How many Marigolds to plant in 22 gallon container with 1 tomato plant?

tulsanurse1 · April 3, 2010

Will be planting 1 tomato plant each in 2 different 22 gallon containers. Wondering how many plants I should use for each container?

Zana · April 3, 2010

Been using the marigolds to surround all the tomatoes and other veggies I grow in containers/pots, as well as my roses for years. Haven't seen an aphid since I started doing it...and rarely have any other insect pests.

I would usually put 3 to 4 minimum, of the ones that grow to maybe 8 to 12 inches high. I have been known to put more in for "show"....adding colour to the containers most visible from the windows facing my "outdoor jungle" as the family has been known to call it....and believe me...that's the polite version of what they call it. Somehow they complain less when I add marigolds to the tomato pots/containers....I guess because they perceive that as flowers and hits of colour. Go figure...but I digress. I like to put mine about 6-8" apart encircling the tomato plant...so however many that takes in the size of pot/container. When the marigolds are blooming and fill out you'll have a "wreath-like" circle around the tomato plant.

Another tip...when you deadhead the marigolds, let them get a bit dried out before picking. That way the seeds will have a chance to mature and you can then safely pull the flowerhead apart and dry the seeds for next year. I haven't bought marigold seeds now in about 12 years - unless I find a variety I've never grown before and "gotta have it" syndrom sets in. LOL

One more tip....start your marigolds about the same time you start your tomatoes and then you'll be about ready for plant out at the same time.

jdwhitaker · April 6, 2010

Absolutely none.

Marigolds will attract spider mites in Oklahoma, one of the worst things you can have on your tomato plants. Marigolds can be beneficial in controlling nematodes if grown as a cover crop and tilled into the soil. This is barely possible and completely unnecessary when growing in containers.

Get a coarse, fast draining container soil mix. Fertilize regularly or add a slow release fertilizer. Water EVERY DAY (unless it rains). Do this and that container will grow one great tomato plant.

Jason

Suze · April 6, 2010

What jdwhitaker said. Not only do marigolds attract spider mites, they also attract thrips, which have the potential to vector some nasty diseases like tomato spotted wilt virus to your tomato plants. Now, I realize this might not be a problem for people who live in cooler climates, but it can be a problem in warmer climates.

Marigolds are pretty, but I don't want them anywhere near my vegetable plants.

My advice is to skip the marigolds.

b54red · April 8, 2010

I had never heard this about marigolds attracting pests. That is terrible news for me because I was planning on using them to keep nematodes under control in a couple of my beds. I hate spider mites especially during dry weather. One thing I have noticed over the years with spider mites is they seem to be attracted to tomatoes suffering from nematodes. Almost every time I have had a tomato plant that is badly infested with spider mites it invariably has nematode damage to the roots while one 10 feet away that doesn't have the nematode damage will be relatively mite free.

I used marigolds last year around my late planted tomatoes and they took over the bed but didn't seem to hurt the production of my plants. I didn't notice any spider mites on these tomatoes either but since they grew for only a short time before cold weather moved in I may have missed them. I did have far less whiteflies on these than on the older plants without marigolds under them.

I am going to have to try using marigolds in a couple of my beds because of the nematode problem and just hope for the best. If I don't get the nematodes under control in those 2 beds then they will be useless to me for most crops. The cucumbers, squash, beans, and tomatoes grown in those beds last year had a real problem with the nematodes. I added fresh manure to the beds this past winter because it seems to reduce the nematode population. We have already gone a couple of weeks with no rain and I am hoping this is not a precursor to a dry summer which only makes the nematode problem worse.

Suze · April 8, 2010

A common sight in parts of Texas in the late summer and fall are skeletonized marigolds in landscape plantings at various businesses. I used to see this a lot in the Metroplex. Some "annual" color that won't hold up in the heat is planted earlier in the year by a crew, and when that inevitably has to be ripped out, marigolds are mass planted in their place. More often than not, they end up looking horrible because the spider mites ruin them.

For RKN control, marigolds are grown as a cover crop (usually in the fall) and tilled into the soil the following spring. Also, it needs to be certain types of marigolds. In any case, they aren't going to work miracles if the nematode infestation is bad.

I'd look into using mustard powder (buy it in bulk from places like Penzey's) and granulated table sugar or dried molasses as soil pretreatments or placed in the planting hole. Molasses could also be used as a soil drench.

Neem cake is something else you might want to look into.

You'll want to avoid growing any susceptible crop in a particular spot more than once a year or it's going to be almost impossible to keep the 'tode population under any sort of reasonable control. In other words, you don't want to grow a spring crop and a fall crop of tomatoes in the same bed if you have problems with RKN.

korney19 · April 12, 2010

How many spider mites do you want?

I am a firm believer in companion planting but I think somewhere along the line, the "marigolds" in question were mistaken for "pot marigolds" as some of the oldest companion planting essays & reports mentioned "pot marigold" as good companions to tomatoes. This was going back all the way to an old report based on photochromotography & things.

POT MARIGOLDS = CALENDULA, not tagetes species marigolds.

More beneficial would be planting the 3 B's:

Basil
Borage
Bee Balm

Basil may be the only one able to fit in a 22 gallon container with a tomato plant. Maybe a few Purple Ruffles or Bush Basils.

Borage will pull up minerals from really deep--not applicable in containers.

Bee Balm will both attract bees and keep them busy--tomatoes don't need bees to pollinate, maybe just a shake will do.

April 3, 2010	#1
tulsanurse1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 71	How many Marigolds to plant in 22 gallon container with 1 tomato plant? Will be planting 1 tomato plant each in 2 different 22 gallon containers. Wondering how many plants I should use for each container?

April 3, 2010	#2
Zana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Southwestern Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,521	Been using the marigolds to surround all the tomatoes and other veggies I grow in containers/pots, as well as my roses for years. Haven't seen an aphid since I started doing it...and rarely have any other insect pests. I would usually put 3 to 4 minimum, of the ones that grow to maybe 8 to 12 inches high. I have been known to put more in for "show"....adding colour to the containers most visible from the windows facing my "outdoor jungle" as the family has been known to call it....and believe me...that's the polite version of what they call it. Somehow they complain less when I add marigolds to the tomato pots/containers....I guess because they perceive that as flowers and hits of colour. Go figure...but I digress. I like to put mine about 6-8" apart encircling the tomato plant...so however many that takes in the size of pot/container. When the marigolds are blooming and fill out you'll have a "wreath-like" circle around the tomato plant. Another tip...when you deadhead the marigolds, let them get a bit dried out before picking. That way the seeds will have a chance to mature and you can then safely pull the flowerhead apart and dry the seeds for next year. I haven't bought marigold seeds now in about 12 years - unless I find a variety I've never grown before and "gotta have it" syndrom sets in. LOL One more tip....start your marigolds about the same time you start your tomatoes and then you'll be about ready for plant out at the same time.

April 6, 2010	#3
jdwhitaker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Andrews, Texas Posts: 104	Absolutely none. Marigolds will attract spider mites in Oklahoma, one of the worst things you can have on your tomato plants. Marigolds can be beneficial in controlling nematodes if grown as a cover crop and tilled into the soil. This is barely possible and completely unnecessary when growing in containers. Get a coarse, fast draining container soil mix. Fertilize regularly or add a slow release fertilizer. Water EVERY DAY (unless it rains). Do this and that container will grow one great tomato plant. Jason

April 6, 2010	#4
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	What jdwhitaker said. Not only do marigolds attract spider mites, they also attract thrips, which have the potential to vector some nasty diseases like tomato spotted wilt virus to your tomato plants. Now, I realize this might not be a problem for people who live in cooler climates, but it can be a problem in warmer climates. Marigolds are pretty, but I don't want them anywhere near my vegetable plants. My advice is to skip the marigolds.

April 8, 2010	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I had never heard this about marigolds attracting pests. That is terrible news for me because I was planning on using them to keep nematodes under control in a couple of my beds. I hate spider mites especially during dry weather. One thing I have noticed over the years with spider mites is they seem to be attracted to tomatoes suffering from nematodes. Almost every time I have had a tomato plant that is badly infested with spider mites it invariably has nematode damage to the roots while one 10 feet away that doesn't have the nematode damage will be relatively mite free. I used marigolds last year around my late planted tomatoes and they took over the bed but didn't seem to hurt the production of my plants. I didn't notice any spider mites on these tomatoes either but since they grew for only a short time before cold weather moved in I may have missed them. I did have far less whiteflies on these than on the older plants without marigolds under them. I am going to have to try using marigolds in a couple of my beds because of the nematode problem and just hope for the best. If I don't get the nematodes under control in those 2 beds then they will be useless to me for most crops. The cucumbers, squash, beans, and tomatoes grown in those beds last year had a real problem with the nematodes. I added fresh manure to the beds this past winter because it seems to reduce the nematode population. We have already gone a couple of weeks with no rain and I am hoping this is not a precursor to a dry summer which only makes the nematode problem worse.

April 12, 2010	#7
korney19 Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Co-Founder Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The Niagara Frontier Posts: 942	How many spider mites do you want? I am a firm believer in companion planting but I think somewhere along the line, the "marigolds" in question were mistaken for "pot marigolds" as some of the oldest companion planting essays & reports mentioned "pot marigold" as good companions to tomatoes. This was going back all the way to an old report based on photochromotography & things. POT MARIGOLDS = CALENDULA, not tagetes species marigolds. More beneficial would be planting the 3 B's: Basil Borage Bee Balm Basil may be the only one able to fit in a 22 gallon container with a tomato plant. Maybe a few Purple Ruffles or Bush Basils. Borage will pull up minerals from really deep--not applicable in containers. Bee Balm will both attract bees and keep them busy--tomatoes don't need bees to pollinate, maybe just a shake will do.