To get "visually interesting" tomatoes try to grow them on those European sprial trellises. I grew tomatoes in the same bed as gladiolus this year, they did well together. Nasturtiums are good decoys to grow with veggies as well because they attract pests. Good border herbs include thyme and oregano. Rosemary can become quite beautiful if nicely shaped. You also might consider a pot of peppermint or spearmint too! My thoughts on keeping out pests would be to rotate what you grow but I don't really have any experience to back that up. Also keep plants from sprawling over the ground to eliminate slug problems. We grew tomatoes this year and they had virtually no pests, a quality I attribute to the likely conclusion of previous homeowners never had gardens.

put in some french marigolds as a border as well as garlic and various mints in pots, like penny royal. They all repel various pests. You may want to post this as well on the organic gardening place as their probably will be more knowledgable people their when it comes to using herbs and other plants to repels pests. Oh and rue is supposed to be good as well.

We always do this, flowers, herbs and veggies all together in little "patches". Carrots make good edging plants, and the lacy leave are nice to look at and cover up the stems of things like cleomes and larkspur. Try planting an all white garden spot with white tomatoes, white eggplant and cukes, and white flowers. Or mix and match a couple of colors, yellows and blues go together well, try yellow peppers next to borage, a very pretty combo.
You might also want to get a book on companion planting, lots of ideas in "Carrots love Tomatoes". Happy gardening, Becky

: ) rue makes a great 'anchor' at one end of a row garden to discourage pests... Artemesia (wormwood) does the same- they're strongly astringent/aromatic plants that NOTHING will eat.

I like the purple basil/spiderwort combination that just kind of happened this summer, as well as the chartreuse 'sweet potato' vine/cherry tomato 'ramble' over the fence...

Check out heirloom tomatoes as they can come in some interesting colors and still give great flavor. 'Purple Krim' and 'Black Krim' are visual standouts that taste great, as do 'White Wonder' and 'Green Zebra'. 'Old German' is a red/yellow stripe with old time flavor; the Mennonite folk have done a great job of preseving some old heirloom tomatoes and I'd thank them here if I thought they might actually use a computer... ;)

i've not tested this myself yet, but i have one of those information cards in a folder thingys that you get weekly from the newsagency (??) it says that for pest free tomatoes, plant 4 tomatoes in a row,leaving at least 1.2 - 1.5m between them. plant borage & basil between tomatoes (3 of each) to make tomatoes strong & attract good bugs, and border with 5 dill to attract stemborers away, and 5 marigolds to repel other insects. i am trialling this, but with a central row of dill, two rows of basil, borage, & tomatoes (one either side of the dill row), and fron border of marigolds and garlic. i am working with the triangular shaped bed of a mandala garden, so i am putting another row of marigolds and basil along the tird side at one end of the rows. i am also (after spring's fiasco!) planting my herbs WELL BEFORE putting in the veg. to give them time to establish. wish me luck! i hope this is not too untried to be of use...

I planted basil, chives, marigolds and a few peppers among my tomatoes last year. Also, nasturtiums and marigolds among the squash and cukes. The only problem I had with pests was with squash borers, but I've since read that planting radishes in a circle around each squash plant helps with that. Also Vicks vaporub on the stems (per another poster!) Anyone tried these solutions?

I see nothing wrong with planting roses in a vegetable garden. I do it myself. Just don't plant root crops that need to be dug too close to the roses, to avoid disturbing their roots. The roses appreciate a variety of herbs and flowers surrounding them, which attract beneficial insects.

Here's a link to an article with lots of ideas for annual and perennial flowers, and which beneficial insects they attract. It includes pictures. Enjoy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Flowers for Vegetable Gardens

I also plant flowers herbs and vegetables together. Why not!? Lots of vegetables are pretty, particularly when they aren't planted in 'soldier rows.'

One thing you might consider is planning small pathways (using your choice of material) that go through the area. That way you have easy access to your plants and don't compact the growing soil. If you can allow enough room to get a wheelbarrow through, all the better! With a little planning, you can make the paths so that they enhance the look of the garden.

Soaker hoses are great and mulch will make everything healthier and very pretty. Both cut down on maintaince time. Rotating your crops cuts down on infestations and allows the soil to recouperate from heavy feeders.

When you really get daring, you could consider a fountain or birdbath somewhere in the garden to add the sound of water! PS Watch out for invasive herbs like mint. Those, I'd plant in a pot in, or above ground! Good luck!

Lilylover, I got a "404 not found" error when trying to get to that link...?

Try different varieties of basil: i plant purple "holy"basil w/ the tomatoes,also throw in chamomile seeds: the pretty daisy flowers make great tea and the plants attract beneficials.
Purple and white allysums make good ground covers in hot climates too and attract good bugs too.
Don't forget to let some of the chives flower and go to seed, too!
For added textures, try the variegated thymes and oreganos.
For height and shade for some plants, grow some canna in the beds and you can underplant w/ lettuces and spinach.
Happy Gardening.