SANDIA SEED BLOG

Growing tips, recipes & more! Read all Posts »

What to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away

What to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away:

What to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away - Marigolds help Tomato Plants

Marigolds:
Did you know that the strong 
scent of marigolds can repel a variety of pests such tomato hornworms, aphids, whiteflies and thrips? It's true! There has also been research that indicated that planting marigolds between tomatoes protects the tomato plants from harmful root-knot nematodes in the soil.

We have certainly noticed that our tomato plants do better when we have planted some marigolds nearby, so we now grow them every year in our tomato and pepper garden. 

More Herbs & Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away:
Don't just stop at planting Marigolds with your tomatoes. For further protection from pest bugs, you can also plant basil, beans, bee balm, borage, sweet alyssum, chives, garlic, nasturtium, mint, anise, onion, and parsley. 

For a healthy garden, grow lots of flowers and herbs! When you have a lush garden with lots of variety, it can attract pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects that will help keep pests in check. We highly recommend adding lots of these Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects »


What to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away - Lacewing Eggs on Tomato Plant
Above: Don't assume everything is a bad guy! These mysterious eggs on stalks are Lacewing eggs, one of the good guys. They love eating aphids! To attract them, incorporate these Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects »


Tomato Seeds
Tomato Seeds

When selecting tomato varieties, you must choose between plants with different types of growth habits called determinate or indeterminate. All tomatoes are either one or the other.  Determinate varieties reach a certain plant height and then stop growing. The majority of their fruit matures within a month or two and appears at the ends of the branches, and are good for canning as the harvest comes all at once. Indeterminate varieties continue to grow, bloom and produce tomatoes all along the stems throughout the growing season. 

Sandia Seed recommends a garden that has both open-pollinated heirloom and hybrid tomato seeds. Grow open-pollinated seeds for great flavor and seed saving and hybrid seeds for vigor, yield and better disease resistance. If you grow several varieties of both, you're sure to have success! We find that each year, depending on the weather, pests, and soil conditions, different tomato varieties thrive and others struggle. Where one year a certain variety will thrive, the very next year it can do poorly for a variety of reasons. So placing your bets on planting several different varieties each season will help you succeed and have a good tomato harvest every year.

Grow some new varieties of tomatoes this year in your garden! We offer a huge selection of both Heirloom and Hybrid tomato seeds. See a sampling of some of the varieties we carry below. View all of our Tomato Seeds »



Tomato Seeds - What to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away

Back to blog
  • Pepper Growing for Beginners

    Pepper Growing for Beginners

    A customer just asked us about his seedlings that were just starting to popup. He's a beginner and was wondering if he should keep the humidity dome on them if...

    Pepper Growing for Beginners

    A customer just asked us about his seedlings that were just starting to popup. He's a beginner and was wondering if he should keep the humidity dome on them if...

  • Growing Peppers from Seeds

    Growing Peppers from Seed: Our Top 12 Tips

    Growing Peppers from SeedOur Top 12 Tips 1. Use Fresh Pepper Seeds When perfectly stored, pepper seeds can be viable for up to 25 years, but generally 2-5 years is more...

    Growing Peppers from Seed: Our Top 12 Tips

    Growing Peppers from SeedOur Top 12 Tips 1. Use Fresh Pepper Seeds When perfectly stored, pepper seeds can be viable for up to 25 years, but generally 2-5 years is more...

  • NEW SEEDS FOR 2025

    NEW SEEDS FOR 2025

    WE HAVE NEW SEEDS ARRIVING! New seeds now available: Gypsy Sweet Pepper: This super fast growing sweet pepper has a fantastic sweet flavor and is never bitter like a bell pepper can...

    NEW SEEDS FOR 2025

    WE HAVE NEW SEEDS ARRIVING! New seeds now available: Gypsy Sweet Pepper: This super fast growing sweet pepper has a fantastic sweet flavor and is never bitter like a bell pepper can...

1 of 3
Fastest Growing Peppers

Fastest Growing Peppers

These are the fastest growing peppers that you can grow from seeds... 

Discount Seeds: 50% Off Seeds + Free Shipping on US Orders over $30

50% OFF SEEDS

Check out our 50% off Seed Discount deals below.  These seeds rotate... 

Best Peppers for Containers

Best Peppers for Containers

If you want to grow peppers in containers, below are our top favorite...