Quote:
Originally Posted by jerryinfla
Scott -
No, I've not tried interplanting with marigolds for two years -- yet. I do have one bed now planted with half RKN resistant hybrid tomatoes, half with heirloom tomatoes and interplanted with marigolds. It's my first experiment with interplanting marigolds and I'm only a few months into it. The bed looks like you've described -- a jungle of intertwined tomatoes and marigolds. I'll be pulling the tomatoes when we have our first frost which will probably be before Christmas. At that time, I'll examine roots to determine if I still have RKNs in that bed.
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One tip I have. Generally it is better to grow dwarfs. I usually grow French dwarf marigolds.
Tagetes patula This lets me plant more without the Marigolds themselves becomming a "weed". I generally loose from 25% to 50% of my marigolds to being "crowded out" by my main crop. For example the 4 foot tall cauliflower in my garden with 3 foot leaves long ago crowded out all the beneficial companion plants that I had planted beside it. But that's good too. If the marigold or other companion plant dies, it starts decomposing in the roots, providing a later release of nutrients to the tomato or cauliflower or whatever that crowded it out. I also plant a solid "border" of marigolds to prevent nematodes from migrating in from other areas. Also don't plant marigold in your beans due to the antimicrobial
thiophenes in the roots. It is sometimes hard to explain to someone not used to this particular permaculture method. It's more like music, but based on science. We use anti pest and anti microbials where they reduce disease and pests, but simultaneously promote other beneficial bacteria and "critters" of every type. Over do any one side of the equation and it generally bounces back to slap you in the face. But take a balanced approach and the benefits are spectacular.
I will try to take pictures next year. Just remember one thing. Often what triggers a companion plant's beneficial effects is trauma. So never be afraid to trim back those marigolds and give flowers to your sweety. Generously trim the basil and add it to your cooking. Be sure to cut plenty of borage to add to salads or make german green sauce. Never let the companions become the main crop. And yet while making sure they don't get too unrully you are actually havesting a crop from them. Meanwhile the companions feel under attack and produce the plant chemical warfare that benefits your tomatoes! Or they attract beneficial bees with flowers, attract predators looking for the pest that is "eating them" etc.... Or they "warn" surrounding plants and trigger their responces. It even goes deeper. There are even proven interactions between plants and beneficial bacteria & fungus that can be triggered.
All this is proven scientifically, yet what we know scientifically is just the tip of the iceberg. It is very difficult to reduce the complex web of interactions into a single product system for scientific study, which of course tends to like reductionism to remove confounding factors.
One thing however that absolutely has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt scientifically and under strict peer review, as well as in the field by real people......Marigolds do kill RKN. They wont kill them all, and it may take more than one season to reduce them to low enough levels not to reduce productivity, but this isn't an old wives tale. It is real.
I better stop now before I get too preachy or ramble too much.
I am very confident your experiment will be a success and I truely wish you the very best.