While the idea of inviting flowers into your vegetable patch may surprise any good gardener, it actually makes a lot of sense. Indeed, some vegetable plants attract many harmful pests. And unfortunately, fruits and vegetables can suffer as a result, hence the idea of planting at least 1/3 of the flowers among your seeds in order to protect them from unwanted insects. Planting a few well-chosen flower varieties will further attract pollinating insects (butterflies, bumblebees, bees or wasps), which will aid in the pollination of tomato, cucumber, bean, zucchini, eggplant, etc. plants, thus enabling them to prosper. It can also help to limit the risk of disease and it promotes biodiversity in the garden. Discover these protective flowers to grow in your vegetable garden!
1) Marigold, the top flower to have in the vegetable patch or in the garden
Marigold has the ability to irresistibly attract hoverflies whose larvae feed on aphids. These easy-to-grow annual flowers in a small vegetable patch can also repel white flies that attack tomato plantations, cabbage worm or even the Colorado beetle, very harmful to potatoes and nightshades. We advise you to plant this flower as a priority next to tomato, lettuce, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage or carrot.
2) French marigolds, the flowers that chase aphids from the vegetable patch
The marigold is very popular in gardening for its strong repellent power on aphids. He also knows how to repel flea beetles that roam around cabbages and nematodes and whiteflies that attack the roots of tomatoes. This flower will indeed secrete substances harmful to insects on the ground. The carrot fly as well as the ants also dread it. Not to spoil anything, the marigold will bring vigor to the vegetables and small fruits of the kitchen garden, in particular with regard to the tomatoes, cucumbers or other plants with strong development. The harvest will therefore be all the better for the gardeners who make room for it in the vegetable garden!
3) Lavender … obviously
Your plants and vegetables love it! Lavender is a plant to bloom in your garden to scare away ants and the aphids. In addition to protecting the vegetable garden, these flowers can also be slipped into planters to scare away mosquitoes.
4) The nasturtium
The nasturtium does not shine with its repellant powers. It’s quite the opposite ! In reality, she goes attract aphids of the garden which will thus turn away from your plantations. In addition, nasturtiums attract ladybugs which help pollinate the garden and feed on aphids. In addition, their flowers are edible (and rich in vitamin C in addition). They are therefore all good!
5) Borage, one of the best honey flowers to plant in the vegetable garden
Having a borage flower plantation in the vegetable patch is very useful. Already, borage offers a generous and prolonged flowering that attracts honey insects that help tomatoes, zucchini and other plants to grow. Bees are very fond of this hardy plant! It is less known, but it also helps to keep the slugs and snails as well as the sphinx tomato. Finally, the greediest will be happy to learn that its flowers are edible. They are usually eaten in salads. They therefore have their place in the vegetable garden!
6) forget-me-not
It is THE flower to plant near raspberry plants. Indeed, one of the difficulties when planting is that the towards are particularly fond of it. However, their repeated attacks can end up being fatal to raspberries. To avoid this, trust the forget-me-nots which will make them flee effectively!
7) thistle
Often mistaken for a weed, the thistle is in fact an ally of the gardener. By chasing slugs and snails, it does a great service to the vegetable garden!