Garden Update: Companion Planting

Look at my tomato plants!  The one in the pot is even bigger.  I planted most of them in with the roses because I heard they had some sort of mutually beneficial relationship.  Judging by this picture, it appears that tomatoes really, really like roses.  But, the roses?  They’re not full of love for the tomatoes.  Here’s the before picture.  The tomato plants are now towering over the roses, which have completely deteriorated.  I hereby declare their relationship to be dysfunctional.

But, maybe it’s not the tomatoes that are to blame for the roses’ dismal performance.  I know the roses don’t like the powdery mildew that plagues their leaves every spring.  Usually, I just spray them with whatever chemicals the garden people tell me to, but I’m not so much with the chemicals this year.  It’s going to have to be survival of the fittest.  So far, the tomatoes are winning.

In other news, here’s the most pathetic garden ever. 

And these are the best performers in the bed, aside from the weeds along the border that appear to be really enjoying the water drainage.  Apparently, the plants don’t like the shady spot I picked out for them.  What a bunch of crybabies.  Also, groundhogs really, really like radishes, but the feeling isn’t mutual.  I wouldn’t plant your radishes and your groundhogs too close together.

Now, let’s take a look at the stuff that grows all by itself, and doesn’t give a rat’s ass what’s around it or whether or not I’m going to water it.  I wonder how these would taste in a salad?

Comments

[Husband]

I think it is probably OK to spray a little fungus-killer on the roses. As long as you just treat the leaves, and don't saturate the ground, the tomotoes will be safe.

Maybe we could rub the anti-fungus stuff on the leaves? Those roses look terrible!

[cookiecrumb]

Oh, too bad your roses suck.
I hate to grow roses. If I move to a house with roses, I do assisted euthanasia. (Which is suicide with two people helping.)
But your tomatoes look great.

[Tammy]

I couldn't care less about the roses. It's a cruel, cruel world.

[Alyssa]

Try mixing milk half-and-half with water and spraying it on your rose leaves. It can halp with mildew and won't hurt your tomatoes. Next time you might want to put the tomatoes a little farther away from the roses, since shade and humidity make mildew worse.