Greener gardening - sacrificial plants

Gardeners usually spend a lot of time, energy and money trying to prevent pests from attacking their plants.  However there’s a method of pest control which aims to attract those damaging insects: planting some of their most tempting treats to lure them away from other, more valuable crops. 

It sounds counter-intuitive but sacrificial planting is a great, chemical free way to control pests in your garden, with the added benefits of bringing in more pollinating insects and adding attractive flowers to your plot.

For example, French marigolds are often planted with tomatoes as their flowers will deter whitefly.  Place a pot nearby, or pop a few marigolds into the grow bag and keep deadheading them all summer to keep your tomato plants whitefly-free.

Nasturtiums are another ‘trap crop’- grow these next to beans and brassicas.  The black bean aphids will colonise the stems and undersides of the nasturtium leaf, leaving your broad beans relatively unscathed; cabbage whites will also be more inclined to lay their eggs there, and the emerging caterpillars will munch on the nasturtium's large, prolific foliage instead of your cabbage leaves.

It may also be worthwhile sowing a few extra lettuce or spinach - not to eat, but as a more tempting alternative to other plants likely to be munched by molluscs, such as squash, peas or strawberries.  With luck, the slugs and snails will find the tender young greens a much easier and more appealing prospect.

Consider sowing a few extra sacrificial plants this season, or buy plug plants ready to pop into the veg patch; working with the pests instead of fighting them can lead to a healthier harvest as well as a greener garden.