Repellant Planting

As the summer gets hotter and the plants really start growing, something else is on the rise, BUGS!  As an organic gardener, I am subject to a certain amount of bug damage, but I do my best to make this as minimal as possible.  Repellent planting involves planting certain types of crops that actually 'repel' certain types of bugs.  For example, Cucumber beetles dislike radishes and tansy -- so planting these around your cucumber plants could actually keep this population down.  Here are some rules of thumb, of course in my 1, 2, 3 formula:

1. The 'repellant plant' will provide protection of a certain crop, up to a distance of three feet.  Some plants will be effective against a specific pest, some are effective against a whole variety of pests.

2. Garlic is offensive to most insects that you will see in your garden.

3. Two other 'broad spectrum' repellent properties include marigolds and mints.

Here is a listing of common garden pests and the plants they cannot stand:

• Cabbage Maggot: Planted in adjacent rows: mint, tomato, rosemary, sage
• Cabbage moth: mint, hyssop, rosemary, southern wood, thyme, sage, celery, catnip, nasturtium
• Colorado potato beetle: green beans, horseradish, dead nettle, flax
• Cucumber beetle (both spotted and striped): tansy, radish
• Cutworm: tansy
• Flea beetle: wormwood, mint, catnip
• Japanese beetle: garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium (white works best)
• Mexican bean beetle: marigold, potato, rosemary, summer savory, petunia
• Slugs: prostrate rosemary, wormwood
• Squash bugs: tansy, nasturtium
• Tomato hornworm: borage, marigold, opal basil