Mints for Flea beetles?

[Starlight]

Hunting around different sites for seeds, I have come across several seed selling sites that suggest the use of mints to keep flea beetles away from the tomatoes.

Anybody else heard that or tried it?

Also, what kind of mints? Nobody had listed specific types to use. Callaway Gardens has their big plant sale next weekend and there is a vendor there who sells nothing but mints of all types. I plan on going and if it true about keeping the beetles away, I want to stock up on the right type plants.

[KarenO]

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/.../flea-beetles/

No mention of mint but some good information if flea beetles are a problem. I don't like pac choy but flea beetles do. I use it to keep them out of the brassicas I do like. Radish works well too, mostly because they are up quick. A decoy Trap crop and stickies should thin them out for you.

[AlittleSalt]

I'm not sure about it helping tomatoes or not? Apple Mint is our favorite - it grows big, fast, and spreads quickly. Oh, and it tastes really good too.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by KarenO

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/.../flea-beetles/

No mention of mint but some good information if flea beetles are a problem. I don't like pac choy but flea beetles do. I use it to keep them out of the brassicas I do like. Radish works well too, mostly because they are up quick. A decoy Trap crop and stickies should thin them out for you.

Boy am I glad you said something about how they like pac choy. I have several different types, I had planned on growing for this year. Now I'll have to think about protection of some sort. Flea beetles are a major problem down here. I was lucky last year and didn't really have any show up til start of fall then they came in like blockbusters.

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I'm not sure about it helping tomatoes or not? Apple Mint is our favorite - it grows big, fast, and spreads quickly. Oh, and it tastes really good too.

I'll look for Apple at the plant sale. I picked up Tangerine Mint last year and it was good. Hoping the frost and ice didn't kill it last night, forgot to bring it in with some of the other tender perennials.

[agee12]

My response is more academic than actual experience but radish gets my vote too.

In general the companion plants that I am most bullish on are marigolds, radishes, basil and mint. The good thing about radishes are that they grow very fast. I would not buy a radish plants, just seeds and plant them. You should be able to get cheap radish seeds at Walmart or Dollar General.

Mint is pretty vast and encompasses peppermint, spearmint, catnip, cat mint, oregano, the balm family like beebalm and lemon balm, et. al. I think that you can get regular mint, presumably peppermint or spearmint, anywhere so you may want to broaden things and figure out what your needs are especially when it comes to either pest control or pollinators and let that influence what you end up getting. One downside to mint is that it is invasive so you may want to consider planting it in a pot which is good because you can move it around. The upside, in addition to its benefits as a companion plant, is that it propagates well, I bought one catnip, one oregano and one mint plant last year and throughout the growing season I was able to take cuttings and companion plant them when I started new plants.

In conclusion, if you don't have mint plants, I definitely think that you should add one or more varieties to your shopping list, but for flea beetle control I think that mint is a good idea but you may want to also consider planting radishes and also look into seeing if diatomaceous earth helps control that pest.

I am so jealous that you are going to the sale, but maybe I will try to rearrange things and make it down there before it ends in April.

[Cole_Robbie]

Mulch will help. Hot, dry soil makes them swarm the plant much worse.

They are really bad on eggplant seedlings in my family's garden. It's one of the few plants I have trouble raising without using Sevin.

[KarenO]

Also be careful about planting mint in your vegetable garden, depending on the variety it can be extremely invasive with aggressive spreading roots.
best in a pot or corralled somehow in a bottomless buried pot in ground.
KO

[AlittleSalt]

Yes, mint is very invasive. I already have a lot growing now. It started coming up a month or so ago. I allow a 5' walkway between it and the nearest vegetables.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by agee12

My response is more academic than actual experience but radish gets my vote too.

In general the companion plants that I am most bullish on are marigolds, radishes, basil and mint. The good thing about radishes are that they grow very fast. I would not buy a radish plants, just seeds and plant them. You should be able to get cheap radish seeds at Walmart or Dollar General.

Mint is pretty vast and encompasses peppermint, spearmint, catnip, cat mint, oregano, the balm family like beebalm and lemon balm, et. al. I think that you can get regular mint, presumably peppermint or spearmint, anywhere so you may want to broaden things and figure out what your needs are especially when it comes to either pest control or pollinators and let that influence what you end up getting. One downside to mint is that it is invasive so you may want to consider planting it in a pot which is good because you can move it around. The upside, in addition to its benefits as a companion plant, is that it propagates well, I bought one catnip, one oregano and one mint plant last year and throughout the growing season I was able to take cuttings and companion plant them when I started new plants.

In conclusion, if you don't have mint plants, I definitely think that you should add one or more varieties to your shopping list, but for flea beetle control I think that mint is a good idea but you may want to also consider planting radishes and also look into seeing if diatomaceous earth helps control that pest.

I am so jealous that you are going to the sale, but maybe I will try to rearrange things and make it down there before it ends in April.

Wonder if Peppermint helps with the beetles. Gotta get me some Peppermint for the sketters. They just as bad here.

The plant sale at Callaway is March 23,-25th this year unless I read it wrong.

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Mulch will help. Hot, dry soil makes them swarm the plant much worse

They are really bad on eggplant seedlings in my family's garden. It's one of the few plants I have trouble raising without using Sevin.

Ahhhhhhhh good to know. Probably why my eggplants get loaded with them as I keep them on the dry side. I didn't grow any eggplant last year as the flea beetles were so bad the year before. You go out squish egg after egg and come back two hours later and the leaves full of eggs again. Had distorted plants and a few lousy looking fruits.

Shame the flea beetles love the eggplant so much I have several varieties from Thailand that I would like to try. Just don't want to battle beetles day in and day out.

Originally Posted by KarenO

Also be careful about planting mint in your vegetable garden, depending on the variety it can be extremely invasive with aggressive spreading roots.
best in a pot or corralled somehow in a bottomless buried pot in ground.
KO

Everything here as to go into containers. Weird question. If I put mints and radish in containers and place around my tomatoes and will do some for my special student too, do the containers have to be as tall as what my tomato containers are?

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Yes, mint is very invasive. I already have a lot growing now. It started coming up a month or so ago. I allow a 5' walkway between it and the nearest vegetables.

I bet it looks pretty though. You harvest any for teas?

[AlittleSalt]

Absolutely, teas, lemonade, lemon or lime water, just pick a leaf and chew on it.

[Spike2]

I have nothing useful to add here. I just saw the title of this thread and didn't know flea beetles had bad breath . . .

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by Spike2

I have nothing useful to add here. I just saw the title of this thread and didn't know flea beetles had bad breath . . .

Cute!

[agee12]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Wonder if Peppermint helps with the beetles. Gotta get me some Peppermint for the sketters. They just as bad here.

The plant sale at Callaway is March 23,-25th this year unless I read it wrong.

I read that catnip is considered a good mosquito repellent. Do you do anything with the mint to get it to repel the mosquitoes, e.g., make a spray, or is having the plant itself good enough?

You're right about the date of the plant sale, I googled and did not notice that the plant sale date range I was looking at was for 2015.

Everything here as to go into containers. Weird question. If I put mints and radish in containers and place around my tomatoes and will do some for my special student too, do the containers have to be as tall as what my tomato containers are?

How big are your containers?

[ilex]

I don't know any plant that really repels mosquitoes. They might avoid touching it, but effect is a very short range effect. Essential oils do work, as they are concentrated, and they are also short range.

[MuddyToes]

Originally Posted by ilex

I don't know any plant that really repels mosquitoes. They might avoid touching it, but effect is a very short range effect. Essential oils do work, as they are concentrated, and they are also short range.

I slather on Vick's vapor rub and spray cinnamon leaf, rosemary, and peppermint oils diluted with a little cheap vodka when the skeeters get oppressive. Have to reapply every hour or so. But DEET gives me a terrible headache.