Companion growing can be your secret weapon when planning your summer garden. One gardening expert showed off one of their favorite flowers to plant alongside your vegetables.
The scoop
GrowVeg (@GrowVeg) is an account on YouTube with more than 800,000 followers on the platform, sharing tips, tricks, and hacks to help you achieve your best garden. In one clip, Benedict from GrowVeg explained how marigolds may be an unsung garden hero. He explains how you can get "more vegetables, more pollinators, and fewer pests in your garden."
Marigolds come in lovely shades of yellow, red, and orange, and they are also the favorites of many pollinators, including bees. If you want to grow your own flowers, you can start from seeds or buy seedlings. Benedict explains that to start your marigolds, simply place the long seeds on the top of a small pot of soil and cover them with a thin layer of dirt. He recommends letting them germinate inside, but depending on your climate, you may be able to grow them outside or in a greenhouse.
After about 10 days, you should have small seedlings poking their way through the soil. Benedict separates these tiny plants into their own pots to continue to grow, but you may want to wait a few more days until they are a more manageable size for average gardeners.
How it's helping
Including marigolds in your garden will not only add a pop of color to your garden, but it can also attract pollinators that can help increase your yields. With an investment of just $70, you can grow around $600 worth of produce a year.
Companion planting is one of the oldest gardening techniques that will save you space and can make your garden stronger and more efficient. Native American Seneca people used to plant using the three sisters method, and the technique may date back to Mesoamerica.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote: "The Three Sisters are crops planted together in a shared space: maize, beans, and squash. … Developed through indigenous agricultural practices, these three plants protect and nourish each other in different ways as they grow and provide a solid diet for their cultivators."
In addition to growing your own food, choosing to plant more pollinator-supporting plants will strengthen your local ecosystem. Organizations like Homegrown National Park encourage homeowners to plant native flora and help supplement the disconnected ecosystems across the United States.
These plants can also help keep pests from your produce away because of their scent and their function as a bit of a sacrifice to garden critters like slugs.
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Getting outside more 🌱 What everyone's saying
Followers on the page were excited to try marigolds in their gardens, and some even had some tips of their own.
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"Marigolds and zinnias in my vegetable garden every year. Lots of pollinator activity to watch while working in the garden," wrote one person who has grown these plants before.
Someone else added: "Thank you for the idea. I planted marigolds, and they helped make my garden beautiful!"
Another person was excited to try, saying: "Thanks for this! I did not know I could plant marigolds with my tomatoes! I'm definitely doing this!"
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