Tomatoes ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) prosper in sunny position where they ’re prise for their naughty , red fruit . human are n’t the only fans oftomatoes . Various insects are also attracted to their yield and foliage . Instead of turn to toxic pesticide , protect your tomato plant crop by set fellow traveler plant that repel pesterer . Several herbaceous plant and flowers can help to fight down tomatoes from some of the industrial plant ’s most vulgar enemies .
Basil
Thebasilplant ( Ocimumbasilicum ) has fragrant foliage that repel tomato hornworms and various flies from around tomato plant plants .
This one-year herb boom inwell - draining , moist soiland needsfull sun , meaning it demand a minimum of six 60 minutes of direct sunlight every twenty-four hours . Most basil shrubs grow approximately 2 feet high and 2 feet wide . When planting basil near a tomato plant , space them aside by approximately21 inches .
Tip
To figure out how closely you may range any familiar flora to your tomato plant , simply use theaverage spacing requirementsbetween the two different plants . For case , most heavy Basil of Caesarea varieties take 18 inches between each other , while tomatoes involve around 24 inch of infinite . The aggregate is 42 inch , and the average between the two is 21 .
Borage
Protect tomatoes from tomato insect by growingborage(Borago officinalis ) near the tomato plant plant . Thefull sun - make love yearly herb has fragrant leaves and flower that repel pests , while the flowers also draw in butterfly stroke and bees to the garden . The entire plant life is comestible , including its flowers . standardised to Lycopersicon esculentum plants , borage plants produce best in soil that’srich in constitutive matter , so consider mixing a mates inches of compost into the planting site . For effective pest control , plant Borago officinalis approximately12 inchesaway from the tomato .
Marigolds
Many coarse tomato plague find the odor ofmarigoldflowers ( Tagetesspp . ) repulsive . These pests include :
This yearly bloom also release a biological substance through its roots known as alpha - terthieny , which is toxic to more than a dozen kinds ofnematodesthat may occasionally assault tomato origin .
All marigold varieties thrive best infull sun , but they can tolerate a panoptic range of ground conditions , including sandlike soil , loam and clay . Tall marigold mixed bag , such asTagetes erecta , can grow as high as 3 foot . small varieties , such as French marigold ( Bushy T. patula ) , can be as unretentive as 6 in . Space tall marigolds approximately2 feetaway from tomatoes . short varieties can be placed approximately1 footaway .
Mint
The entire tidy sum family ( Menthaspp . ) may have a sharp , minty smell that world find refreshing , but many pests are repelled by the olfactory perception . These perennial herb flourish easily in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9 , with most varieties doing best inpartial to full sun — that ’s a minimum of four to six hours of unmediated sunshine — andwell - draining dirt .
When originate near tomatoes , mint helps protect against the follow pests :
Place mint plants approximately2 to 3 feetaway from tomatoes .
Warning
mint candy grows quickly and can sometimes turninvasive . Consider grow this herbaceous plant in a 12 - column inch or larger mess . apply a pot with bottom drainage holes and make full it with well - draining potting mixture . This allows you to take reward of mint ’s gadfly - deterring power while preventing it from freely disseminate through your garden .
Nasturtiums
The trailing vine of the annualnasturtium(Tropaeolum majus ) produce brightly colored , comestible heyday that have a peppery nip . The works repels the following insect :
Nasturtiums needfull Lord’s Day . They grow best inwell - draining , moist soil , but they can also survive in droughty soil that has low soil nutrients . This makes them ideal for lowly - maintenance vegetable gardens . Space nasturtiums and tomatoes1 to 2 feetapart .
Onions
Onions(Allium cepa ) are renowned for their unassailable odor and taste , which adds flavor to a spacious variety of meal . Bug pests rule the olfactory perception less attractive , with onions protecting tomatoes from :
Onions needfull sunandwell - draining , moist soilwith high storey of soil nutrient . Keep onions and tomatoes apart by approximately12 to 18 inches .
