TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum)
Published: 2015-03-14Tags: алелопатия, домат, домати, растения-компаньони, другаруване
Translation
This is a translation of a Bulgarian-language post. It conveys the content faithfully but is not the author's original English writing.
Tomatoes and all members of the cabbage family repel one another and need to be kept apart in the garden. They also dislike potatoes and fennel.
If you plant them near asparagus, however, they protect it from the asparagus beetle. They also protect gooseberries from pests.
They are compatible with onion, parsley, marigold (tagetes), nasturtium and carrots. If there is garlic among them, it protects them from red mite.
Nettle nearby helps them keep longer after you pick them. Although they contain no fungicidal elements, tomatoes planted around roses protect them from Black Spot — a fungal disease that makes their leaves drop. If it is impossible to plant tomatoes next to roses, make the following rose spray: fill a blender tightly with tomato leaves and pour in enough water to make a thick paste. Dilute with 2 litres of water and one spoon of corn starch. Strain through cheesecloth and treat the roses with a sprayer. Store the remainder in the fridge. The active ingredient in tomato leaves is solanine — an alkaloid once used as an insecticide.
Their roots release a secretion that will quickly kill young apricot saplings; also do not plant them near corn, since the tomato worm is identical to the corn worm.
What is interesting about tomatoes is that, unlike any other vegetable, they prefer to grow in the same place year after year — so as long as they have not been diseased, you need not move them. They are heavy feeders, so give them a generous amount of compost during growth and again while they fruit.
If you smoke, always wash your hands well before working in the garden, because tomatoes can suffer from diseases that tobacco carries.