I just got back from vacation. As I was picking through my gorgeous thornless blackberry bushes that are dripping with fruit, I noticed that they were also abundantly endowed with some little green bugs. Yum. If they seem to be setting up shop, it may be time for some pest control.
In our city, pesticides are banned. Since I garden organically, I would prefer not to use them anyway. This means that I use other techniques to provide pest management in the garden. Most of these techniques are proactive, so I rarely have visits of the abundant buggy kind.
If you have a large garden or a container garden, you can pursue organic gardening techniques such as companion planting. This type of gardening sounds like you’re trying to make your plants play nice with each other, in a way you are.
One of the rules of companion planting is to grow plants that work well together in their physical structure. For example, corn provides a trellis for beans. Carrots prepare the soil for crops that like well-aerated soil.
However, companion planting is about more than that. If you have a small container garden, you may not be able to grow corn of epic proportions. However, you can still take advantage of some of the other companionable qualities of container plants. Beans and peas grow well up a container trellis, and they’re amazing for adding nitrogen to the soil. They work well with plants that require large amounts of nitrogen.
You can also grow companion plants that will attract or repel certain types of insects. Marigolds are legendary for preventing root nematodes from damaging vegetable crops, since they create a chemical from their roots. Nasturtiums act as a trap crop for aphids, drawing them away from your vegetable crops. They also attract beneficial pollinators.
Even if you’re gardening in a container, it’s possible to use the benefits of companion planting to enhance your garden.
Image courtesy of stephanray at Stock Exchange.