The Garden Bug: Marigolds

By Brenda Weaver

Glasshouse whiteflies are destructive to tomato plants. Planting marigolds alongside tomatoes helps protect them from glasshouse whitefly infestations. Researchers from Newcastle University discovered that one of the compounds given off by marigolds is limonene, a terpene that the whiteflies find repugnant. Marigolds can also repel cabbage moths, Mexican bean beatles, nematodes, slugs and tomato hornworms. Marigolds are also a food source for pollinators.

Sources: cen.acs.org, The Herbalist Garden