What to Plant with Tomatoes

Think of the many choices you have in companion planting as you plant your garden. Most people who garden at least plant one or two tomato plants.  You don't have to be a pro at gardening to plant tomatoes. Last year I had tomatoes growing where I didn't even place a tomato plant or seed. When my husband and I purchased our cottage cabin three years ago, it was surrounded by trees and cacti. 

  
The previous owner who had died had been a landscaper and left behind notes that he kept on landscaping jobs. One of my goals is to research those notes and share them on my blog. It's apparent that the guy could grow successfully anything he wanted to. It was obvious he loved to grow gardens, too. My first garden on the place was in an area he had fenced off specifically for vegetable and melon garden. Who knows? Maybe our tomato plant grew from a seed he had planted years ago. I do know that there is a drain from the kitchen sink that goes into the area where that tomato plant grew. So guess what! I've planted tomato plants there again this spring along with basil. I may add a couple more herbs in with the tiny kitchen garden. My strawberry pot sits nearby, and the strawberry plants I planted in the pot seem to be making it so far. I'm crossing my fingers as I have never planted strawberries before in a strawberry pot. 
What works well planted with tomatoes? Some of my favorite vegetable tomato allies are basil, carrots, cucumbers, chives, head lettuce, marigold, nasturtium, onion. Did you know that you can actually eat nasturtium flowers? 

The scent of flowers can deter animals, too. Lavender is one of my favorite scented plants. Two or three times I noticed my cat smelling them this past weekend before she went nearby and lay in a cool spot. She loves the lavender and my poppies. Obviously, they don't deter cats. However, they are supposed to deter rabbits. Plant lots of flowers around your garden, and use chicken wire around the plants and mesh wire on top. That should help keep the rabbits away and crows, too. Have you ever noticed how obnoxious crows can be? And they're huge. I've watched them carry bags of food trash across a gas station parking lot. I don't know which is worse for a garden, rabbits or crows. The flowers and wire should help, though. Companion planting assisted by the protection of scented flowers and wire will increase your chances of a successful garden.
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• Outdoor Wednesdays