8 Tomato Companion Flowers That Boost Yields & Banish Pests

Planting flowers with tomatoes will improve the great thing about your vegetable backyard, however has myriad further advantages. The apply is called companion planting, which includes rigorously pairing or arranging vegetation to optimize their advantages for one another. It’s a tried-and-true gardening method utilized in natural gardens to discourage pests, appeal to pollinators, and even enhance taste.

Tomato companion vegetation are sometimes related to greens, with good companions together with onions, garlic, cucumber, and peppers. Nevertheless, there are additionally quite a few helpful herbs to plant with tomatoes, reminiscent of basil and parsley, in addition to flowers. Taking a considerate strategy to the way you mix vegetation will make all of the distinction between a bumper crop and a nasty harvest.

Rising particular companion flowers for tomatoes​ might thrust back pests with a powerful scent, or they might function entice crops and draw pests away out of your tomatoes. They’ll appeal to pollinators to your backyard, enhancing crop yields, in addition to helpful bugs that can prey on pests. As well as, flowers can present floor cowl, serving to to maintain down weeds and retain moisture within the soil, whereas maximizing the usage of the planting area.

So, if you wish to learn to develop tomatoes utilizing this time-honored technique, then sow these flowers concurrently beginning tomato seeds.

The Greatest Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes

Select companion flowers to your tomatoes primarily based on the advantages they will present, how nicely they are going to develop in your beds, and in addition for the way in which they give the impression of being and your private preferences. Listed here are some concepts to get you began.

1. Calendula

Often known as pot marigold, calendula is a fairly orange flower that appears stunning in beds and in addition advantages close by tomatoes. The robust, musky odor of the flowers repels many pests. Most significantly for tomatoes, they repel tomato hornworms but in addition aphids, nematodes, and a few mammal pests.

Calendula has different makes use of in addition to its tomato-supporting position. The flowers are edible and have some medicinal properties, so you’ll be able to get pleasure from them within the kitchen in addition to in backyard beds.

‘Orange Flash’ is a very hanging selection and is included in our Pure Treatments Seed Assortment, obtainable within the Gardening Know How Store.

2. Marigolds

Marigolds are vivid, cheerful annual flowers with a basic pom-pom form and colours starting from yellow to deep purple. They’ve lengthy been used to maintain rabbits away from veggie gardens with their potent and distinctive aroma brought on by a chemical known as limonene. Close to tomatoes, marigolds deter a number of pests, together with rabbits, white flies, and root-knot nematodes.

French marigolds (Tagetes patula) are the best choice for pest management. Select from a variety of gorgeous French marigold varieties within the Store.

3. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums act as a entice crop for some pests, together with cabbage moth caterpillars, white flies, and aphids. In addition they appeal to hoverflies, which feed on aphids.

There are additionally some bonus advantages to rising nasturtiums with tomatoes. The vegetation vine and unfold, offering a residing groundcover to maintain moisture within the soil and weeds at bay. Moreover, nasturtium leaves and flowers are edible and have a peppery taste.

4. Lavender

Lavender is an herb prized for its fairly, delicate purple flowers and robust aroma. That aroma is what makes vegetation helpful as tomato companions. The robust odor is usually interesting to individuals, however retains away sure pests that don’t prefer it. These embrace flea beetles and nematodes. Lavender flowers additionally appeal to helpful pollinators.

Take into accout, although, that lavender has completely different soil and water wants than tomatoes. Attempt rising them in containers close to tomatoes so you’ll be able to management the situations higher. Munstead lavender, obtainable as seeds within the Store, is a basic selection identified for its compact progress and early blooming.

5. Borage

Whereas borage is technically thought-about an herb, most individuals develop it for its flowers and as a companion plant. The vividly blue flowers are enticing and star-shaped and add curiosity to your tomato mattress.

Borage deters hornworm but in addition attracts pollinators and a parasitic wasp that particularly feeds on aphids. It additionally provides micronutrients to the soil that may profit the expansion of tomato vegetation and make them more healthy.

6. Cosmos

If you happen to’re new to rising flowers, attempt cosmos. These straightforward annuals are fairly and nice companions for tomatoes. They appeal to many helpful bugs, together with each pollinators and predators of pest bugs. Inexperienced lacewings, specifically, love cosmos and feed voraciously on thrips, aphids, and scale. Orange is one of the best cosmos colour for attracting this good friend.

Remember that cosmos can develop fairly tall, so don’t plant them the place they are going to overshadow tomato vegetation. Discover a choice of stunning cosmos varieties within the Store.

7. Candy Alyssum

Candy alyssum is a sweet-smelling plant with an abundance of tiny flowers. It is well-known for its skill to draw predator bugs that preserve pests at bay.

As candy alyssum grows near the bottom, it could actually present a residing groundcover. It’s notably helpful for container-grown tomatoes. Plant them on the base and allow them to spill over the edges. Snow Crystal, obtainable within the Store, is a hardy selection that adapts to completely different climates.

8. Zinnias

Not solely do zinnias make a surprising distinction with tomatoes, however they’re extremely efficient companion vegetation, blooming all by means of summer season proper up till the primary frosts hit. Their primary profit is in attracting pollinators in addition to helpful bugs, together with ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and hoverflies.

Zinnias additionally make glorious minimize flowers, so you’ll be able to harvest just a few blooms for homegrown bouquets concurrently selecting your tomatoes.

How one can Develop Companion Flowers with Tomatoes

Efficiently companion planting flowers to your tomatoes requires some planning and consideration. Listed here are some suggestions to bear in mind as you intend your mattress:

Don’t overcrowd the flowers or the tomatoes. Flowers don’t should be proper up in opposition to tomato vegetation to offer advantages. Observe spacing tips on seed packets or transplants to keep away from crowding and inspiring a battle for sources between the vegetation. Alternatively, develop them in containers shut by.Tomatoes want full solar to develop and produce, so take into consideration how tall flowers will develop and the way their placement would possibly block the solar.Contemplate rising situations for the flowers you select. They need to develop nicely in your soil kind and native local weather – examine your USDA hardiness zone in North America. Their wants must also be much like these of the tomatoes for one of the best outcomes.Don’t neglect to examine on tomatoes and flowers. Don’t merely plant companion flowers and assume they’ll preserve your tomatoes freed from pests. Monitor them often for indicators of pests to find out in case you want further management strategies.

Extra Tomato Rising Inspiration

This text options merchandise obtainable from third occasion distributors on the Gardening Know How Store.