Experiment #1

Companion Planting

Basic Facts

Companion planting is basically using flowers to attract beneficial predators to your garden. How it works is by planting ahead of a problem. You do this by identifying the pests you have and planting flowers that attract their predators BEFORE the pests get out of control.

I planted a few flowers in my vegetable garden, last year, just because it sounded like a good idea. I had no idea what I was doing. BUT, with what little I did, I saw a difference in the number of pests. A lot less, that is!

Planning

This year, after doing some research into exactly how this works, I have a plan. I want to see if I can achieve a balance between pest and predator, so ‘hopefully’ nature will take care of any issues for me.

Last year, my biggest problem was aphids. They were only in the black-eyed peas. They left the rest of the garden alone. I tried jetting them off with water, using diatomaceous earth, and squashing them. They were still out of control. Not only were they damaging the black-eyed peas, but the ants were a real nuisance when trying to harvest.

Alyssum, cosmos, zinnia, and marigolds attract 5 different predators of aphids. I like those odds! I plan on planting a lot of each of these to see if it helps control the aphids. Then I just have to remember what the predators look like so I don’t kill them! I’ll let you know how this works at the end of the season. For more details on companion planting and what to plant check out the video companion planting.

Results

I didn’t have many aphids at all. There were more beneficial predators in my garden and a lot fewer of the other pests I traditionally deal with. I also had a lot more pollinators–butterflies and bees. I didn’t have to use anything to help with pests! It’s made me a believer in the power of flowers!

SUCCESS!

Experiment #2

Trap Cropping

Basic Facts

I first heard about trap cropping last year and thought, “That’s interesting. I wonder if that really helps with pests.” So I started doing some research into it. As I was doing research, I realized I did a little bit of trap cropping inadvertently last year with the companion flowers I planted.

Let me Explain.

A trap crop is a plant that is more appetizing to a pest. You use this more appetizing plant to lure pests away from the plants you want to protect. This concentrates the pests in one area, so you can more easily deal with them.
I planted sunflowers to attract birds, who would, in turn, eat tomato hornworms. (This is companion planting.) What I didn’t realize until later, is that sunflowers are also a good trap crop.

Eastern leaf-footed bugs

Every GA gardener knows when the Eastern leaf-footed bug plague arrives. They are a nuisance. They ruin your tomatoes and to add insult to injury they like to buzz up in your face! What these bugs seem to love more than anything are sunflowers! I didn’t see one leaf-footed bug in my tomatoes, because they were all over the sunflowers! Picture it this way. You are offered a choice between a vegetable you just like and a dessert you REALLY love. Sunflowers are the dessert the leaf-footed bugs REALLY love.

My other inadvertent trap crops were marigolds and zinnias! Apparently, Japanese beetles prefer zinnias and marigolds over okra and blackberries. I didn’t have the damage in my okra and blackberries I normally do. Companion planting doubling as a trap crop?? BONUS!!

The trap crop experiment

I really want to protect my black-eyed peas from aphids. So, I’m going to be purposeful with a trap crop. I plan on using the flower nasturtium. The variety I have is a bush and not vining, which is going to work better for my setup. Aphids love nasturtium. Using the border method, I’m going to create a ‘wall’ of nasturtium around my black-eyed peas. This ‘wall’ should keep the aphids more interested in the nasturtium than the black-eyed peas. It’s a little more involved than just this, but for more information on Trap Cropping, the methods, and what to plant check out the video Trap Cropping.

With this two-pronged approach of trap cropping and companion planting, I’m hoping to see a huge reduction in the amount of aphids! I’ll let you know how it works!

Results

For whatever reason, I didn’t have aphids in the black-eyed peas this year. So, I didn’t get to see how the nasturtium works as a trap crop. This worked in my favor as I got to eat the nasturtium blossoms. They were really enjoyable–sweet and spicy!

Everything else worked better than expected! The sunflowers were the attraction for the Eastern leaf-footed bugs. The Japanese beetles were more interested in the zinnias and marigolds than my okra or anything else for that matter. This is also a huge… 

SUCCESS!

Experiment #3

New Varieties of Vegetables

Peppers

My parents always told me to eat my vegetables. Now I grow my own! But it’s always nice to be a little adventurous. Who knows? I might like the ‘new’ better than what I always have grown. I’m trying 2 new peppers, Gamba and Sweet Banana Hungarian Wax.

Okra

As I’ve always grown the same variety of okra, I thought it might be fun to try something different. I chose a beautiful red variety (Hill Country Heirloom Red) that’s supposed to be good for pickling. (That might become an experiment if I can get enough harvested at one time!)

Cool season crops

I’m also trying spinach and a new turnip. (Spinach: Giant Norle, and Bloomsdale Longstanding. Turnip: Purple Top) Sadly, with the really cold weather, these didn’t germinate. I planted them at the right time, but then we had that week of 20F temps. By the time I realized they weren’t going to germinate, it was too late to replant. I’ll try again later.

Zucchini and Tomatoes

I’m really excited about the new zucchini and tomatoes I picked out! The San Marzano tomato is supposed to be really good for sauces, so I think that should mean it will work really well for salsas too! I also picked out a yellow pear, simply because I thought it would be pretty in salsa. Lastly, I chose a Hines tomato because I read there is a ketchup shortage. I thought I MIGHT try my hand at making ketchup.

I really wanted yellow squash this year, I chose a pic-n-pic yellow bush and a golden bush scallop. The golden scallop is not a normal long squash, it looks like a flower or a wheel! How fun is that!

At the end of the season, I’ll give my ratings on each of these new varieties.

Results

Gamba is my favorite sweet pepper. It’s a little squashed bell pepper that has the most outstanding flavor. I wish I would have saved seeds from this as I haven’t found it anywhere again. 

The banana pepper tasted just like a banana pepper. Nothing special. The hill country red okra was fun. It was more prickly than the Clemson spineless. But the flavor was good. 

I couldn’t tell a difference between the Roma, Hines, and San Marzano tomatoes. They are all good. The yellow pear didn’t do very well, but it was old seed. 

Both squashes were good. However, the golden bush scallop was the best-tasting zucchini I’ve ever had. I loved the rind too! That was good as it’s hard to peel. That one I think will have to become an every-year zucchini! 

Experiment #4

New Flowers and More Flowers

Expansion for more flowers

Not all flowers need to serve a purpose, like attracting beneficial predators. Always plant what you love. In addition to planting what I like, I’ve also included one that wouldn’t have been my first choice. But as I learned what it can do for me, I decided to include it too! I expanded both of my flower beds, so I could plant more of the flowers that I love and add poppy to the mix. I hope to save seeds from the poppy. If I do it right, I’ll donate to the Seed Library!

Poppy is a beautiful flower, but a word of caution. Before planting it, you might want to make sure it is legal to grow in your area. Fortunately, after contacting the GA Department of Agriculture, I can safely add poppy to my flower bed.

Not my first choice

I’ve also added cosmos. This isn’t one that was at the top of my list until I learned it attracts the hoverfly, which likes to eat aphids. I’ve grown to love cosmos. It’s really rather pretty! I’m also trying a new variety of sunflowers (evening sun) and a new variety of marigolds (Red Metamorph). The nice thing about my marigolds is the new variety is a different species from the one I grew last year and plan to plant again. This means I can save seeds from both of them without having to worry about cross-pollination. 

Experiment #5

Butternut Squash

I love butternut squash soup. While I can buy butternut squash and make the soup, I thought it would be fun growing my own. This is the main reason I expanded my flower bed. I wanted it to double as a growing area for the squash as well as for all my flowers.
After expanding the border of the bed, I laid down cardboard and covered it in mulch. It sat all winter. The grass should be killed, the cardboard rotted, and I should have beautiful soil under the mulch. I strategically placed stepping stones in the bed, so I could weed, harvest, and take care of the flowers and squash, without compressing the soil.
Growing butternut squash will be a bit of a learning curve. There is a curing process that needs to occur for the squashes’ sugars to develop. Without this, the squash won’t taste as nice. I’ll let you know how this turns out at the end of the season.

Results

I must have not done a good job with even watering as the squash wasn’t fully filled out in the center. It had a whole where it shouldn’t have one. I also must not have cured it properly as it wasn’t the sweetest butternut. I’m sure I’ll try again, but I’ll have to say this was a bit of a FAIL!

Experiment #6

2 Peppers in the Same Place

I occasionally watch some gardening blogs, to get ideas and learn some techniques. One person suggested that you can start 2 peppers in the same cell and not thin them. When you transplant them, you keep both peppers and they grow up together. The blogger claimed there was no difference in production, even though the plants weren’t properly spaced.
I’m going to see if this is true.

For 2 of my pepper plants I’m going to try it. I’m choosing 2 pepper varieties I have grown in the past. This way I’ll have a good comparison. Since I’m familiar with how much these peppers produce, I’ll be able to see if they really are as productive as they have been in past years. Or if competing for water, nutrients and space makes them not as robust. I’m hoping this experiment proves true. For a small garden like mine getting more from such a small space would be awesome! The rest of my peppers will be single plants spaced at the proper distance.

Check back at the end of the season to see if this really works.

Results

This wasn’t the greatest year for peppers. I’d say I had a bit below average on production. I’ll try it again as all the peppers struggled a bit. 

Experiment #7

Okra and Peppers

My first 2 years gardening, I planted okra and peppers side by side. Both years I had a bumper crop of both, but not since I’ve split them up. This year I’m going to plant them side by side again. I want to see if okra and peppers really love being grown together and if I can get a bumper crop yet again! I’ll let you know how this works!

Results

The okra didn’t seem to do anything to increase production. As this wasn’t the greatest year for peppers, I’m not willing to give up on this idea just yet. 

Experiment #8

Cucumber in a Pot

For my last planned experiment for 2021, I’m once again trying to grow a cucumber in a pot. I did this last year and it worked fairly well. But I want to see if I can get better at it.

Last year it didn’t get as bushy as I wanted and the cucumbers got a little bitter. I chose a different variety from last year and I’m going to cut the terminal growing point sooner to see if I can get the plant to be bushy. Check back at the end of the season for how this worked out!

Results

Success! I chose the Burpless Beauty variety. I don’t think I’ll ever do a different one. 

Experiment #9

Strawberries

I just couldn’t help myself. I’m not one for impulse buys, but every once in a while something catches my eye. I was at one of those big garden stores. I saw they had everbearing strawberries. (These will produce fruit through the season.) While I don’t have the time to do a proper strawberry patch, you can do strawberries in hanging baskets and treat them like annuals.

Doing strawberries in hanging baskets is a first for me. In picking out my plant, I followed the principles of choosing a healthy plant found in the Absolute Beginner’s Garden Part 4. Remembering these principles was helpful because most of the strawberries at the store were invested with bugs. Definitely don’t want to bring those home!

I chose a pot that was bug free and had 2 plants in it. This way I could divide them and get 2 plants for the price of one. All I needed was a couple more hanging baskets and another pole to hang them on! A bit of an expensive impulse buy, but if it works I’ll have “better tasting than any you can buy” strawberries. And I have an idea. This can be dangerous! I’m toying with an idea about trying for strawberries all year-round. I need to think a bit more on how that might work. If I come up with a viable plan, you’ll read about it!

Results

Growing strawberries in hanging baskets works very well. I did have to net them as the birds found them. They were so good! Maybe someday I can have a propper strawberry patch so I can get more than just 2-3 every day!