What are summer residents hiding? These flowers in vegetable beds are a death trap
Daffodils, tulips, buttercups... They seem harmless, but agronomists call them "silent killers."
A University of Reading study has found that bulbous flowers planted next to vegetables release toxins that slow the growth of root crops by 30%.
Gardener Maria from the Moscow region described the nightmare in her blog “My Dacha”:
“After planting tulips, the carrot tops turned yellow and the roots became hairy.”
But there is a downside: some flowers save the harvest.
For example, calendula has been shown in the Journal of Economic Entomology to repel aphids and nematodes.
The main thing is not to mix decorative and food crops chaotically.
Permaculture expert Sepp Holzer in his book Permaculture.
A Practical Guide writes: “Flowers should work, not steal resources.”
Plant them around the perimeter of your beds or as a hedge, and your harvest will avoid this hidden threat.
