Cantaloupe Companion Planting
Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis
Gourd (Cucurbitaceae) -- warm season
Good Companions for Cantaloupe
Nasturtium functions as a trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles (Diabrotica spp.) that attack cantaloupe. Nasturtium flowers also attract predatory hover flies.
Plant nasturtiums around cantaloupe hills. Cantaloupe requires insect pollination -- any companion that attracts pollinators is valuable.
- The role of trap cropping in vegetable pest management -- Integrated Pest Management Reviews (1998)
Borage flowers attract pollinators (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp.) essential for cantaloupe fruit set. Cucurbits depend entirely on insect pollination for fruit development.
Plant borage near cantaloupe hills. Blue borage flowers are especially attractive to bees.
- Insect Pollination of Cucurbits -- University of Florida IFAS Extension (2017)
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