out what to plant and when is hard for me. I'm so glad I found your videos!
Find out what your agricultural zone is. You are likely somewhere around zone 8b-10a. Plant native wildflowers as much as you can to attract pollinators. Check out local plant nurseries not only for native shrubs and trees but also for free lectures by the local agriculture experts from your county extention office and local agriculture (usually a state) university. You can start with containers and move on to a "green stalk" type vertical garden and then to raised beds, etc. Contact insect growers (insectaries) for beneficial bugs for your area. I learned to kayak around the bayous. Miss that area!
Thank you very the valuable info. I'm a new gardener, your neighbor here in Bolivia NC. this is my first year gardening and your videos are helping a ton to learn a lot about backyard gardening. keep em coming sir!
Green onions can be grown year-round, so that's a pretty good allium solution if you have room. I may try a succession planting of leeks when I pull my onions this June/July. I'm really getting into leeks.
This is exactly the video I was looking for. Great video as always, i really appreciate all the leg work you go through and how thorough you are, it's super helpful:)
As I put away the last haul from the grocery store and wonder where it will go, I consider slowing down. Then I listen to you and know that is not possible. Working now on paying down my credit card debt that I have. Not from vacations but from a trip I needed to take to see my 93 yesr old mother who lives 3000 miles away.
FINALLY! Someone in my area with awesome wisdom. I’m so grateful to have found you ❤ I’m in ENC. I will definitely be sharing your information with all of my neighbors and friends!
@@TheMillennialGardener I just purchased one of your stickers. I’ll be putting it on my greenhouse to remind me to share. Living in a military town, new people come to the area and buy plants from me. I’m a backyard gardener with just a few plants for sale, but you answer many questions that people have. Thanks again!
As a lifelong gardener....I LOVE your videos!! You have such a wealth of great information, and your knowledge of gardening is amazing. Blessings and a BIG thank you from Texas. 🤠 p.s. - I also am not a fan of marigolds.
I think I have to agree on the marigolds. While they seemed to protect my tomatoes, I did have a remarkable amount of cabbage white butterflies regularly laying eggs on my brassicas.
These are great ideas. I use companion plants AND add neem Seed meal to my soil mix (I’m a living soil gardener) since using neem seed meal and companion plants I’ve literally had zero pest or mold issues.
@@Julia29853 Down To Earth sells it. I’m sure there are others, but that’s who I’ve seen that sells it. I buy mine from a large organic farmer that buys in bulk.
Great video. I took notes for next year. An interesting thing happen to me. Long story short, last year that white cabbage moth destroyed my kale plant. I was gifted a seed package of spring onions so I had a rectangle clap pot so I wanted to see how O would do planting the onions. The pot is sitting next to my Kale plant. Low & behold that cabbage moth flys around but stays completely away from my Kale plant. I am super excited about that. My Kale plant is thriving and that moth is out there but does not come by my Kale!
With the Marigolds - It's the French Marigold that kills unwanted microbes in the soil , The best use is to use them in soil under cover where they won't be able to draw other pests . Soil that has had French Marigolds grown in it will not have the Microbes grow in it for up to a year.later.Hope that helps . . .
Probably the problem with Marigold depends on the part of the Country you live. I live Northeast Upstate NY and I plant Marigold between my tomatoes and I can certainly say that Marigold and tomatoes are made for each other. It's working PERFECTLY for me. Good luck with your work and God bless us all and our mother nature!
I live in a pretty low peer pressure area, but after a few years of growing cucurbits, the squash bugs have gotten absolutely out of control. Starting in June it is all-out war with daily soap sprays. I’ll try out nasturtiums - and also give most of the cucurbits a break this year.
Hi gardener. East Texas was grasshopper central. But concentrated on tall weeds allowed to grow outside. I hunted them almost to extinction at night. Just something I enjoyed. Big guys too. Fed them to my chickens. In Missouri it was squash bugs, flea beetles and cuc beetles. I started raising baby turkeys in a secure pen inside garden. The last 2 yrs were fantastic. A little turkey will peck at anything, spit it out dead. Very accurate aim even on the tiny flea beetle. By the middle of August turkeys out of garden and sept cool down almost arrived. Id still be using same system if in Mo. Now in subtropical Houston and developing alternative strategies for predators. Boots on gardener. Thanks for the healthy garden advice. B
im in Houston. None of his tips work. Armyworms, ants, and aphids are my big problems. Nasturtiums have done nothing for me (except be pretty and bring me joy). Marigolds are neutral. they do nothing. Chives and alliums do basically nothing, the pests avoid them, but I found aphids on garlic and stuff like that before, and they don't care. Get you some organza bags. cover your fruiting plants. That will really help. I have no advice, I haven't found interplanting plants to work at all. AT ALL. They still come, they just avoid the plants they don't like. Ive had to resort to DE and other methods before. The best Advice I have is to space your plants correctly so you can control infestations WHEN they happen :) IDK who came up with these pest deterrent ideas, maybe people in the north/east coast, but Trap crops and things like that have never worked for me. The Houston subtropical bugs are a different breed; they don't freaking care. Or maybe I'm an idiot idk
Thank you. The anti-pairing discussion is just as important, and a lot of people skip over that and only focus on the positives. It's just as important to realize the insects the flowers attract as those they repel.
I'm in the SE and I just planted Marigolds for the first time in and around all of my tomato plants. Guess what I'm doing Saturday......Well I will put those in a couple of pots and move them elsewhere AND replant my sunflower seedlings on the OUTSIDE of my fenced in garden. LOL! Thank you for this. Timing to watch is impeccable.
Your experience with marigolds is opposite to mine. I am however, in the N. GA mountains at 2000 ft elevation. I had mounds and mounds of them. Last garden season, we saw only one Japanese beetle and zero bean beetles however, both have infested my mountain property/garden every summer for years in spite of having sunflowers and borage planted. I seed save a mix of marigolds, calendular, cosmos and zinnias every year, plant millions of them around the gardens. I bet your experience, as you said, is the difference in location. I see dragonflies in my garden every year, love them. Good video! ~Cynthia
I'm glad you said that about marigolds. My sister plants tons of them every year and her vegetables around them, are attacked by tons of pests. I don't have them around my vegetables and had very little problems.
Let's not forget petunias. The darker colors like purples are stronger in smell that repels green worms. I have been using it for years. Marigolds repels most insects, worms and snakes. 😁👍🏻
First time commenting., but have been enjoying your channel since early on I am also on the coast here in NC (Morehead CIty area), and a different option you may want to consider availing yourself to are carnivorous plants. Where both you and I live, yes the famous venus fly trap would be native, and they do ok. What you really might want to consider is putting some planters around the garden area of North American pitcher plants (sarracenia). Many are perennial here. THey trap a lot of the pesty bugs. If you setup a bog container well, or just setup a bog itself, most of the time you only have to top off once a week and sometimes I only have to top off with water once a month, depending on rain. Also you have the added benefit of promoting native plants. Plus they look really cool and have lovely flowers. Also there are some lovely gardens in the Wilmington area, if you want to see what they might look like. If you would like to learn more, I am glad to chat with you.
I planted African marigolds last year throughout my tomatoes. It was wonderful. I did not have any tomato worms till the end of the season when they were the tallest.
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who has had a terrible experience with marigolds in Southern California. Last year was my first time trying to grow an edible garden, and every channel said to interplant marigolds to repel pests. So that's what I did, and within a couple of days, the marigolds were completely eaten by pests. LOL!!! I tried it twice with the same results. This year I just got done planting less than a week ago (last week of April), and already the marigolds by the veggies have no leaves at all. So I would say it was not an anomaly, so I guess I'll be pulling them out... and I'm with you on this one... never again will I put marigolds in a veggies garden. Thanks for all of your great info!
Unfortunately, a lot of the advice out there is regurgitated over and over without actually trying. It's just as important to focus on the insects these flowers attract, because if the insects they attract are worse than those they repel, it won't end well 😂 I want to believe I could have a pest-free garden by planting a few flowers, but it isn't going to happen. The good news is, some of these plants can help in some way, and when paired with a good spraying routine, you can really limit bad bug populations.
I'd say you had success then, that's a sacrificial plant so it may not repel pests but draws them to the marigolds so they eat those instead of your kale, tomatoes etc. If your crops were fine and the marigolds were eaten, I'd call that a success.
I consider the marigold an essential in my garden as a garnish and salad green/herb. The leaves are delicious in salads and on sandwiches, and the flowers are a beautiful edible garnish on salads and soups! Another herb/ greens which grows easily (found in fields growing wild) is mustard weed. The leaves are tasty on sandwiches and cut small in salads or garnishing soups, or boiled like spinach. The blossoms are a wonderful garnish on salads and in soups, or a few atop slices of hard boiled egg and sauce on your boiled greens.
Last year circumstances forced me to abandon my garden. The bindweed (morning glory) made an impenetrable hedge in the fence around my garden. It was the first year EVER that squash bugs were not rampant. Turns out sweet potato family repels them!
I have't tried this yet, but recently learned from Laura at Garden Answers, to plant Calendula to attract the aphids away from roses or whatever else they like. I'm going to get some soon! Thanks for this great info.
Interesting, thank you! I have grown nasturtium beside my cabbage for a couple of years now and think I have had less cabbage worms on my kale and cabbage, but I have maybe just been lucky? I have the winding ones and let them go upwards a high trellis and it seems that the top of the trellis attract the flies/motts more than the lower part of the plants. I will try to plant your way this summer and see how the outcome gets. Borage does not spread easily here (close to the Arctic Circle) so I guess they are manageable in colder climates. We do not have much pest problems over all, cabbage worms is the biggest problem for me and I know some people struggle with nematodes but I think they haven´t been taking care of the soil properly. I do not dig if I don´t have to, just loosen up the soil. Feeds it with a lot of leaf, cow manure in autumn and "a splash" of gift from my girls in the chicken coop. I also plant tagetes here and there in my beds to avoid nematods, especially Tagetes tenuifolia, a nice addition in a sallad or to spice up (lemony taste) potatoes or as a herbal tea.
Great info - you may find this interesting - I plant marigolds away from the vege garden - because they attract the cabbage moths from the veges.... funny how we read and hear different things - they ARE an awesome plant to deter pests - if the method is NOT to intersperse them with the veges. I don't use pesticides - well, very rarely, and only neem or diatomaceous earth on my tomatoes
I've always used marigolds in our garden (along with many other flowers) and never had any problem with them. I will say one negative thing about them though; if you get a Blister Beetle infestation in your garden, those horrible bugs do like to hide in Marigolds. Once I thought I had gotten rid of them (after they took EVERY SINGLE TOMATO PLANT I HAD!), only to trip over a marigold and have hoards of them running out from under it in every direction!
The problem seems to be regional. It looks like folks in warmer climates are agreeing with my struggles. Numerous commenters from California are saying the marigolds did to them what they did to me, oddly enough. But, if you've had success, keep doing what you're doing. If something isn't broken, don't try and fix it.
Upstate NY here and I planted borage several years ago and it still reseeds wherever it wants. I leave it in some areas and pull it out where it is unwanted. I read once in a permaculture thread that the leaves act as a compost accelerator and I also use them as a natural mulch.
You are amazing and so concise in what you are saying. And.....you are sooooooo knowledgeable. I love your video's and wish I had a place to have such a beautiful garden. It's not possible when living in an apartment setting. Anyway, many prayers to you and thank you for all your "special tips for gardening."
I have been using all these plants for about 4 years and last year I doubled the amount of Cayenne pepper plants, Marigolds and added Purple Petunias. I'm telling you the Petunias and Cayenne Pepper plants worked fabulously ! I had one hornworm at the end of the season, some army worns end of season also,no problem with beetles. I'm in North Carolina zone 8b where there is every bug known to man ! I grow my Zuccchini early end in the very late summer that way I avoid the vine borer.
I had the exact same problem planting Marigold's in my garden I had white fly moths everywhere and my brassicas were destroyed and i swear i blame them for the vine borers on my pumpkin. I was angry and cursing them. Ripped those things out of my garden and grew chrysanthemums and lived happily ever after Nasturtiums are a great idea so pretty too. Thank you so much for this video!!!
I live in the south and the 4 big pests for me that have always been problematic and continue to be are Aphids, tobacco worms/bud worms, mealy bugs and spider mites. The budworms have already taken over my garden before I could apply my first round of BT, so I’m already behind this summer🤦🏽♀️
Thank you. It looks better on-camera than it does in real life since you can't see the finer details. I want to film a garden tour, but the weather and my schedule keep spoiling it. It's been raining for 2 days straight, and more on the way.
I grow every vegetable i can. Ive always grown marigolds and nasturtiums and sunflowers along with my vegetables. The only pest problem I've ever had is that damn white moth with the black dots on its wing. But a little BT spray and their babies never get too large. I spray every two weeks during the season.
@@1blondidea BT is short for bacillus thuringiensis. This is a soil born bacteria that is organic and safe for your plants and you. It is used as an insecticide for many pest insects. You spray your plants, the caterpillar looking cabbage moth larvae that eat your plant leaves get the bacteria in their stomach and it kills them basically by exploding their stomachs. So all the different leaf eating buggers that look like caterpillars die from this. Even the ones that eat your corn. It's quite effective. I would encourage you to educate yourself and read about this and use it correctly. No use killing beneficials in your garden. The more you know the more wisely you can use this. It is quite safe though. Hope this helped you. There is a lot of info on this topic.
I learn something new with each video you produce! I did not know that nasturtiums attracted cabbage moths, I have them in between my broccoli/cabbage and cucumbers beds! 😱
I am a first time Tomato grower and so I was looking for videos on how to grow tomatoes. Thankfully, I found your video on tomatoes. What a splendid explanation and attention to details in that video. I love how you explain everything that I immediately subscribed today. Thank you for your videos.
Yes I had the same experience with marigolds and I'm plucking them out of my raised beds. Only planted those seeds to repel pests. If I ever plant marigold again it will be the dwarf variety which is supposed to be 5 to 6 inches tall but I know sometimes a plant will grow differently due to its environment and many different reasons which is so cool!
I moved to Florida last year and I learned that; For marigolds to help with the root knot nematodes they have to be used like a cover crop and mixed into the soil at least six inches. Just growing them next to a tomato will not stop the nematode from invading the roots of the tomato. The "chemical" composition of the marigold must be in touch with the 6-9 inches of soil that the nematodes live in. Love your informative videos and especially your experiments.
If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 Interplanting Vegetables As Natural Pest Control
1:39 Flower #1
5:45 Flower #2
7:16 Flower #3
9:59 Flower #4
13:36 The Flower I'm Avoiding
15:35 3 Important Pest Control Lessons
18:26 Adventures With Dale
Good evening, happy Friday, and Feliz Cinco de Mayo. This video earned you a supporter. Thank you.
Appreciate all the advise! We are retired patio gardeners, and we do gleen as much of the pros and cons of natural preventive plants. Thank you!
That spinosad is 'highly toxic to bees, when wet'..
Excellent information and delivered efficiently!!
Butterflies are attracted to Nasturtiums 😬
A tip on some of these is to plant them in pots that you can move around the garden as needed.
I was thinking that as I was watching!
Thank you for this great idea. 😊
Good idea ❤❤❤
Gah! I feel like companion and interplanting in the garden is like trying to make a seating plan at a wedding when you have a crazy family.
😂😂😂
❤😂😂😂😂😂
That is EXACTLY how I feel as well! Perfectly stated!😁
I absolutely love this, couldn't have said it better 😂😂
😂 I agree 💯
I feel like the biggest flower you missed was alyssum inter-planted with tomatoes. I had 100 tomato plants last year, and only a couple healthy hornworms. What I did find was dead hornworms that had been parasitized by braconid wasps which are attracted to the alyssum. Alyssum is definitely my favorite flower now.
Great tip.
Plus alyssum smells wonderful.
@@sandrajohnson9926 One of my fondest memories is from when as a small child we lived in an apartment in a large city and my mom ( a country girl) put plastic up in the windows to make a green house and planted allysium. In the winter I would open my window and that gorgeous scent would hit me😊
Think I will go buy some seed😅
Thanks, I will incorporate alyssum with my tomatoes.❤
@@deboraballes9044 I am drawn to flowers with scent whether it's roses, heliotrope, dianthus, alyssum or any other.
What a wonderful gift from God. He fills up my senses.
@Patient Growth 🙃
I gave up on trying to micromanage my garden. I dont spray, i barely weed. I mulch gardens with shredded leaves in the fall. have 2 wildflower patches in my yard. one near pumpkins & melons and the other near my peppers, cucumbers, peas etc.
Since i added them, ive created a healthy and diverse ecosystem that has its own checks and balances. Much more peaceful to let nature do its thing. Gardening shouldn't feel so stressful
which flowers did you plant to which vegetables? Do you have a book on this?
I love that most of my companion plants and flowers self-seed themselves at this point. I get free nasturtiums, marigolds, sunflowers, sweet peas, basil, sweet alyssum, calendula, zinnia and so many more every year!
I love seeing what will pop up in the spring and what fun new crosses will appear. This year my sweet peas are all different shades of pink and purple and some of them have purple pods, which is a trait I haven’t seen yet. The plant genetics lottery is so fun.
It's so much fun to see things grow on their own and even better when you see physical trait differences within them! Happy gardening!
Do they block the weeds?
@@tammycalhoun3953 Of course not
@@captainamericaamerica8090 worth asking! lol
I would love to see a photo of the peas😊
Borage is an Herb. Here it is also called Cucumber Weed. In Germany we use it daily in our salads. Especially cucumber salad. Just cut it up like parsley. Dill, etc. Don't let the leaves grow too big because they will get tough and very prickly.The flowers are edible as well.
I planted in grow bags ( cherry tomatoes) an elder told me to plant in separate containers and set around the grow bags,,BASIL,, I have been harvesting the most delicious tomatoes and not one. NOT ONE TOMATO BUG,,, and I used Newton basil and two sweet basils, not only has this been wonderfull but now the basil is going to seed, so I’ll have them for next year, this is my first time for ANYTHING,I can’t tell you how happy I am. But the taste of the tomatoes are sweet and no acid, my son loves them and I’m not Italian but tomatoes and basil wow, I have loved your videos all along,, THANK YOU
I used marigold for decades and never had any bug issues BUT the last two years they didn’t work AT ALL!! That tells me that hybridizing has ruined the marigold. They used to smell up the entire area and attract bees. But, the last two years, I could not smell them when in the garden much less approaching the garden.
Very Sad!!! They’re so easy to grow!
Yes, I agree. Especially since the pandemic, the seeds are not healthy and weird things are happening in the garden. I buy seed from several places, few germinate and few plants are healthy.
@@dannbarrett39 I would say it's your water that is causing this, assuming you are using tap water.
Try using distilled, RO or rain water
I just bought some and I noticed that the smell was not the same....they ruin everything.
There are French and African varieties. I read recently to only use the French. I’ve had good luck using them all around my little garden. At least so far.
@@bgatlin5918 Thank you!
I planted Marigolds one year and the bugs left everything alone except the marigolds. They ate everyone of the marigolds.
Maybe what I need to do is plant the marigolds in with my sunflowers, then. Maybe that will draw the cabbage butterfly out of my garden 🤔
@@TheMillennialGardener that’s exactly what will happen! 👏🔥
@@TheMillennialGardener I live in Northern UT (completely different climate from NC) and since planting marigolds have basically never seen an aphid on my tomatoes or peppers. Worked amazingly. It’s probably dependent on your local pests.
We plant tomatoes in pot with marigolds, no problem.
@@TheMillennialGardener It might also be a good idea to plant whitefly repellent crop as well. Basil and chives work great 👍 Apparently dill works as well, and lavender if you have the space for it. Thank you for sharing your experience, and best wishes for this season!
For those that don't already know, this guy really knows his stuff. This is not just things he read in some book, but he has solid experience with this information and has tested it. Remember this is specific to his area or zone, so this is not universal advice.
I just wanna say thank you all in the comment section your knowledge is truly a treasure
The marigold variety that works is "Tagetes patula'
I've always had good luck planting marigolds & basil around my tomatoes and onions.
My husband and I watch 2-3 hours of you tube with dinner and relaxing in the evening… by far this video was explanatory, helpful, easy to listen to, easy to follow, enjoyable and well planned out.. thoroughly enjoyed it and learned valuable info. The best video hands down we have seen all month! Good job!
Greetings from New Zealand. So far the only companion plant video that I have come across that mentions the pros and cons of the types of bad bugs that they attract as well as the bugs they repel.
Marigolds are awesome mosquito repellents. They are great to grow around outdoor patios and decks to assist in keeping mosquitoes at bay. While you may have not had success with them in your garden, you could have re-homed them to your outdoor patio spaces.
Also, they keep the deer away from your hostas
Amen brother! You called it…😊❤
Better than citronella?
I hear lemon grass does also.
@@OurFreeSociety Marigolds do a great job at repelling mosquitos, and they certainly LOOK better than a citronella plant. You can dead head the flowers, dry them out, and have tons of seeds for the next growing season. And, if any seeds spread out, you may have some pop back up in your beds or pots, or wherever you planted them.
Good information.
Sunflower - Peredovik
Borage (great for tomatoes and cabbage)
Nasturtiums (cucumber beetle and squash bug)
Pyrethrum Daisy
Avoiding MARIGOLDS
Thanks
Thank you. I count find paradova. Haha
Marigolds help to keep small animals and rodents out of the garden
Thankyou❤
Thanks for saving us all time
I'm 68 yrs old and thought a victory-type garden would be a good idea. I rent in town so I've been researching container gardening. It's overwhelming! What to plant, when, where and how. There's soil and fertilizers. Now bugs?!!!! I just wanted to grow my father's type of garden...dig a hole, plant a seed, let nature take it's course, and viola!!! A beautiful garden every year. Not so much, I'm guessing. Great video. I appreciate the knowledge. Thank you for sharing!!!
Start out small. Pick one type of plant you like to eat and plant it. Learn everything you can about it. Next year add another. And so on. First I learned tomatoes. Planted in 5 gallon buckets. Then the next year I added a few peppers. Now I have two small beds and lots of buckets and containers. You will learn gradually. That's why I say plant small and plant what you eat.
Yes, container gardening is so different from gardening in the ground. It is more difficult.
I just wanted to add that of course learning how to plant a container garden is overwhelming & can def be challenging at times too, BUT don’t let some video or comment discourage ya bc yes at first figuring out how to grow a plant in a container is intimidating but once you finally start to do it you’ll see that it’s def worth the time & effort to learn. plus IMO growing in containers allows you to have WAY MORE control over the plant/environment esp as far as pests & other plant problems are concerned. Like if a bad bug invites it’s buddies to help infest/takeover your traditional garden, an entire row of crops could literally be DECIMATED overnight if you’re not careful! Whereas with a container garden you can easily prevent that from happening by simply just moving it. even if the container plant were to get a pest infestation though, sure you may still lose a plant or 2, buuut at least it’s not an ENTIRE row of 10+ veggie plants lol! 😮
that’s why the CONTAIN part of the word “container” is so fitting to me bc it “contains” whatever is inside . . . including the pests ha! 😆
Gardening doesn't work that way. Any part of it takes effort and there is no "viola" for gardening. If you don't want to do any weeding, use grass clippings around the plants as long as the grass has not been treated. Your effort will pay off with lots of food!!🙂
When in doubt, plant herbs. Hardy, used in every meal, grow great in containers. Very beginner friendly.
Very nice video. No wasted time yapping and trying to be a comedian. Thank you. Lots of helpful information, too. Keep up the good work.
I have Eastern Phoebes, Carolina Wrens, and Eastern Bluebirds taking care of the pests in my gardens. The Phoebes are phenomenal, hunting the gardens throughout the day.
I really appreciate all the work you put in to making these videos. They are always very well done 👏
Thank you! As long as it helps people, it is worth it!
Great video they are always great I learn so much from you
@@TheMillennialGardener you present tons of great info that makes gardening more fun and interesting. Very cool.
Yes they are. I'm new to his channel and already know he's got passion for botany. Very thorough and punctual.
I think knowing your area is important. Marigolds work well in Missouri. I remember my aunt having a massive garden and every other row was marigold with a marigold border and never had bugs of any kind in her garden. Most of my California family used huge patches of sunflowers, so I wasn't surprised to see it listed. Thanks for sharing.
We plant marigolds the same way in SC. Borders only and every other row. It also helps keep deer and rabbits away. We have both as we live in the woods. Critters don't bother our garden.
@@jastrikLucky you! Deer ate my three young okra plants last night. 😢
@@Anne--Marie Oh man😢
@@liberta2570 I have more now!
@@Anne--Marie That's good! We love okra!!
Next year I need to plant ten or more in our garden.
Glad they're coming back!
I've found alliums (mainly chives) are the best all around pest repellant plant. Also spraying an area or individual plants with a mix of castile soap, water and certain essential oils (lemon grass, cedar, clove, peppermint, etc.) works wonders for deterring pests
I always plant marigolds between all my plants!! Last year the marigolds lasted until NOVEMBER!! Never had them last that long!! And I also never had any insect problems in the garden! (knock on wood!!😬😬😅)
If it works in your area, keep doing it. Here, we have some kind of pest that enjoys them. As always, modify the routine to your unique location.
What is your planting zone?
I will try that
@@lauram.511 East NC is either zone 8a or possibly 7b. I'm up in VA in the 7a zone so it's helpful to watch his videos with it being fairly similar to my area.
@@lauram.511 not sure zone-Southeast Tennessee
Borage and strawberry are a great combination. 👍👍🇺🇸
I interplant garlic cloves in tomato beds at the time of the tomato planting. The plant lives through the summer, too small to die back early and somewhat shaded by the tomato vines. No harvest of bulbs that year. In the spring, the garlic plants grow multiples, creating a clump of plants growing too close together to mature. Lift out the clump with a fork, separate it, and plant it among the next year's tomato plants. I expect to harvest garlic bulbs this summer from the replanted shoots
I really liked your video on insect repellent flowers. I've used Marigolds to ward off tomato horn worms. Since I haven't had any horn worms in a while, I did lay that to the marigold. However; I plant my brassica's in a different season than the tomatoes. I'm going to give all your flower suggestions a try. We have always planted zinnia's to attract the pollinators in our garden. This is something that was handed down from my great grandfather. He always had zinnia's in his garden. It was said so he could pick a bouquet for my great grandmother. And that may be true. We pick bouquets for our wives, as well as get the benefit of the pollinators.
Happy Gardening
Gregory Baker
Liberty Hill, Texas
Such a nice gesture to pick flowers for your wife!! 😀
This is one of the best gardening channels on RUclips. Thanks!!!!
- sunflowers as distraction flower (attracts stink bugs etc)(peridovic )
- borage (with potatoes and cabbage)(downside - reseeds; remove before flowers)
- nasturtium (squash bugs); repulse the bugs that attack cukerbit) intermix: downside- can attract aphids and others (don’t plant near brassicas)
- pyrethrum daisy
No substitute in life for passion. Your videos are great and maybe one day soon you can do this full time (if you aren't already).
I hope so. That’s my dream one day. My dream is to have a homestead and use it as an experimental orchard and garden, make these videos full time and donate a lot of the food.
I planted Mammoth sunflowers in my garden last year (NC, piedmont, zone 7b) and the stink bugs were all over them from the second they bloomed. So much so that I was actually worried about the amount of stink bugs being attracted to my garden. This year I planted them a little farther away so hopefully that will keep them off my veggies.
Here in SW Missouri, we don't have the problem with borage re-seeding; but you did not happen to mention certain side benefits. Borage flowers have a delightful cucumber flavor which I love sprinkling over my salads. Nasturtiums, likewise, have a (to me) delicious peppery flavor for the same purpose. I gather various greens throughout the year to freeze for winter use, and find the leaves of either plant add a nice touch, subtle but still there. We do our best to waste nothing that can be put to use. Thanks for your vids!
I think the nasturtium leaves are so pretty and they have a nice kind of radishy flavor
@@contestwill1556 The flowers also have the same flavor, which I love. I believe the more "Foo-Foo" cooking channels recommend rolling them into multi-colored bundles and cutting them into thin slices like confetti for topping salads. Love them that way!
Along with other flowers i plant a basil plant every year. They repel bugs and the bees absolutely adore them. In november last year my marigolds and basil were the only things blooming and they eere both covered in bees and butterflys.
Wow. Just threw marigolds under the bus huh? This was a lot of great information and I appreciate you introducing me to some new natural solutions to garden pests. I hate you had that experience with marigolds because here in the southern central US, marigolds are a godsend. Horned worm, (some)ants, aphids, stink bugs, mosquitos...almost nothing is coming near those things. I never had a problem with them self-seeding but they do have a tendency to grow quite large and compete for sunlight from shorter plants.
I planted marigolds, onions, nasturtiums, sunflowers and borage. I have not had the usual pests like horn worms or squash vine borers. However I have had an infestation of pill bugs ugh. So far the Sloggo and DE have stopped them eating my green beans and strawberries. I read that worm castings repel insects and I added it to all my raised beds and and have never had so few bad bugs.
A trick I like is to co-plant areas of crops that the pests really like (you can also do this with a sacrificial 'trap' crop) with flowers that support the predators for that pest. A good example here is brassicas (aphid magnets) and native flowers like yarrow. We have food for the adult predators (lacewings, parasitoid wasps, etc) and the young predators eat the pests away from your garden in the trap crop example. If you eliminate the pest population completely, there's nothing to really sustain the predator population.
Planting nasturtiums are fabulous for this! The 1st time I planted them I didn't write outside of the garden area. There was a couple of coffee cans sitting behind that I didn't see. Native tree frogs had laid their eggs In the cans. When they became little frogs that needed little bugs man oh man I had hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs eating off them! So sweet.🪻🌱🐸
I have heard only certain yellow marigold work. They did awesome for me last year!
Last year, I had my brassicas covered with fine netting so the cabbage moths could not get inside. I noticed that they flew around my nasturtiums, instead, but they did not lay eggs on it. Both the leaves and flowers are edible.
I have only planted borage once, and last year, they were prolific. The bees love the borage flowers, so I am ok with that. I trim off the segments getting ready to go to seed and more stems with buds appear all season. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible, too.
I have planted marigolds once, also, and yes, they do self seed. While I have not noticed pest issues with them, they do provide a source of food for butterflies and bees in the fall after all other flowers have died off, even after frosts. They are the last to go in my garden.
I have used marigolds for years, especially as a border around my tomatoes, and had great success. ❤
Thank you for all the high quality information you share succinctly in your videos. It’s like taking a gardening course. You should write a gardening book just the way you share the information in your videos.
I personally prefer the vids… this guy is really good at this game 😊❤
I'm in the SFBay area. I find Borage to be a bee magnet, so I let it reseed itself. It's easy to recognize at a young stage & easy to pull out at any stage. I encourage it to grow all over my garden. It's such a beautiful plant! Borage looks amazing growing with the California Poppy! In the past I found that snails loved Marigolds. The years of droughts has greatly reduced snails in my garden. Early in the spring and summer I love Nasturiums, but later in summer black aphids arrive, and it's bye-bye Nasturiums. I want to try Tanacetum coccineum!
I am up the road from you in the Sac area with Borage and Nasturtium. I grow Salsify to attract the black aphids. They cannot resist that plant. The history on Salsify is interesting. My favorite part was that it lined Roman roads and if you were hungry you could cook up a few...
Nasturtium is a weed for you! The snails will eat your succulents too. I loved all the different geraniums growing in the landscapes in the city. Its a great place to grow plants. 😊
Nasturtium can definitely be invasive in the central valley and CA coast. I've seen pictures of whole swaths of land covered and have seen them take over in SF.
@@joshblack4291 I Suppose invasive would describe them. Years ago when I lived in the Boston area, I had trouble growing nasturtiums, and I commented about it to a visiting Californian who said they grew like weeds in CA. I was shocked! When I to CA, I saw them everywhere. I love them, though, so I encourage them to reseed, that is, I sprinkle them around my garden beds. When they get full of aphids I just pull them up and hope they'll come back next year. They're easy to pull up.
@@annawimpey5307 Nasturtium a weed? Well, maybe, but I encourage it by sprinkling seeds around my garden. When the aphids invade, I just pull the nasturtiums out; they're easy to pull out. We used to have snails, but the last 10 years have been drought years, and now I rarely see snails. I don't miss the snails. I used to pay the kids in the neighborhood a penny a snail. They made out like bandits, but they barely made a dent in the snail population.
My biggest pest challenge here in Northern California is the tomato hornworm. This year I only found 2 so far, by this time last year it was at 15. I did three things different this year. I planted basil amongst the tomatoes to disguise the smell. I planted sunflowers amongst the tomatoes to draw birds. And lastly I planted alyssum as it draws predatory wasps that prey apparently lay their eggs on the hornworms. Although if you had such troubles with marigolds you may not want to deal with alyssum, lol. I believe the combination of the above is what is working for me. Happy gardening!
Amaranth! And Zinnias.... they take all the pressure and my other plants stay safe and happy. Also, very worth trying borer resistant squash.
I'm with you on the marigolds. The issue we had in my area(WI) wasn't them bringing in cabbage moths. It was they attracted earwigs. We eventually set out traps(olive oil and soy sauce), and each morning we checked, there were around 25-50 in each trap.
I have had earwigs eat all of the marigolds down to nothing! How do you set up each trap ?
I'm using Marigolds as a trap crop this year. Last year we have a huge japanese beetle problem and they went for my zinnias and marigolds instead of my tomatoes.
Exact same experience with Marigolds here in Iowa Zone 5a. The Japanese Beetles focused on the Marigolds and left everything else alone. In fact, on just two blossoms, I must have crushed close to 200 beetles. I think the smell of their own dead bodies makes the blossoms that much more attractive. Not much left of those two blossoms at the end of the season, but oh well. I did notice a high number of Cabbage White Butterflies, but they did little harm as far as I could tell. I don't grow Brassicas.
Any specific type?
@@karmen9514 Tall Marigolds. We planted Ferry Morse Cracker Jack Mixed Colors, but I think any tall variety with a dome shaped bloom would do. He is right about the white moths, though. We had more than our share. It wasn't a problem for our garden, but it might be for others.
Milky spore will annihilate the Japanese beetle while in its grub stage. Amazon. These miserable bugs decimated my flowering maples before I knew what hit me. Simple to apply and long lasting effects -- milky spore!
We wish we had your beetles...free chicken feed. Darn.
That Peredovik sunflower is now my favorite flower. Leaf-footed bugs are my nemesis! Worse than the dang horn worms, and you've got something for them too, hooray! My entire small garden was eaten last year. I didn't even plant anything this year because I was so discouraged. I'm just getting started with gardening, so I don't have much, just a few small containers starting out. I'm originally from the midwest, and now I'm in the Florida panhandle, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what passes for winter here, so figuring out what to plant and when is hard for me. I'm so glad I found your videos!
Find out what your agricultural zone is. You are likely somewhere around zone 8b-10a. Plant native wildflowers as much as you can to attract pollinators. Check out local plant nurseries not only for native shrubs and trees but also for free lectures by the local agriculture experts from your county extention office and local agriculture (usually a state) university. You can start with containers and move on to a "green stalk" type vertical garden and then to raised beds, etc. Contact insect growers (insectaries) for beneficial bugs for your area. I learned to kayak around the bayous. Miss that area!
We plant sunflowers to pull the leaf footed bugs away from the garden. Catnip helps repel horn worms. So far anyway. We're just northeast of you.
Not a bunch of wasted blah, blah, blah. He really moves! Love him❤️⚓️🌻
Thank you! I try to edit the videos down.
Yes appreciate he stinks to the facts
Thank you very the valuable info. I'm a new gardener, your neighbor here in Bolivia NC. this is my first year gardening and your videos are helping a ton to learn a lot about backyard gardening. keep em coming sir!
I LOVE sunflowers, borage and Calendula. I grow green onions all year long.
Green onions can be grown year-round, so that's a pretty good allium solution if you have room. I may try a succession planting of leeks when I pull my onions this June/July. I'm really getting into leeks.
This is exactly the video I was looking for. Great video as always, i really appreciate all the leg work you go through and how thorough you are, it's super helpful:)
Thank you! I'm glad it was useful.
As I put away the last haul from the grocery store and wonder where it will go, I consider slowing down. Then I listen to you and know that is not possible. Working now on paying down my credit card debt that I have. Not from vacations but from a trip I needed to take to see my 93 yesr old mother who lives 3000 miles away.
FINALLY! Someone in my area with awesome wisdom. I’m so grateful to have found you ❤
I’m in ENC. I will definitely be sharing your information with all of my neighbors and friends!
I’m glad you found me! I appreciate you watching.
@@TheMillennialGardener I just purchased one of your stickers. I’ll be putting it on my greenhouse to remind me to share. Living in a military town, new people come to the area and buy plants from me. I’m a backyard gardener with just a few plants for sale, but you answer many questions that people have. Thanks again!
@@denisemorrison6331 thank you so much! I really appreciate that!
To protect cabbage I use netting and wrap it around the head...NO problem with moths getting in! I used it on cauliflower too.
As a lifelong gardener....I LOVE your videos!! You have such a wealth of great information, and your knowledge of gardening is amazing. Blessings and a BIG thank you from Texas. 🤠 p.s. - I also am not a fan of marigolds.
I think I have to agree on the marigolds. While they seemed to protect my tomatoes, I did have a remarkable amount of cabbage white butterflies regularly laying eggs on my brassicas.
These are great ideas. I use companion plants AND add neem
Seed meal to my soil mix (I’m a living soil gardener) since using neem seed meal and companion plants I’ve literally had zero pest or mold issues.
Where do you get that? Ive heard of neem oil but not neem seed meal!
@@Julia29853 Down To Earth sells it. I’m sure there are others, but that’s who I’ve seen that sells it. I buy mine from a large organic farmer that buys in bulk.
I bought Neem Oil at Walmart.
Great video. I took notes for next year. An interesting thing happen to me. Long story short, last year that white cabbage moth destroyed my kale plant. I was gifted a seed package of spring onions so I had a rectangle clap pot so I wanted to see how O would do planting the onions. The pot is sitting next to my Kale plant. Low & behold that cabbage moth flys around but stays completely away from my Kale plant. I am super excited about that. My Kale plant is thriving and that moth is out there but does not come by my Kale!
I read marigolds and garlic from a 1979 Smithsonian. I keep using marigolds for mosquitoes and yes I even used it in Hawaii.
With the Marigolds - It's the French Marigold that kills unwanted microbes in the soil , The best use
is to use them in soil under cover where they won't be able to draw other pests . Soil that has had
French Marigolds grown in it will not have the Microbes grow in it for up to a year.later.Hope that helps . . .
I grow as many flowers as I can, lots of mammoth sunflowers, native flowers, marigolds seemed to help everything in the garden pretty well too
Probably the problem with Marigold depends on the part of the Country you live. I live Northeast Upstate NY and I plant Marigold between my tomatoes and I can certainly say that Marigold and tomatoes are made for each other. It's working PERFECTLY for me. Good luck with your work and God bless us all and our mother nature!
This was my thought too. I live in the upper Midwest and marigolds work great for me. The years I didn’t plant them have been much worse.
I live in a pretty low peer pressure area, but after a few years of growing cucurbits, the squash bugs have gotten absolutely out of control. Starting in June it is all-out war with daily soap sprays. I’ll try out nasturtiums - and also give most of the cucurbits a break this year.
Grow eureka and county fair cucumbers!
P p I
Hi gardener. East Texas was grasshopper central. But concentrated on tall weeds allowed to grow outside. I hunted them almost to extinction at night. Just something I enjoyed. Big guys too. Fed them to my chickens. In Missouri it was squash bugs, flea beetles and cuc beetles. I started raising baby turkeys in a secure pen inside garden. The last 2 yrs were fantastic. A little turkey will peck at anything, spit it out dead. Very accurate aim even on the tiny flea beetle. By the middle of August turkeys out of garden and sept cool down almost arrived. Id still be using same system if in Mo. Now in subtropical Houston and developing alternative strategies for predators. Boots on gardener. Thanks for the healthy garden advice. B
im in Houston. None of his tips work. Armyworms, ants, and aphids are my big problems. Nasturtiums have done nothing for me (except be pretty and bring me joy). Marigolds are neutral. they do nothing. Chives and alliums do basically nothing, the pests avoid them, but I found aphids on garlic and stuff like that before, and they don't care. Get you some organza bags. cover your fruiting plants. That will really help. I have no advice, I haven't found interplanting plants to work at all. AT ALL. They still come, they just avoid the plants they don't like. Ive had to resort to DE and other methods before. The best Advice I have is to space your plants correctly so you can control infestations WHEN they happen :) IDK who came up with these pest deterrent ideas, maybe people in the north/east coast, but Trap crops and things like that have never worked for me. The Houston subtropical bugs are a different breed; they don't freaking care. Or maybe I'm an idiot idk
Is there a good “backyard” gardening channel based in east/NE/SE Texas area?
Great video. One of the best pairing and anti pairing discussions. Thanks 👍🏼
Thank you. The anti-pairing discussion is just as important, and a lot of people skip over that and only focus on the positives. It's just as important to realize the insects the flowers attract as those they repel.
I'm in the SE and I just planted Marigolds for the first time in and around all of my tomato plants. Guess what I'm doing Saturday......Well I will put those in a couple of pots and move them elsewhere AND replant my sunflower seedlings on the OUTSIDE of my fenced in garden. LOL! Thank you for this. Timing to watch is impeccable.
Marigolds are a staple in every garden I've ever planted. Love them.
Your experience with marigolds is opposite to mine. I am however, in the N. GA mountains at 2000 ft elevation. I had mounds and mounds of them. Last garden season, we saw only one Japanese beetle and zero bean beetles however, both have infested my mountain property/garden every summer for years in spite of having sunflowers and borage planted. I seed save a mix of marigolds, calendular, cosmos and zinnias every year, plant millions of them around the gardens. I bet your experience, as you said, is the difference in location. I see dragonflies in my garden every year, love them. Good video! ~Cynthia
I'm glad you said that about marigolds. My sister plants tons of them every year and her vegetables around them, are attacked by tons of pests. I don't have them around my vegetables and had very little problems.
I live in KCMO. Leaf miners didn't attack my plants until August 23/24 during record hot days! Ugh!
Let's not forget petunias. The darker colors like purples are stronger in smell that repels green worms. I have been using it for years. Marigolds repels most insects, worms and snakes. 😁👍🏻
Now I wonder if my purple heart seacreasea are why I have no pests indoors near my window that has no screen
First time commenting., but have been enjoying your channel since early on I am also on the coast here in NC (Morehead CIty area), and a different option you may want to consider availing yourself to are carnivorous plants. Where both you and I live, yes the famous venus fly trap would be native, and they do ok. What you really might want to consider is putting some planters around the garden area of North American pitcher plants (sarracenia). Many are perennial here. THey trap a lot of the pesty bugs. If you setup a bog container well, or just setup a bog itself, most of the time you only have to top off once a week and sometimes I only have to top off with water once a month, depending on rain. Also you have the added benefit of promoting native plants. Plus they look really cool and have lovely flowers.
Also there are some lovely gardens in the Wilmington area, if you want to see what they might look like.
If you would like to learn more, I am glad to chat with you.
Love the channel. Thanks. Been gardening since 1958.
Thank you! I really appreciate you watching!
I planted African marigolds last year throughout my tomatoes. It was wonderful. I did not have any tomato worms till the end of the season when they were the tallest.
You could try planting bunching or spring onions. they can be direct seeded in clumps any time of the year.
When I harvest my onions, I intend to replace them with a blend of bunching onions and leeks, since they will grow here 365 days a year.
yep marigolds are the worst. Not only cabbage worms but mine brought in the aphids. This was a great video. Ordered the daisy today
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who has had a terrible experience with marigolds in Southern California. Last year was my first time trying to grow an edible garden, and every channel said to interplant marigolds to repel pests. So that's what I did, and within a couple of days, the marigolds were completely eaten by pests. LOL!!! I tried it twice with the same results. This year I just got done planting less than a week ago (last week of April), and already the marigolds by the veggies have no leaves at all. So I would say it was not an anomaly, so I guess I'll be pulling them out... and I'm with you on this one... never again will I put marigolds in a veggies garden. Thanks for all of your great info!
Marigolds are considered "trap plants" they attract the bugs to them thereby avoiding your main crop from being eaten.
Unfortunately, a lot of the advice out there is regurgitated over and over without actually trying. It's just as important to focus on the insects these flowers attract, because if the insects they attract are worse than those they repel, it won't end well 😂 I want to believe I could have a pest-free garden by planting a few flowers, but it isn't going to happen. The good news is, some of these plants can help in some way, and when paired with a good spraying routine, you can really limit bad bug populations.
It might be, you leave the marigolds. The bugs eat the marigolds instead of the vegetable plants.
@@idahofmegal821 that's what I was thinking.
I'd say you had success then, that's a sacrificial plant so it may not repel pests but draws them to the marigolds so they eat those instead of your kale, tomatoes etc. If your crops were fine and the marigolds were eaten, I'd call that a success.
I consider the marigold an essential in my garden as a garnish and salad green/herb.
The leaves are delicious in salads and on sandwiches, and the flowers are a beautiful edible garnish on salads and soups!
Another herb/ greens which grows easily (found in fields growing wild) is mustard weed. The leaves are tasty on sandwiches and cut small in salads or garnishing soups, or boiled like spinach. The blossoms are a wonderful garnish on salads and in soups, or a few atop slices of hard boiled egg and sauce on your boiled greens.
Last year circumstances forced me to abandon my garden. The bindweed (morning glory) made an impenetrable hedge in the fence around my garden. It was the first year EVER that squash bugs were not rampant. Turns out sweet potato family repels them!
So grow sweet potatoes with squash cool
I have't tried this yet, but recently learned from Laura at Garden Answers, to plant Calendula to attract the aphids away from roses or whatever else they like. I'm going to get some soon!
Thanks for this great info.
Interesting, thank you! I have grown nasturtium beside my cabbage for a couple of years now and think I have had less cabbage worms on my kale and cabbage, but I have maybe just been lucky? I have the winding ones and let them go upwards a high trellis and it seems that the top of the trellis attract the flies/motts more than the lower part of the plants. I will try to plant your way this summer and see how the outcome gets. Borage does not spread easily here (close to the Arctic Circle) so I guess they are manageable in colder climates. We do not have much pest problems over all, cabbage worms is the biggest problem for me and I know some people struggle with nematodes but I think they haven´t been taking care of the soil properly. I do not dig if I don´t have to, just loosen up the soil. Feeds it with a lot of leaf, cow manure in autumn and "a splash" of gift from my girls in the chicken coop. I also plant tagetes here and there in my beds to avoid nematods, especially Tagetes tenuifolia, a nice addition in a sallad or to spice up (lemony taste) potatoes or as a herbal tea.
Great info - you may find this interesting - I plant marigolds away from the vege garden - because they attract the cabbage moths from the veges.... funny how we read and hear different things - they ARE an awesome plant to deter pests - if the method is NOT to intersperse them with the veges. I don't use pesticides - well, very rarely, and only neem or diatomaceous earth on my tomatoes
I've always used marigolds in our garden (along with many other flowers) and never had any problem with them. I will say one negative thing about them though; if you get a Blister Beetle infestation in your garden, those horrible bugs do like to hide in Marigolds. Once I thought I had gotten rid of them (after they took EVERY SINGLE TOMATO PLANT I HAD!), only to trip over a marigold and have hoards of them running out from under it in every direction!
would you share what zone you live in. I live in Zone 5 & was getting ready to plant a lot of Marigolds in my garden!!!
The problem seems to be regional. It looks like folks in warmer climates are agreeing with my struggles. Numerous commenters from California are saying the marigolds did to them what they did to me, oddly enough. But, if you've had success, keep doing what you're doing. If something isn't broken, don't try and fix it.
They also attract white flies
@@carolgibson-wilson4354 Thank you for sharing this info!
I have Sweet Alyssum planted in my Strawberry beds. It's very effective so far. And so pretty ... I got the purple mixed variety.
Upstate NY here and I planted borage several years ago and it still reseeds wherever it wants. I leave it in some areas and pull it out where it is unwanted. I read once in a permaculture thread that the leaves act as a compost accelerator and I also use them as a natural mulch.
THAT’s interesting I had never heard of Borage being a compost accelerator. NEAT!
I have tons of marigold seeds I haven't planted. I'm gonna plant them somewhere else. Thanks for that tip.
You are amazing and so concise in what you are saying. And.....you are sooooooo knowledgeable. I love your video's and wish I had a place to have such a beautiful garden. It's not possible when living in an apartment setting. Anyway, many prayers to you and thank you for all your "special tips for gardening."
I have been using all these plants for about 4 years and last year I doubled the amount of Cayenne pepper plants, Marigolds and added Purple Petunias. I'm telling you the Petunias and Cayenne Pepper plants worked fabulously ! I had one hornworm at the end of the season, some army worns end of season also,no problem with beetles. I'm in North Carolina zone 8b where there is every bug known to man ! I grow my Zuccchini early end in the very late summer that way I avoid the vine borer.
I was not expecting the do not plant....I said *in a high-pitched voice* WHAT?!?! when you said marigolds. Thank you for the helpful info!
I had the exact same problem planting Marigold's in my garden I had white fly moths everywhere and my brassicas were destroyed and i swear i blame them for the vine borers on my pumpkin. I was angry and cursing them. Ripped those things out of my garden and grew chrysanthemums and lived happily ever after Nasturtiums are a great idea so pretty too. Thank you so much for this video!!!
I live in the south and the 4 big pests for me that have always been problematic and continue to be are Aphids, tobacco worms/bud worms, mealy bugs and spider mites. The budworms have already taken over my garden before I could apply my first round of BT, so I’m already behind this summer🤦🏽♀️
You have the most beautiful, organized, clean backyard garden I have ever seen. I would love to see a video of just your garden for inspiration.
Thank you. It looks better on-camera than it does in real life since you can't see the finer details. I want to film a garden tour, but the weather and my schedule keep spoiling it. It's been raining for 2 days straight, and more on the way.
I grow every vegetable i can. Ive always grown marigolds and nasturtiums and sunflowers along with my vegetables. The only pest problem I've ever had is that damn white moth with the black dots on its wing. But a little BT spray and their babies never get too large. I spray every two weeks during the season.
@Brian Moore, what is BT spray that you use every 2 weeks? TIA for responding vack.
@@1blondidea BT is short for bacillus thuringiensis. This is a soil born bacteria that is organic and safe for your plants and you. It is used as an insecticide for many pest insects. You spray your plants, the caterpillar looking cabbage moth larvae that eat your plant leaves get the bacteria in their stomach and it kills them basically by exploding their stomachs. So all the different leaf eating buggers that look like caterpillars die from this. Even the ones that eat your corn. It's quite effective. I would encourage you to educate yourself and read about this and use it correctly. No use killing beneficials in your garden. The more you know the more wisely you can use this. It is quite safe though. Hope this helped you. There is a lot of info on this topic.
I learn something new with each video you produce! I did not know that nasturtiums attracted cabbage moths, I have them in between my broccoli/cabbage and cucumbers beds! 😱
Sorry to hear Marigolds gave you a problem, I have them growing with Nasturtiums and have not had to use any pesticides again
I am a first time Tomato grower and so I was looking for videos on how to grow tomatoes. Thankfully, I found your video on tomatoes. What a splendid explanation and attention to details in that video. I love how you explain everything that I immediately subscribed today. Thank you for your videos.
He's got some other really good videos on growing tomatoes.
@@julieclark9173 thank you, will go check it out….
Yes I had the same experience with marigolds and I'm plucking them out of my raised beds. Only planted those seeds to repel pests. If I ever plant marigold again it will be the dwarf variety which is supposed to be 5 to 6 inches tall but I know sometimes a plant will grow differently due to its environment and many different reasons which is so cool!
Thanks. You do the best pest videos.
Thank you! I’m glad they’re helpful. I have insane pest pressure here, so you have to learn things to survive 😆
I love your no nonsense style, you don't waste time and you give us a lot of info per video; Thank You ! ! ! !
As usual, you bring great advice to us gardeners! Thanks!
I moved to Florida last year and I learned that; For marigolds to help with the root knot nematodes they have to be used like a cover crop and mixed into the soil at least six inches. Just growing them next to a tomato will not stop the nematode from invading the roots of the tomato. The "chemical" composition of the marigold must be in touch with the 6-9 inches of soil that the nematodes live in. Love your informative videos and especially your experiments.