Companion Planting

Companion planting can reduce or prevent pest damage and enhance growth. The idea is that you grow certain plants alongside your vulnerable plants. It works in two ways
1 - companion plants like onions, leeks and chives disguise the smell of carrots so the carrot fly cannot find them
2 - plants like nasturtiums attract blackfly away from your roses

Mexican marigolds (Tagetes minuta)choke weeds, discourage wireworms and millipedes, kill eelworms and attract hover flies whose larvae gobble up aphids.

French and African marigolds also work in a similar way

Carrots and leeks are mutually beneficial and deter each other's pests.

Nasturtium is a real champion! It deters aphids, especially whitefly, squash bugs and woolly aphids and it attracts blackfly to itself. It has gorgeous flowers, but flowers best on poor soil. So grow it in sunshine on dry or stony ground not too far from your vulnerable plants. The underneath of the leaves will soon be black with flies which you can leave as ready meals for ladybird, lacewing and hover flies and their grubs or destroy as you wish.




More information at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_companionplanting.shtml

http://www.crocus.co.uk/organics/companion/

 

Excellent info Hornbeam!!
Many thanks...
Roy

 

Thanks for that hornbeam.
I also read that parsley planted around the carrots also deters carrot fly, which is what I have done this year.. no sign of carrot fly either.