Will planting garlic with tomatoes discorage beneficial insects

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For several years I planted tomatoes at a friend's garden and Steve was very much into companion planning and using nettle teas and all else to control critters/insects, etc.

He was also a garlic lover and for three years running he planted garlic around every single tomato plant in the garden ( about 50 plants) and saw absolutely NO change in the numbers of stinkbugs or Colorado Potato Beetles or hornworms, which are three of the baddies where I live.

He finally concluded that it wasn't working and asked me to get him some COlorado Potato Beetle Beater liquid to spray, which I did.

Now that's planting garlic to discourage bad bugs.

So I'm sitting here and I'm wondering what the good bugs for tomatoes might be and I can't come up with any, save the following.

Perhaps if a person isn't saving seeds from an OP variety one might consider tomato blossom insect pollinators as good bugs, but that's about all I can come up with right now in terms of anything beneficial to tomato growing.

And garlic isn't going to have any effect on insect pollinators.

Carolyn

THere are some wasps that parasitize hornworms, and allium (onion family) flowers are appreciated by most of the little bennie bees and wasps, but garlic flowers are fleeting, and usually picked off if you want to harvest a bulb.

THere are several places that sell "beneficial insect" seed mixes, Nichols Garden Nursery comes to mind, I'd think that would be a better way to go...though i doubt it would make much difference in stinkbug or potato beetles.

Thanks Carolyn and Instar , main concern is Green lace wings,Lady bugs and Hoover flies. I`ll order and plant the beneficial seed mix, love flowers if they draw good bugs thats great. Carylon I don`t have a problem with bean beatles and horn worms. (YET) Thanks for quick get back Bill

Carolyn wrote:

"So I'm sitting here and I'm wondering what the good bugs for tomatoes might be and I can't come up with any, save the following.

Perhaps if a person isn't saving seeds from an OP variety one might consider tomato blossom insect pollinators as good bugs, but that's about all I can come up with right now in terms of anything beneficial to tomato growing."

Carolyn, if one is plagued by aphids, spidermites or whiteflies on their tomato plants there are a few other beneficial insects you'd want to have around like green lacewings and lady beetles.

br33,

Dill and cosmos are two very fine hosts for adult green lacewings. I release green lacewings each summer and they do a fantastic job easily and naturally. I see the adults mostly on my dill and cosmos but elsewhere as well but in smaller numbers. I agree with Carolyn that garlic is insignificant in my garden as well and I grow garlic each fall for an early June harvest here and it never stopped hornworms, beetles etc...

The lady bugs is all I need.

Thanks Big Daddy What time of year do you release G L W
Mrsjustice How do you get and keep your Ladybugs

br33,

The best time here is first week in June. I'm zone 7 like you but barely. You are warmer and earlier in Atlanta. You might want to release a bit earlier. It is important that they are released right at the onset of the bad bug invasions.I have learned through time that early June is best here.

I do reorder every year because I want them here on time and in good numbers. They are inexpensive and very easy to apply compared to repeated chemical sprayings. I am an organic gardener. I have found natural solutions work as well as or better (like in this case) than chemical ones most of the time.