Nasturtiums are excellent companion plants for zucchini plants because they keep pests like striped cucumber beetles, cabbage loopers, and squash bugs at bay. So, many gardeners grow nasturtiums near zucchini plants and other favorite garden vegetables to deter pests.
What can I plant next to zucchini to keep bugs away?
Companion planting is also worth a try, using repellent plants that deter the squash bug. They include catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm and mint. The second line of defense is Mechanical and Physical Strategies.
What is best to plant with zucchini?
Here are 10 plants that make nice with zucchini (and two that don’t).
- Corn (Zea mays)
- Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- Peas (Pisum sativum)
- Blue Hubbard Squash (Cucurbita maxima ‘Blue Hubbard’)
- Borage (Borago officinalis)
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
- French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
- Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Can I plant basil with zucchini?
By companion planting your zucchini crop with small-flowered fragrant herbs such as oregano, dill, basil, fennel, and thyme, you’ll be providing nectar and pollen for tiny parasitic wasps, ladybugs, lacewings, and other predators of these garden pests.
Can I plant peppers with zucchini?
Can peppers and zucchini be planted together? Zucchini can offer some shade and ground cover for peppers and the two crops grow well together. Peppers do not add any specific benefit for zucchini, but you can grow both together and have a good crop of both.
How do I protect my zucchini from bugs?
Floating row covers are my go-to solution for protecting zucchini and other types of summer squash. Make sure your row cover is held down at the edges with bricks or other heavy objects. You could also use clips or clothespins to secure the cover to a raised bed.
How do you grow zucchini without squash bugs?
Remove all plant material and other debris from the planting site and adjacent areas at the end of the growing season, as adult squash bugs overwinter under the protection of dead leaves, rocks and other plant material or debris. Composting plant materials or tilling it thoroughly and deeply usually is sufficient.
Do coffee grounds help zucchini plants?
Zucchini are lovers of acidic soil and adding coffee grounds to your soil will help reduce the pH of the soil thereby making the soil acidic. Coffee grounds can also be used as mulch. To use them as sheet mulch, apply them around the base of your plants and rake them out to a fine layer.
What happens if you plant zucchini too close together?
Not only are zucchini large plants that need ample growing space, but they require a lot of nutrients, as we discussed before. Since they are so hungry, if you space the plants too close together, they’ll suck up all the nutrients, leading to small plants.
Do zucchini need 2 plants to get fruit?
While you may have tons of flowers, in order to produce fruit you must have both male and female flowers at the same time.
Should I cut leaves off zucchini plant?
Pruning zucchini isn’t a huge project because you shouldn’t remove too many of the leaves. The fruit needs the leaves above to grow; only remove the ones below the first zucchini blossoms. In addition to the leaves, remove their stems.
Can I plant lavender next to zucchini?
Because it attracts bees, lavender is a great companion for zucchini plants. These bees pollinate the lavender plant, making their way over to pollinate your zucchini plants as well.
Can you plant tomatoes with zucchini?
Q: Can you plant zucchini and tomatoes together? A: Yes you can! Zucchini is one of the best tomato companion plants. Not only do they thrive in the same growing conditions but the giant leaves of the squash plants provide a ground cover.
What to plant with cucumbers to keep bugs away?
Marigolds. Marigolds are one of the most popular companion plants because they repel a wide variety of pests, including aphids—a common pest on cucumber leaves.
What to plant with tomatoes to keep bugs away?
More Herbs & Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away: Don’t just stop at planting Marigolds with your tomatoes. For further protection from pest bugs, you can also plant basil, beans, bee balm, borage, sweet alyssum, chives, garlic, nasturtium, mint, anise, onion, and parsley.
Why should you not plant cucumbers near tomatoes?
Both tomatoes and cucumbers do not grow well when planted near potatoes as they crave the same nutrients and compete for them. Also, they may be susceptible to similar diseases. For example, the cucumber mosaic virus attacks both cucumbers and tomatoes causing a significant reduction in fruit production.
Do coffee grounds keep squash bugs away?
A simple DIY organic squash bug control method is making use of coffee grounds. Boil coffee grounds in water and let the solution cool before spraying it onto the bugs. This spray also repels cucumber beetles and other zucchini plant bugs.
How do you keep zucchini beetles away?
Keep your gardens clean of all old cucurbit vines and crop or leaf debris. With winter hiding places removed, squash bugs rarely survive the cold, so it cuts down on cucurbit invasions the next season. Tilling the soil well after harvest also goes a long way toward eliminating these pests.
Should I put mulch around my zucchini plants?
A great way to help conserve moisture is to mulch around each zucchini plant. After the plants are a few inches tall, add a few inches of natural mulch such as straw, grass clippings, or shredded leaves.
Do marigolds keep squash bugs away?
MARIGOLDS- Repel Mexican bean beetles, aphids, cabbage moths, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes (if dug into soil), and maggots.
Can you spray Epsom salt on zucchini plants?
Almost all vegetable plants benefit from an application of Epsom salts, but none more so than tomatoes and peppers which are both naturally magnesium deficient. Tomatoes like both the magnesium and sulfur, which helps prevent blossom end rots in all vegetables (squash varieties included).