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That 2017 "pest-proof garden" forum post I laughed at... them things actually work?
Back in 2017 on a homesteading board, some guy swore planting marigolds and garlic around his raised beds cut his raccoon raids by 80%. I mocked it as crunchy nonsense. Then last August in Phoenix, I tried the same setup out of spite and my damn tomato plants survived a whole season untouched. So which is it, folks? Does companion planting actually deter critters, or did I just get lucky with a lazy pack of raccoons? Anyone else had a gardening claim they wrote off that wound up pulling its weight?
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kai_burns7322h ago
The marigolds probably aren't doing what you think. Most of the pest control from that combo comes from the alliums, the garlic and onions, since the smell messes with raccoons and skunks way more than marigold roots do. Marigolds are mainly for nematodes in the soil and some aphid control, they don't put off much of a scent above ground. So your tomatoes likely got saved by the garlic, not the flowers. Raccoons in Phoenix are also way more interested in trash and pet food than tomato plants, so that could've helped too.
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