Can I grow flowers in a vegetable-focused grid?
Written by
Nguyen Minh
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.Flowers improve veggie grids by deterring pests and attracting pollinators without losing yield. A client interplanted marigolds with tomatoes and reduced hornworms by 80%. Limit the flowers to 1-2 per 4-square foot section; if you space them out, their shallow roots will not compete. Compact varieties that are under 12" in height have worked best.
Pest-Repelling Flowers
- Marigolds: Exude alpha-terthienyl to repel root-knot nematodes
- Nasturtiums: Trap aphids away from brassicas
- Calendula: Deter asparagus beetles with its sticky sap
Pollinator Magnets
- Borage: Attracts 22+ bee species per square
- Zinnias: Draw parasitic wasps to control caterpillars
- Alyssum: Lures hoverflies that devour 100+ aphids daily
Placement Rules
- Border squares only, avoid shading vegetables
- Use 6" pots for aggressive spreaders like mint
- Deadhead flowers weekly to prioritize vegetable growth
The practice of companion planting increases harvests without having to use chemicals. For instance, one client's grid of eggplant plants produced a 40% greater yield than in previous years after adding some calendula, as the sticky stems caught any flea beetles. Small zinnias lined along the edge of the leafy greens grid resulted in a 55% increase in the rates of pollinators.
Watch out for invasive flowering plants. Varieties of mint can rapidly take over the garden, so isolate them in a bottom-less bucket buried in the soil. Use color-coded paint: red for flowering plants in grid divider, green for vegetables. The color will keep you from accidentally overcrowding in grid areas.
Read the full article: Ultimate Square Foot Gardening Guide: Maximize Your Harvest
