Tagetes patula
Tagetes patula
Common names: Student's flower, Tagetes, Velvet flower, French herb
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Description
Tagetes patula, commonly known as the Student's flower, is a vigorous companion plant in vegetable gardens. Its roots exude substances that repel harmful soil nematodes, making it a popular choice to plant between tomatoes and potatoes. From June until frost, it produces dense clusters of bright yellow to reddish-brown flowers that attract hoverflies and bees.
Care instructions
Sow seeds in early April on a windowsill or directly in the garden from May, after the last frost. The plant is frost-sensitive. Provide a sunny location and water the soil in the morning, avoiding wetting the flowers. Regularly remove faded blooms to encourage continuous flowering. For nematode control, leave a dense stand and incorporate the plants into the soil in autumn.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, loamy
Feeding
Medium feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example Carrotcelery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCoriander and 19 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Sunflowers release substances into the soil that inhibit potato tuber growth, and they also compete for water and nutrients.
For example Sweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberryChiliPeperoni and 7 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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