Good companions

Companion plants don't just look pretty: they help deter the pests which attack your plants and attract in helpful pollinating insects for bumper crops. Sow marigolds now for planting with tomatoes and they'll confuse whitefly with their distinctive smell; nasturtiums under broad beans act as a decoy for blackfly; and poached-egg plants and sweetpeas planted among beans and peas draw in bees, hoverflies and other pollinators.