Although growing tomatoes, like everything else in life, is incredibly rewarding, they are not without their pitfalls.

We are not the only ones who love tomatoes. There are other animals, birds, insect pests and soil-borne plants that also love these vibrant, delicious plants.

It is also true that tomatoes are loved by other plants. They can help establish beneficial relationships for them.

Companion planting – symbiotic relationships

You may have seen an example of a symbiotic relationship in a documentary or nature show. It could be a beautiful, majestic sea turtle that visits a particular spot every year. Interestingly, many species of fish come out to clean it. Or a huge, deadly shark that has small fish swimming in and around its mouth. And they clean its teeth!

These are just two examples of unique symbiotic relationships in the wild.

Plants do it too!
Incredibly, plants have many traits that help their neighbors.

A plant might be a nitrogen fixer. This means that it takes nitrogen from the atmosphere and makes it available in the soil, thereby improving nitrogen uptake for all plants in the area.

Or a plant may have long, deep, sturdy roots that help loosen the soil, allowing nutrients to be released so they are more available to plants with shallower roots.

As with wildlife, some plants are not good friends. One plant may grow aggressively, sucking up all available nutrients and water and spreading everywhere, essentially smothering nearby, less aggressive plants. Another plant might attract deer or rabbits to the garden. Then the hungry herbivores will take no notice and eat other valuable plants during the visit.

In the case of marigolds, they perform many friendly gestures in the garden.

5 Reasons to Grow Marigolds With Your Tomato Plants
1. Marigolds attract bees and other insects that benefit from tomatoes.

Who doesn’t love beautiful butterflies, bees, ladybugs and other useful little animals visiting the tomato garden?

Great for aiding pollination, yes! Additionally, many of the insects attracted to marigolds help keep away insect pests like aphids and caterpillars.

2. Marigolds serve as a “trap” for slugs.

Plant a row of marigolds around your tomato plants and slugs will never venture beyond the tasty foliage of your marigolds.
Slugs love tomatoes. You may not even realize they’re there until you pick your juicy, plump fruit. Then you’ll find soft, mushy holes and the telltale narrow tracks left by these nighttime predators.

Luckily, they like marigolds even more, making them an effective “trap” for slugs. The airy, fern-like marigold foliage makes finding and destroying slugs and snails a breeze in the early morning.

3. Marigolds deter animal pests from tomato plants.

The strong smells of marigold plants often deter other garden pests such as rabbits, deer, cats and snakes. Okay, I don’t know that snakes eat tomatoes, but in my opinion they can stay out of the vegetable patch.

4. Marigolds help keep soil healthy.
For the agricultural and home tomato grower, root nematodes can plague tomato plants. They also bother some of their nightshade crops, such as peppers and eggplants.

Marigolds are extremely useful in this scenario. They catch and kill parasitic root-knot nematodes. Plant marigolds thoroughly in infested areas. Toxins in the roots of the marigold appear to kill the nematode before it grows and reproduces.

5. Marigolds repel tomato worms.

Tomato hornworm eats tomatoes
There are many worms and caterpillars that love tomatoes. Large moths begin their lives as the dreaded tomato hornworm.

Marigolds help repel these pests in two ways.

First, their strong smell is said to deter moths and prevent them from laying eggs. Second, marigolds attract many beneficial insects, including parasitic wasps, which are harmful predators of tomato hornworms and other pesky worms and caterpillars.

Tomato hawk moths with parasitic wasp larvae attack
marigolds and tomatoes

So many great ways to use marigolds with tomato plants! They can be planted in the raised bed or hanging basket. They could create an impenetrable border around the tomato bed. Smaller varieties could be planted closer to the tomato plants while larger marigolds could be planted a little further away.

Plant an impenetrable border of marigolds around your tomato plants.
Marigold species
There are over 50 species of marigold (Tagetes). The three most popular for use in the garden are the African marigold (T. erectus), the French marigold (T. patula) and the Signet marigold (T. tenuifolia).

Marigolds are great for the garden, but they are marigolds (Calendula officinalis).

They don’t all have the same positive qualities in the garden, although they do have many fantastic benefits.

African marigolds are the tallest. They could be planted around the tomato bed. These hardy plants grow 30 to 120 cm tall and have large double flowers in hot yellow, orange, red and white tones.

French marigolds are more compact and have fern-like leaves. They love the heat, have a long flowering period and grow 15 to 45 cm high and wide. Their flowers are double and also available in the warm colors orange, yellow, red and white.

Signet marigolds produce small, single flowers that bloom profusely and abundantly in fragrant mounds on lacy-leafed plants 12 inches (30 cm) tall and wide. Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem are excellent examples of citrus-scented heirlooms.

Which marigolds are best for tomatoes?
Each individual marigold plant in the tomato garden has its advantages. If you encounter a particular problem, try the following:

Deer deterrent: African marigold.
Root knot nematode: French marigold.
Attracts bees and beneficial insects: Marigold.< ai=3> Deter tomato worms and caterpillars: All of the above. Combine different marigolds to find out which one you like best. See what works well for preventing potential tomato problems.

Quick tip: In general, signet marigolds thrive without deadheads, while African and French marigolds bloom more profusely with deadheads.

How to Grow Marigolds
Marigolds are an easy-to-grow, frost-tender annual flower. Plants can be started indoors 4 weeks before the last frost date or by direct seeding in the garden after the last danger of frost has passed. They will begin flowering about 10 weeks later.

Here at True Leaf Market you can buy many varieties of marigold seeds.

African, French and signet marigolds are popular bedding plants, so you can save yourself the trouble and buy transplants that are perfect for planting near your tomatoes.