These Magic Flowers Will Repel Pests and Feed Your Plants

Flowers in the vegetable garden aren't just pretty - they are jolly useful too! Join Ben as he outlines three of his favorites. Plant this carefully curated selection and attract more pest predators into your garden to help in the fight against pests. Draw in more pollinating insects too. Oh - and use them to feed your crop plants for even bigger, better harvests. Sounds good, right?!

and many more...

[EarthThemesStudio]

An experiment that worked well for me was tying bundles of lavender in my apple and pear trees, since I didn't spray. I was amazed at how clean the fruit was. I have lots of lavender. I simply tied them in small bunches after cutting and hung them head down, I renewed them one time before fruit harvest.

[helenloughrey]

I discovered that 2nd year Italian Parsley flowers attracted a tiny beneficial black wasp that didn’t mind me puttering right next to them - but they virtually eradicated the dread brown marmorated stink bug from my garden which is quite the accomplishment. Also I discovered that Japanese Beetles were killed when eating geranium flower petals. I also like interplanting creeping thyme as a ground cover and self seeding garlic chives as a pest deterrent .

[zydzrvp]

Thank you for this video, especially introducing Bocking 14 Comfrey.
I have discovered a couple things out of my own laziness or just observing what goes on in my veg garden.
Phacelia or Bee's Friend: I had a bare patch at the end of the summer, early fall, decided to seed phacelia which likes cool weather. I read that they pull up nutrients from the soil and you can till them in. The patch grew and I was too lazy to cut them down before they reseed at the end of the growing season, so left it in place. It seeded and died back. Early the following spring, a patch of phacelia regrew in the same place. I transplanted most of it to another bed as a cover crop before basil, they transplant very easily. I left some behind in the original patch to grow among added veg starts. Because it comes up early, the place was buzzing with all kinds of good insects, honey bees, bumblebees, hover flies, parasitic wasps, and many more I can't ID. It brought beneficials swarming into my veg garden very early in the growing season. I now do this every year.
Cosmos and Dill: I plant my potatoes and peas together each year and have cosmos and dill throughout the bed. The following year in the same bed I grew my brassicas and the cosmos and dill had reseeded in the bed from the previous year. I usually cover my brassica beds with hoops and thin bug deterring cover. I couldn't this one year because there was a wasp nest near by and couldn't get the hoops in place. So, not the usual protection from pests for my plants. I noticed the cabbage worm butterflies would fly around the bed but never land. I also noticed that a lot of lady bugs lived in that bed. I didn't have problems with cabbage worms and little problem with aphids, and also noticed that the flea beetles were more in check. I no longer make a hoop house for my brassicas, just grow a lot of dill and cosmos among them. I leave the cosmos and dill in the ground to over winter and am noticing that there are more lady bugs in those beds at the start of the growing season. Also, since cosmos and dill reseed each year, I rarely have to seed it myself, I now just transplant into other beds.
Laziness and the power of cause/effect observation have led me to change my practices and rely on these wonderful veg garden companions.

[Free-dvvm]

I always remember cleaning out my grandma's pond and tipping the water on her flower beds. The difference within a few weeks was noticeable

[sandracarli]

My mom uses borage flowers in salads and the leaves like spinach in ravioli. Yummy!

[sherriianiro]

Wow! This is one of your best videos Ben! I have learned more from you than any network gardening show!

[GentrysGarden]

I like to add lots of nasturtiums to edges and corners of the raised beds. I add zinnias, marigolds, calendulas, and short varieties of cosmos. I started an entire raised bed of comfrey this year. The leaves are huge. Next year I’ll start chopping them a few times a summer to add to the compost bins. Great video!

[gregoryseager]

I use Calendula, French marigolds, Alyssum and Californian Poppy and Poach egg as they all attract the bees and for contrast a few deep blue Lobelia and Salvia plants. Amazingly there is still room for my Toms and Peppers!

[mcsedeo]

Love borage and marigold in my garden and also sunflowers. Bees love the flowers and birds love the seeds! And I love the birds and the bees!

[tweetytje]

Calendula, marigold, nasturtium, lavender, borage, sunflowers, poppies, nettles, oregano, ...

[hameratahir]

Wow, didn't know comfrey was such a useful plant! It keeps on giving!

[leannepearson]

I love to use both Alyssum and Yarrow in my gardens. They attract a lot of beneficial insects. No problems with pollination or pests by keeping those two plants in my garden. Thank you for your informative video.

[michmash]

Salvia is a big hit with the bees in my yard! 😊

[NatashaAllisonMissionAFamily]

I love calendula. It flowers right through winter and attracts insects. The flowers are edible and great in antiseptic salves/skin ointments.

[melissapollard]

I always let a parsnip or two go to seed. The bees loooove parsnip flowers and parsnip seed is only good when it’s really fresh. So as soon as it dries and the bees are done with it, I’m replanting from my own seed stock.

[JATJAT]

I absolutely LOVE growing borage. But I also love growing phacelia. The bees go bonkers for it and its definitely one I recommend

[jeas]

I've been using tons of Rumex sanguineus (bloody dock/red vein dock) from the Sorrel family this year; in the same ways you've shown using comfrey. Unbelievable results! Yesterday I pulled a 2' x 2' section of my early potato bed (just checking).. 4 plants produced over 7 and a half lbs of potatoes!! And they're beautiful... no scab, no bug damage, just pretty little egg sized taters. No blossom end rot on the tomatoes coming about now, either. The squash is vigorous and (so far) pest free!

[trevor]

I plant marigolds everywhere and it helps to keep rabbits and deer away so my both my bee gardens and food gardens aren't expensive lunches for them.

[lovecara]

I love your style Ben, you always make me smile and i learn so much.

[RckNaR]

I've added nasturtium, calendula, tiger lilies, rue, dahlias, gardenias, lilies of the valley, marigolds, peonies, hydrangeas, and hostas in or around my vegetable garden and yard. We're finally getting good blooms on all of them this year, and our garden is a feast for the eyes! And I love making salads with the edible flowers -- nasturtium, tiger lilies, marigolds. I'm definitely going to add comfrey, borage, and French marigolds! Thanks!