Interplanting/Intercroping with tomatoes?

[Nan6b]

This year I'm putting lines of radishes or parsnips between each tomato. Gotta use every bit of space.

[MissS]

This year I'm putting lines of radishes or parsnips between each tomato. Gotta use every bit of space.

You just reminded me that there is a huge flea beetle problem at our community garden so I too will be interplanting some radishes as well as basil. Sometimes I will place lettuce between the tomato plants. I can harvest the lettuce by the time that the tomatoes start getting big.

[JRinPA]

My fall radishes last year at comm garden were covered up by harlequin bugs. First they were on someone's broccoli and cabbage. When those were pulled, they shot over to the radish in my rows of radish/lettuce/spnach/parsnips/red beets. I'm trying to remember if those nasty things were on anything other than the radishes. For certain they were very heavy on the radish compared to anything else.

If I had not had radishes planted, I don't know where those bugs would have concentrated. Flew off to better scent? Died back? I don't know. I know they used my radish to multiply because there were all stages and sizes, and it took some work and pulling all the radishes left to get rid of them. When I got rid of the last radishes, I saw no more harlequin bugs.

I'm just not sold on the trap crop concept. Maybe if you use a sacrificial trap crop, but then poison it with whatever. DE or sevin or whatever you are comfortable with. Then at least the poison is not on the edibles.

[stone]

I'm just not sold on the trap crop concept. Maybe if you use a sacrificial trap crop, but then poison it with whatever. DE or sevin or whatever you are comfortable with. Then at least the poison is not on the edibles.

EWWW!

When I had those flea beetles on one of my cold season crops one time years ago... I just turned the patch under. Didn't have any trouble with them afterward.
If it happens in the future... ima put up some temporary fencing and let the chickens eat those bugs.

Poison has no place in my garden.

[Rockoe10]

[mention]stone[/mention] , i believe there is a saying.

"If you've got pests, you've got a bug problem."

Meaning, that you need good bugs too. Or, as you mention, insector birds like chickens.

I've been working to increase my predator insects this past year. And will continue to do so this year. The town i live in doesn't have too many gardens. And the soil wasn't great for growing in. Over the past 4 years I've improved the soil, and improved the gardens produce yields. This has lead to an increase in pest bugs and mammals. So now it's time to balance the ecosystem and encourage (or introduce) the good bugs. I hope i didn't miss my window, but i plan to do some hunting for praying mantis egg sacs in the woods nearby. I had one male last year show up, but that wont be enough. And he showed up too late.

[stone]

i plan to do some hunting for praying mantis egg sacs in the woods nearby.

Hmmm...



Early Spring 2019...
I found egg casing attached to a plant that I removed from bed next to house... broke off stem and placed in one of my winter indoor pepper pots... left pot setting next to garden path in spring... Lucky to see the hatch... took a couple hours one morning... fail to visit garden that day and miss the emergence!

Still... praying mantis wouldn't be my first choice... If you've ever walked past a mantis that just caught a butterfly, you see the issue.

I'd plant or allow those plants with tiny flowers... Even turnips... Lady bugs are surprisingly attracted to nectar in early spring...







At my house, Simply leaving the pest species and waiting usually was all it took to see predation... eventually.
Surprisingly, talking about waiting gets those people who use poison defensive... And... their use of poison is why they don't see the good bugs!

[Rockoe10]

Wonderful pictures [mention]stone[/mention] . Do you know if Lady bugs are ok with marigold?

[stone]

Ok, sure, attracted to it? I don't know.

I'm actually talking about tiny flowers like chervil or mint...
In fact, plant some mtn mint... amazing amount of pollination by a multitude of species of predatory wasps and other 'good' bugs!

[JRinPA]

Letting a parsnip overwinter and then go all the way to seed the second year really brings in a lot of ladybugs. You just have to be cognizant of the fact that parsnips can give a rash if you brush them. Parsnip sap plus UV exposure is what I've read...can't say for sure the why, but I have had a couple little spot rashes. Worth it though, for just a crazy amount of lady bugs, bee flies...I forget what else offhand. Swallowtail caterpillars as well, though last year in particular I did not see many of them. I have other years, though, in June on overwintered parsnips and, and in August/Sept on spring sown parsnips.

[stone]

Good call on the parsnips... I have cilantro in bloom that has the right kind of flowers too.

[JRinPA]

Yeah little flowers. I never saw anything like it regarding ladybugs, there were many dozens at one point, larvae too. I'm leaving, or shovel transplanting, parsnips to every garden plot this year.

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[rossomendblot]

Dill, alyssum, gem marigolds, fennel and yarrow are also very good for attracting ladybugs, parasitic wasps etc.

[Amateurinawe]

Can confirm the fennel [mention]rossomendblot[/mention] . Had so many parasitic wasps when it flowers I had very little insect problems.

[rossomendblot]

I keep pots of gem marigolds in the greenhouse during summer and the parasitic wasps, pirate bugs, hoverflies, ladybirds keep coming back year after year. Hoverfly larvae are pretty cool, it's interesting to watch them suck the juice out of an aphid!