Companion Plants?

ThatBlondGuy101

ThatBlondGuy101

Companion plants? For peppers, obviously...
Was wondering if there is anything I haven't tried for next season...
So who's got a few? Preferably herbs, but if you've got anything else, lets hear it!  :party:
 
ThatBlondGuy101 said:
Companion plants? For peppers, obviously...
Was wondering if there is anything I haven't tried for next season...
So who's got a few? Preferably herbs, but if you've got anything else, lets hear it!  :party:
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I've got quite the mix going this year. Purple basil, golden purslane, Fenugreek, Lavendar, and even some red huauzontle.
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This year, I decided to just cut loose, and try growing anything and everything.
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But the purple basil has been around for a few years, and attracts lots of pollinators. (I let it go to seed, and have some plants with really thick stems)
 
Lemon grass if you like lemon in hot sauce. It will give you the flavor without the acidity. Super easy to grow.
 
Asian chives grow like mad even in smallish pots
 
Thai basil, Siam Queen or any of the Asian basils that produce blooms that attract bees. They loved my Siam Queen last year. This kind lives longer after bolting and its still somewhat usable for cooking after bolting
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Catnip...another SUPER easy to grow plant that will attract TONS of bees and pollinators.
 
This one got a bit out of hand. :D
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I tend to look for the really easy stuff so i can focus my attention on the peppers, cukes and tomatoes, DIll is another one that seems to grow no matter what you do. Toss out some seeds, water and wait.
 
Dill and my herb box with Rosemary, spicy oregano, Greek oregano, creeping thyme, lemon thyme and globe basil...Globe basil is great if you want a slow bolting basil.
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sooo... along the lines of what to grow along with peppers, what if i want to plant some flowers that arent food for their natural pest deterrent abilities and to attract pollinators?  my mom is always bringing me free flowers (if they got knocked over or some idiot kid ripped the flower from it or they just weren't top shelf looking) from the garden center where she works, mainly for the pots and because I compost the potting soil out in my back yard for future years... 
 
all that to say, are there any you personally have had good luck with that I should keep an eye out for? or go buy? price doesn't matter... I mean there is a Ferrari/Maserati dealership down the street and a Lamborghini dealership a quarter mile in the other direction sooo the freakin flowers people around here buy are primarily stupidly rare or just really expensive and I usually just ignore them cause I want the dirt and pots (wtf am I going to do with 5 thai orchids? etc), but i'll have to start looking at what they actually are I guess.   
 
solid7 said:
Basil seems to do a great job with aphids. But sometimes it attracts whitefly, and has to be treated as sacrificially. But on the other hand, it does seem to keep critters away from the peppers!
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cool,  i started typing my previous question like an hour ago but my mom called said she had 3 trays of flowers they were getting rid of so in the time it took me to get back to this you have already answered one of my questions, and i have lots of basil out in the gardens already so ill move some to my pepper gardens when they go outside full time.
 
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part of todays trash flower run, not really worth the effort for the 2 trays if you ask me, but just out of the shot there are 8 dying something or others in decent starter pots...
 
I agree with many of the above suggestions. Whether with peppers or other plants, I think (based on anecdote) that basil, dill, and nasturtium are powerhouses, although I've also used petunias, parsley, marigold, bunching onions, and calendula as companions and I think they work. I also think coriander does a really good job, because it flowers/seeds prolifically and I see it mobbed with a lot of native pollinators and it may draw in other beneficial insects.
 
I've read that fennel is also a good one (for calling in beneficial insects), but I think fennel plants can have an adverse effect on many plants.
 
Of course, plenty of bird boxes helps, too. I have some nesting bluebirds and wrens and they're always hunting.
 
I am going to be doing some more reading on this, but how does one utilize these plants?  Ie, do you just plant near your peppers, really close and in between, on the perimeter?  I have a 20'x40' garden and been having slug issues.  Its been super rainy, and I live in a very heavily wooded area surrounded by swamp.  I figure beer traps will just be a constant thing.  I have mint, basil, and oregano already growing in a different area, was thinking of planting in between every other plant on the outside edges?  I have read mixed things about mint for slugs, but if it fails I will have plenty of mint for my restaurant.  
 
smallbutfierce said:
I am going to be doing some more reading on this, but how does one utilize these plants?  Ie, do you just plant near your peppers, really close and in between, on the perimeter?  I have a 20'x40' garden and been having slug issues.  Its been super rainy, and I live in a very heavily wooded area surrounded by swamp.  I figure beer traps will just be a constant thing.  I have mint, basil, and oregano already growing in a different area, was thinking of planting in between every other plant on the outside edges?  I have read mixed things about mint for slugs, but if it fails I will have plenty of mint for my restaurant.  
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As close as you can
 
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