Marigolds

Basil, marigolds, parsley among tomato's friends

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Are you growing tomatoes this year? If you are, did you know that planting some other plants near your tomatoes will help them? Having tomatoes all by themselves or any plants all by themselves is not good. It is better to have a variety as some of the plants help attract good bugs or do other things to benefit the plants around them.

Here is a list of plants beneficial to tomatoes along with some extra information.

Basil

Basil is good to add to all sorts of tomato dishes and it is also beneficial to grow around tomatoes. Any variety is good to plant with your tomato plants. Just like tomatoes, they like sun and lots of it. When your basil starts to form little flowers, keep pinching them off to keep up the production of leaves.

Marigold

Marigolds are very pretty planted around and in a vegetable garden. They repel harmful nematodes and whiteflies and are beneficial in other ways as well. I once saw a very large and attractive veggie garden that was bordered on all sides with cheerful yellow and orange marigolds. Marigolds are easily grown from seed right now or purchased in multi-packs almost everywhere in late spring. I prefer the shorter French marigolds, as they don't overwhelm the other plants.

Borage

This is an interesting herb that I wrote about last year. Grown near tomatoes, it actually improves the health of tomatoes, repels tomato worms and even makes them taste better. Borage grows to about two feet tall, has large fuzzy leaves that taste like cucumber. Young leaves can be put into salads. Older leaves can be cut up a bit and added to soups and stir-fries in the last few minutes — very yummy. With borage in your garden you will always have some "greens" to add to something. Once you have some borage in your garden it will self-seed and come back every year.

Sage

Sage is a perennial herb that is not

only good to add to pork and poultry dishes but is also attractive. Plant a new one every few years. The blooms are pretty as well. Sage is easy to dry and then use all year long.

Parsley

My favorite kind is the flat leaf parsley — it is generally thought to be more tasty than the curly. I like to pick some parsley and munch on it out in the garden — it is packed with vitamin C and it also freshens your breath. Pick and chop some fresh parsley and sprinkle on soup, boiled new potatoes, cooked carrots and more.

Nasturtium

Aphids and whiteflies do not like nasturtiums. Nasturtiums are pretty, colorful and help attract bees and other pollinators to your garden. Without pollinating insects, plants won't produce fruit. Leaves and flowers are both edible and can be eaten on sandwiches instead of lettuce, or added to salads. They bloom all summer long and can very easily be planted from seed.

Onions and Chives

Beneficial to tomato plants — chives are perennials and will return every year. One can snip off some chives all summer and use them in all sorts of dishes including scrambled eggs.

Ildiko Sherman is a local gardener and columnist. Contact her with gardening questions at Ildiko5@earthlink.net or write c/o The Journal, 52 S. Broad St., Middletown, OH 45044.

Tags: marigolds, basil, parsley, onion, chives

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