Friends with benefits

Mates, companions, pals or friends. Whatever you call it – marigolds, tomatoes, and
lettuces like to hang in the same circles.

They also have certain advantages, or benefits, to offer each other. But like any good group of friends, there’s usually one who tends to go the extra mile to help the others out.

In the world of plants – marigolds are that friend. And in my opinion you can’t go wrong with
adding marigolds to any vege garden.

Growing friends with benefits next to each other is known as companion planting, and
marigolds are one of the most well known companions around.

Potatoes are a fan of marigolds because of the pesticidal chemical in their roots, which kills
nematodes (microscopic parasites living in the soil). This is also one of the reasons tomatoes like to hang with marigolds. That, and that marigolds also help keep away whitefly – a pest with a particular fondness for tomatoes.

If orange isn’t your thing – marigolds also come in cream, lemon and apricot colours.

So, now we’ve established these three plants are a match made in heaven, it’s time to get
planting.

First, grab some of Awapuni Nurseries seedlings from your local supermarket, Bunnings or the Warehouse.

Tired of eating iceberg lettuce? Why not try cos, buttercrunch, or French mesclun lettuce? Keen for a variety? Then grab a mixed bunch and sample several different types of lettuce.

Remember, if you order six or more items from our online store at www.awapuni.co.nz we’ll also deliver for free to a non-rural address, or for just $4 to a rural address

Like to select your own seedlings for quality? We guarantee you’ll be happy with the seedlings we send you. And, if for any reason you’re not, we’ll replace them – no questions asked.

Earlier I mentioned lettuces, tomatoes and marigolds all like to hang in the same circles. Well they also like to spend time at the same hangouts – anywhere that’s sunny and sheltered from the wind.

So as long as the place you plan to plant them is sunny, you can grow these three pals wherever you like. The only thing to remember is to plant your tomatoes somewhere different to where you planted them last. This will decrease your chances of them getting nasty diseases like blight.

Once you’ve found the perfect spot, mix some general fertiliser (like nitrophoska blue) into the soil. The extra potassium in the fertiliser will help your tomatoes to produce fruit. If you’re planting in a pot, a good potting mix will be all you need.

Then dig a hole, approximately 3cm deep, spacing each seedling around 10cm apart. Place your seedling inside and cover the roots with soil. You can mix the three lots of seedlings up with each other, or plant them in separate areas. Just remember, once your tomatoes get a bit bigger they’ll require extra room for staking.

Staking will help stabilise the plants and protect them from strong winds. Take three stakes and place them in a group with the tomato plant in the middle. Tie the stakes together at the top with rope or string and, as your tomato plant grows, tie the main stem to the stake.

Just as all three friends like the same conditions, they all have distaste for overhead watering because it leaves them more susceptible to disease. So, layer newspaper around the plants and then cover the newspaper with pea straw. This mulch will help keep weeds away and lock moisture in between watering sessions.

In about four to six weeks your marigolds should start to flower. At this point they’ll probably
need a bit more watering than normal. To check how thirsty they are, just put your finger in the soil about 2cm deep. If it’s dry they need a drink.

Remember, to keep picking off any deadheads – this will keep them flowering longer.

Your lettuces should be ready for salads and sandwiches in around six to eight weeks –
depending on the temperature where you live. For a continuous supply over summer, plant new seedlings every couple of weeks and just harvest the leaves directly from the garden.

Tomatoes take a little bit longer to mature. But should be ready for harvesting in around 12
weeks. If you’re patience doesn’t extend that long, try planting the cherry tomato variety as they ripen faster.

Last but not least, watch out for those slippery pests otherwise known as slugs. You can get slug and snail bait from your local garden centre but I’m a big fan of the organic approach known as beer bait [see side story].

Heading: Stop slugs in their slime
Copy: Simply, cut the top off an empty fizzy drink bottle, leaving approximately 10cm of plastic from the lid. Make sure the lid is tightly screwed on.

Make a hole next to your veges large enough for the whole bottle neck to fit into. The open end of your plastic bottle should sit almost parallel with the soil.

Place three sticks approximately 15cm in height around your plastic bottle in the shape of a
teepee. 

Fill your bottle up to the halfway mark with beer (slugs aren’t fussy about the type of beer, but kids make sure you ask your parents first!).

To ensure the beer is protected from rain, take the discarded end of your plastic fizzy drink
bottle and cut off a section approximately 5cm from the end.

Balance this section on the three sticks you staked earlier. This will create a lid to protect the beer against rain.

Now all you have to do is sit back and wait. Overnight the slugs will slide their way into the
beer. And don’t just stop with one beer bait bottle, make several and place them around your slug susceptible veges. Believe me you’ll be amazed by the results.

Tod Palenski
Awapuni Nurseries