I've heard for years that marigold borders help keep bugs off vegetable
plants. I talked to an expert gardener a few years back that said the
difference with this kind of companion planting was negligible. He was
talking about tomatoes.
I've used marigold borders for color in my gardens, but did not notice
that they repelled flying and chewing insects that attack the tops of
plants. The one thing French marigolds (Tagetes patula) can do is trap
nematodes if used as a cover crop and then dug and removed from the
site. There has been some research on this.
Years ago there was a marigold variety called Nemagold marketed for this
purpose, but a quick search while preparing this article did not turn up
a current seed source.
Research at the University of Georgia showed that Tangerine, Petite
Gold, Petite Harmony and Goldie were all effective in suppressing
nematodes if planted solidly and closely spaced as you do a cover crop
and with no other plants present. Go to
www.progressivefarmer.com/marigolds to see the University of Florida's
information on marigolds.
My tomatoes grow well until fruit starts to form, then they begin to
wilt and die. I have been told that tomato wilt disease is nearly
impossible to kill in the soil in Mississippi. The bush varieties do
better, but still don't last long. I have resorted to growing my
tomatoes in giant pots with purchased soil. Are there any guidelines on
types of soil, how much water potted tomatoes need and/or ways to stave
off the wilt disease?
It just seems that tomatoes and fungus were made for each other,
especially in the hot, humid South. Many of the soil-borne foliage
diseases are a nuisance, but can be stopped with timely fungicide sprays
of neem or other products labeled for tomatoes.
I am not aware of any tomato varieties resistant to Southern bacterial
wilt and Southern blight. The opposite is true for fusarium and
verticillium wilts.
It's hard to find a hybrid tomato that isn't resistant to at least one
of these. Some popular ones include Ace 55, Bingo, Better Bush,
Celebrity, Heatwave, Marglobe Improved, Rutgers, Roma, Mountain Pride,
Big Beef, Beefmaster, Early Girl, Better Boy, Super Fantastic and Park's
Whopper.
Since you've dealt with wilt, it's smart to plant your tomatoes in pots,
especially if you put the pots where there is good air circulation.
Another thing you might try is building a raised bed in another
location, away from the infested plot.
Put down a layer of newspaper on the ground and build the bed about a
foot high on top, using a good-quality bagged potting soil. Avoid adding
compost from your previous garden. Also, sterilize your tools in a 10%
bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water). Avoid mixing the
native soil with the new.
If you like cucumbers, try this one
I'd like to recommend an unusual round, yellow heirloom cucumber that I
grew last year called lemon cucumber. What I especially liked about it
was the size—just enough for one or two people—and no leftover cut
cucumber to shrivel in the fridge. The skin is yellow and thin, and the
cucumber has a mild flavor. I suggest a fence or trellis for the long
vines. You can find seed from many mail-order sources. One well-known
source is Burpee: www.burpee.com or 1-800-888-1447.
Garden innovations wanted
Is there anything in your garden that makes good use of items around the
farm?
For example: Do you use a snow fence for supporting peas, make tomato
cages from hog wire, grow beans on fence panels? Do you grow potatoes in
spoiled hay? Share those with Ask The Gardener! Write me at the
addresses below.
Write Lois Trigg Chaplin at:
Ask the Gardener
2204 Lakeshore Dr., Suite
415
Birmingham, AL 35209
or gardener@progressivefarmer.com.