Either you have read it in gardening books or heard it from your grandparents. “Marigolds are great in the garden because they deter pests due to their off-putting fragrance.”
True - most of the time.
This summer I was determined to add French marigolds amongst my vegetables to deter any pests. I planted the marigolds around the beans, squash, zucchini and cucumbers. However, a week later I was doing some research and learned that BEANS and MARIGOLDS are ENEMIES! Oops! I quickly went to the garden and relocated the marigolds AWAY from the beans. It is true, I didn’t have ANY squash borers or cucumber beetles thanks to the marigolds. Luckily the marigolds were removed from the beans shortly after they sprouted, so the beans flourished and received no negative impact from their brief neighboring marigolds.
Now that the vegetable plants in the beds have been removed, I can still enjoy the cheerful bright colors of the French Marigolds left in our raised beds during these last sultry summer days. We added grass clippings on the top of our beds to prevent weeds while we wait for cooler temperatures to begin our fall planting.
Happy Gardening from Edith!
