It's actually a good idea to interplant flowers among your vegetables. Some, such as marigolds & nasturtiums, may help to discourage insect pests. Free-flowering plants like basil, sunflowers, cosmos, and cleome not only attract bees, but can act as food sources to keep beneficial insect predators in your garden.

I plant flowers (or let them volunteer) in the spaces between rows, along pathways, or where there are gaps in a row due to poor germination... Nature has a way of providing openings. Additionally, I allocate some space for flowers in each plot - perhaps as a seed crop.

I follow my grandmother's example and always plant flowers in the vegetable garden, zinnia's if nothing else. She planted zinnias, sweetpeas, gladiolas and dahlias. No visitor ever left without a big bouquet along with a bag of vegetables.

Jim

Petunias help deter bean beetles, and I always interplant them.

Don't forget, too, that you can grow your beans right on your cornstalks, thus double dipping. For the ultimate, go with a three-sisters patch: corn, beans, and squashes all grown together.

Peas are a hardy vegetable, and you can set the seed as soon as the ground can be worked. Beans and corn are tender plants, and you want to wait, with them, until the ground warms up---at least two weeks after your last frost.

Check with your nearest extension agent for planting times and variatal recommendations for your area.