I am hoping that someone with a little more gardening experience can answer a few questions about companion planting. Every year, my vegetable garden is infested with aphids, and there doesn’t seem to be any easy fix for the problem. I’m hoping to try some companion planting this year as a sort of scientific experiment, and I could use a little advice. Internet sources are unreliable with conflicting information, so here goes.
I want to plant some nasturtiums, but I have heard two completely opposite reasons for why this helps to control aphids. Some sources suggest that nasturtiums repel the aphids, keeping them away from the tomatoes. Other sources suggest the exact opposite, that the
flowers actually attract the aphids as a trap crop. Still another source suggests that the color of the
flower determines whether the plant attracts or repels the aphids. Can anyone make any sense of this?
Two years ago I planted a marigold border around the tomatoes, which seemed to help a little, but this may be attributed to the sudden increase in daddy long legs (harvesters). Apparently they really like the marigolds because I’ve never seen so many in my garden before. I’m thinking about planting the nasturtiums in an area near the tomatoes but not right next to them if the
flowers attract aphids. However, if the
flowers repel aphids, then I would want to plant a border similar to the marigolds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.