Companion planting has a long, storied history. Many plants produce natural substances in their flowers, roots or foliage that attract beneficial insects, and discourage harmful ones. It’s refreshing to see others waking up to making their … Companion planting works be harnessing the natural affinities of plants such as scent caused by essential oils in the plant which deter pests for another plant. Thin to 4 inches (10 cm) apart in all directions. See which ones add the most benefits to your eggplants. Limnanthes douglassi (poached egg plant) has lovely white flowers with bright yellow centres and is a very easy to grow hardy annual. Companion planting – growing certain plants together to boost plant health and deter pests – is one method that organic gardeners can use to improve harvests while maintaining a balanced, healthy ecosystem. If you’re ready to plant a kitchen garden that include mixed vegetables, flowers and herbs that use nature to grow an organic garden, then experiment with a variety of companion plants. There is a lot to be gained for the organic grower from companion planting which is basically planting something with something else as either a sacrificial crop or as a deterrent to insects or as an attractor for predatory (good) insects. Hoverflies What Are They And Why Are They Important, Companion Plants – A Quick Guide To Assisting Nature, How to freeze broad beans without blanching. Flowers Poached egg plant, Limnanthes douglasii, bears bright white and yellow cup-shaped flowers, reminiscent of poached eggs. Your email address will not be published. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. Poached egg plants are rather invasive and, if left alone, gradually colonise the world. Many flowering plants attract pest-eating insects. Known as beneficial insects, hoverfly can be encouraged into gardens by planting flowers that they are attracted to. Have Success Planting Eggplant and Tomatoes Together. Plants such as beans, for example, fix nutrients back into the soil, making them available for neighboring plants. So it is well worth planting a few flowers amongst your vegetables. The following mixed vegetables also grow well with eggplants, making them suitable as companion plants: Many herbs ward off insects, such as thyme, which repels garden moths. A number of other veggies make excellent companion plantings with eggplant. Additional Eggplant Companions. In additional, it is an ideal companion plant for vegetable gardens because the plants will attract hoverflies, which feed on aphids and will help with pollination. In fact nasturtiums are a good companion to lots of plants including:-, marigolds are good companion to quite a few plants including. Sow poached egg plant in early spring, while the soil is cool. Snails, slugs and white flies dislike garlic and onions, so these are good choices as companion plants for your eggplants. Nasturtium is also an excellent dense ground cover as well as a vining edible plant that ward off many types of crop-munching insects. POTATO: Companions for potatoes are bush bean, members of the cabbage family, carrot, celery, corn, dead nettle, flax, horseradish, marigold, peas, petunia, onion and Tagetes marigold. Both basil and rosemary ward off slugs and snails that chew holes in leaves and young plant stems. I loved it. Among these are other members of the nightshade family: Peppers, both sweet and hot, make good companion plants, as they have the same growing needs and are susceptible to the same pests and diseases. More on companion planting with poached egg plants here. How to harvest Poached Egg Plant Flea beetles cause shotgun-type holes in the eggplant’s foliage, but you can repel them by planting catnip, peppermint and spearmint. The following mixed vegetables also grow well with eggplants, making them suitable as companion plants: Lettuce; Potatoes; Spinach; Peppers; Herbs. These plants can also be started indoors in peat pots; sow just below the surface of the soil, keeping it evenly moist and at a temperature of 65-70 degrees F. Germination usually occurs within 15-20 days. So let’s look at a few examples of companion plant pairings that made the grade. Early evening Sussex garden, in June - bee visiting Poached Egg Plant. Other companion plants emit a strong odor that pests detest. Parsley is good to plant with Asparagus. Poached egg plants draw in hoverflies which control aphids on nearby lettuce. Poached egg plants draw in hoverflies which control aphids on nearby lettuce. Broadcast seed into cultivated soil so that the seeds are about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and one-half inch (1 cm) deep. The scent from older varieties is more potent. Choose simple flowers such as calendula, marigold and poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii) to attract beneficial insects to your garden which will control pests such as aphids. Snails, slugs and white flies dislike garlic and onions, so these are good choices as companion plants for your eggplants. Companion planting is about growing different plants together, as a means of protecting each other, so they are … The main benefit of Companion Planting with Poached Egg Plants is that they attract beneficial insects like: Hover flies, Lacewings and Ladybirds (Ladybugs). Biologists aren’t entirely sure how companion planting works, but the technique has been used for centuries to enhance growing conditions, attract beneficial pollinators, control pests and take advantage of … Surround crops with borders of herbs like lavender, 'old man' artemesia and thyme. Sow and Plant. Best known is the poached-egg plant, Limnanthes douglasii, with yellow and white flowers. If you want an organic garden that grows healthy, firm eggplants without using chemicals and pesticides, then companion planting is the answer. POACHED EGG PLANT: Grow poached egg plant with tomatoes, they will attract hover flies and hover flies eat aphids. When trellising peas or beans, make sure you plant your eggplants in the front of them, so they won’t be shaded. Dude, Scotty, Guru and all of the DGC family, I hope this posting finds everyone rockin’ some fire! I use poached egg plants solely for companion planting as they attract hover flies. French tarragon also repels insects. These beans are an insect deterrent, especially for the Colorado potato beetle, which also attacks eggplants. Thin to 4 inches (10 cm) apart in all directions. Borage attracts bees and tiny pest-eating wasps, making it a great companion for tomatoes. More on companion planting with poached egg plants here. Attracts bees and other beneficials PETUNIAS Repels the asparagus beetle, leaf-hoppers, some aphids, tomato worms, Mexican bean beetles and general garden pests POACHED EGG PLANT Attracts hover-flies which eat aphids RADISH Radishes may protect squash from … How to Grow Limnanthes Plants Guide to Growing Marsh Flower, Poached Egg Flower and Meadowfoam. Required fields are marked *, Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. Other Vegetables. French marigold Tagetes can be used widely as a companion plant. For instance growing nasturtiums alongside brassicas, the insects that attack should go for the nasturtiums meaning the majority of the brassica plants … You also want to select ones that are beneficial to your eggplants. The flowers have a lovely fragrance, which makes them attractive to bees and insects. Hover flies and their lava eat black fly so they are great to plant around anything likely to be set upon by black fly (runner beans, roses, dwarf beans etc.). Poached egg plants, (Limnanthes douglassi) are very easy to establish, self-seeding each year for a continuous supply of bright, open flowers. Many flowers make ideal companions for vegetables and fruit. poached egg plant with beans. These would include dill, borage, coriander, lavender, nasturtiums, poached egg-plant, Phacelia and Calendula (pot marigolds) to name but a few. Bee balm and borage can also be used as companion planting for pear trees. It involves growing plants that enhance and complement each other. That is why I have tried to establish it on the edges of my plot, for it even crowds out the couch grass. They carry yellow and white cup shaped flowers in either spring or summer. Individuals have noted benefits (and drawbacks) when certain plant species are grown in close proximity to one another for hundreds of years, and many books have been written on the topic. Companion plants are plants that interact well when planted in close proximity. The best flowers to plant with eggplants are marigolds. It’s a fantastic choice for using as ground cover, particularly edging paths, and is an asset in the vegetable garden as it attracts a wide range of pollinators and insect predators. Broadcast seed into cultivated soil so that the seeds are about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and one-half inch (1 cm) deep. There is a lot to be gained for the organic grower from companion planting which is basically planting something with something else as either a sacrificial crop or as a deterrent to insects or as an attractor for predatory (good) insects. As with all things it’s all about trial and error, see what works for you. Sow poached egg plant in early spring, while the soil is cool. Examples of flowering plants used in companion planting would be poached eggplant, goldenrod and morning glory. Research must have proved why they’re good companion plants – we wanted proven associations, not just hearsay! Companion plants can help your eggplants (Solanum melongea) remain healthy and pest free in a holistic way. Companion planting. Ann Marie’s article on companion planting hints at the powerful advantages that flowers such as marigold, alyssum and poached egg plant can bring to the productive garden. This species has earnt a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit. Get Rid of Blackfly on Broad Beans for Good. Mexican marigold, nasturtium, snapdragons, and sunflowers repel aphids, white flies, flea beetles and ants. Planting peas and legumes near eggplants add nitrogen to the soil, which is a natural fertilizer . Poached Egg Flowers are ideal for ground covers, edging and borders. Grow Poached Egg plant Limnanthes douglasii to attract bumble bees. For instance growing nasturtiums alongside brassicas, the insects that attack should go for the nasturtiums meaning the majority of the brassica plants are unscathed. Ensure every spot is filled up with plants. Insectary Plants. Grow along pathways or edges of beds, or near tall plants like Sweetcorn or Tomatoes. Another scientific study found that crimson clover grown with broccoli expanded the local spider population, which in turn controlled pests. To some gardeners, companion planting is an art. Eggplants need full sun most of the day to thrive. I caught the post by Saint Skinny a few days ago, regarding companion plants that repel bugs. A succession of spring sowings will give flowers for months from early summer, and a later sowing should provide respectable ground cover over winter. Nasturtiums also enhance eggplants by attracting bees that pollinate the eggplants. Borage is good for planting with strawberries. It is also said that planting carrots with onions confuses the carrot fly but it didn’t work for me. Many herbs ward off insects, such as thyme, which repels garden moths. Limnanthes is a genus of spreading hardy annuals plants that reach about 30 cm in height.. If left in place year on year, it will spread, but it's easy to weed out or dig in like a green manure. Garlic, for example, repels slugs and aphids – which is great if we plant them next to our veggies who have a known weakness for aphids. Grow poached egg plant around the feet of taller plants like kale They should be grown around 10cm (4in) apart each way, and can be broadcast sown or sown into drills then thinned out later. Your email address will not be published. Poached Eggs attract lots of pollinators and beneficial insects including hoverflies, bees, lacewings and ladybirds and make an ideal ‘companion’ plant. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalised calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. It is relatively low growing as only reaches a height of between 20-30cm making it an ideal plant for front of borders, rockeries or even containers. Companion planting is a system of growing plants of various varieties together as a means of using each other to grow better, stronger and healthier ( more on that here ). The bright white and yellow cup-shaped flowers create a cheerful patch of ground cover, with the apt name of poached egg plant. They not only repel flea beetles, but they discourage leaf-eating animals, such as rabbits from stripping your plants. Within the flowerbeds, eggplant was paired with companion flowering plants. Parsley is also good for planting with tomatoes as is Basil. Companion planting tips. The benefits of companion planting include: When choosing your companion plants, pick ones that are native to your area for the best results. Flowering plants are used in companion planting as both a secondary defense for boring pests and as a soil modifier to the root system. That pollinate the eggplants an insect deterrent, especially for the Colorado potato beetle, which also eggplants... 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