I plant flowers in the vegetable garden mainly to attract pollinators, and as barrier crops for seed saving purposes. I'm with Jean, I have yet to see any conclusive evidence that companion planting repels insect pests. Anecdotal evidence (I used it, and had no .....) means nothing, unless a control (unprotected) planting of the same vegetable, at the same site, had problems. The most common myths seem to be for marigolds & nasturtiums. However, I am not saying that flowers are not useful for pest control. There are several ways they can be helpful. To the extent that companion planting breaks up large mono-cultures, it can be helpful in reducing the spread of insects or diseases. This strategy works best if the adjacent plants are of a different genera, with different insect pests. For example, you would not want tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes to be adjacent to one another, since they are closely related - as is the flower Nocotiana. Flowers & herbs are seldom in the same genera as cultivated vegetables, so they are generally effective as companions... but with a little planning, the same effect can be achieved with edible plants. Flowers & herbs can be used as trap crops, as can other plants. I have observed some insects that are attracted more to the weeds in my garden, than to the vegetables. Mallows will attract white flies... but since okra is also a mallow, that strategy could potentially backfire. I grew an unusual solanaceae, "Litchi Tomato", which acts as a trap crop for Colorado potato beetle. The problem with using trap crops as a pest control strategy is that you are attracting harmful insects... so if planted as a preventative measure, it could actually make things worse. Trap crops are best used outside the garden, to attract the target insect & kill them. Flowers can also be useful for attracting & holding beneficial insect populations. Cleome, for example, attracts wasps... and as scary as that thought might be, wasps control several garden pests. Other flowers feed the adults of insects that are predatory as larvae, such as Syrphids (hover flies). And while this is not a flower, I'll mention that yardlong beans are attractive as feeding sites for ladybugs... so if you want to keep ladybugs from migrating, you might consider growing them.

Firstly, you should begin educating yourself about the many different critters you'll likely meet in your garden...good and bad. Identifying the pests as well as the beneficials will be extremely helpful to you. I think that a good field guide is a terrific place to start. Visit your local bookstore to see if you can find something that you like. (I have several, but often recommend The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. I made it a requirement for my college level insect classes, and since the book is covered with a black leatherette binding, several people thought that I was teaching Bible studies, lol.) Bees, of course, are attracted to plants that provide plentiful supplies of nectar and/or pollen. Many of the annual and perennial flowers that we incorporate into our landscaping will end up being bee (and butterfly, moth, hummingbird, etc.) plants. Do some internet searches on 'nectar plants' and you'll get lots of ideas.

greenhouse in the BASEMENT jean ... in my world.. that is INSIDE THE HOUSE... lol .. unless he has some vapor lock second room entry and exit.. and uses a suit that remains inside... etc ... i suspect there is a reason we havent been told the crop ... ken ps: prevention is worth all cure.. next time sterilize your media.. and dont bring the vermin in the house ...

Princess is a beautiful cat! My dogs will chase off raccoons in the late afternoon IF the coons are so bold as to come up to the house/garden area during daylight hours, but all my dogs are securely locked up by twilight because of the large number of large predators here along the Red River bottomlands. Raccoons have managed to climb every fence I've ever had, even this year's new 7' tall deer fence, which has kept the deer out (finally!). To keep the coons out, I think we will have to add 2' more of fencing and leave it loose so it "flops" outward as they try to scale it. And, I'll still have to remove the two gates and the cedar arbor that serves as an "entry" to the veggie garden, because the coons can climb the arbor. I've had about 10 deer a day in the yard this weekend (not all at once, but up to 5 at once) but they haven't managed to get into the veggie garden, so the new fence continues to work. Some people told me that I'd need 8' or 9' of fencing to keep out the largest deer, but so far, 7' works. I used to think raccoons were "cute", but after living here for 10 years, I now think they are a cute nuisance and I know they are viciously mean. And, keep working on the soil and it will get better. I have mostly clay, and only one narrow band of almost pure sand/silt, and have improved the heck out of them for 10 years. In the beginning, I didn't think I'd ever get it into the good shape I wanted, but I think it is about where I want it now.....although the improving, of course, goes on forever. I don't think we'll ever win the "war" with the raccoons. Our raccoons are rather bold, often looking in the french patio door, knocking at the windows, or attempting to make entry through the dog door (it is duct-taped shut for that very reason, which makes it pretty ineffective as a dog door). A friend of ours who lives fairly close to McGeehee's trapped (and then shot) 18 raccoons a couple of years ago. I think it was 2006--the year the two airplanes crashed at McGeehee's exactly one month apart. Even after he disposed of those 18 raccoons, the remaining ones STILL got every single bit of his corn. Another neighbor, who lives between us and the Red River (and, consequently takes a worse "hit" in his veggie garden from the deer and raccoons and other critters) has tried just about every raccoon remedy known to mankind, and his only success has been to use electric fence very, very close to the corn. You have to have at least 2 low strands--about 4" and 12" above the ground to keep the racoons out, and you have to have several higher strands to keep the deer out (if deer are a problem for you). You know, gardening here in Love County would be pretty easy if it wasn't for the soil, the general lack of rainfall and the creatures and critters, large and small, who want to eat everything in the garden!