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Marigolds and strawberries


Fit strawberries into a tight space by interplanting them

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Vern Nelson/Special to The OregonianStrawberries tuck nicely between greens and onions. Remember, don't bury the strawberry plant's crown.

If you are short of space or have an addiction to homegrown strawberries, read on. But, you say, I have no room for strawberries. With a little planning you can fit some strawberries into your garden. The secret is to interplant them.

PLANNING:

Strawberries need full sun and good drainage. If you already have raised beds for vegetables you are almost done. Dig in 2-3 inches of compost to enrich the bed and help it to retain moisture. Tuck strawberries in among vegetables.

COMPANIONS:

Strawberries grow happily with beans, borage, chives, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes and spinach.

Vern Nelson/Special to The OregonianEdge planting of strawberries (with onions and greens). Plant strawberries with runners 24 inches on center; strawberries without runners, 12-15 inches on center.

BENEFITS:

Interplanting vegetables with strawberries helps to hide the berries from hungry birds and other pests, who will have to work a bit harder to steal your crop. A variety of crops can also produce a mix of fragrances that can mask the scent of strawberries or confuse would-be thieves. Mixed vegetables can attract beneficial insects, and diverse groups of vegetables can also provide cover for the eggs and maturing young of beneficials.

PLANTING:

Choose virus-free strawberries that come from a nursery. Planting strawberries from a friend's garden can be risky because they may harbor diseases or pests. Plant berry plants on 24-inch centers to allow room for runners, or 12-15 inches apart with no room for runners. Allow 3-4 feet between rows of berries. Don't bury the crown when planting.

Vern Nelson/Special to The OregonianCenter planting of strawberries (with onions and greens). Plant strawberries with runners 24 inches on center; strawberries without runners, 15 inches on center.

In raised beds, strawberries can be used as a border along each edge of each bed, down the center in a straight line or zigzagged. Generous spacing between strawberry plants allows for the rooting of runners, which can be used for subsequent plantings in other beds.

TIMING:

Purchase and plant your strawberry starts as soon as local nurseries offer them for sale in the spring. There'll be a greater selection of varieties, and your berries will get an earlier start. Then sow seeds for borage, chives, lettuce, onions, radishes or spinach in the open spaces around the strawberries. By the time these vegetables are ready to be harvested as babies, the strawberries will be off to a good start. The vegetables can be succession-planted in the same places. Larger plants, such as beans and peas, may need more room between strawberry starts.

Vern Nelson/Special to The OregonianZigzag planting of strawberries (with onions and greens). Plant strawberries with runners 24 inches on center; strawberries without runners, 15 inches on center.

MAINTENANCE:

Remove the strawberries' flowers for a stronger start. Fertilize the strawberry starts in spring and again after the first crop with a fertilizer high in phosphorus.

Keep a supply of strawberries coming year after year by planting another strawberry bed each year for four years. Then, at the end of each bed's fourth year, rip it out and move runners to a bed without strawberries and start the cycle again. The old strawberry bed can be sown with cover crops for a year to recharge the soil.

The best pest control you can practice is to keep the bed scrupulously clean of debris and rotate your strawberries every fourth year.

Strawberries and marigolds make a fine mixed border. Marigolds' acrid smell is good for confusing pests or masking strawberries' fragrance. French marigolds are thought to deter root knot nematodes, which damage plant roots.

RECOMMENDED VARIETIES

These varieties will be available at local nurseries in spring.

JUNE-BEARING:

These produce their crop in late spring to early summer. Canners like the convenience of a heavy crop over a short period. Look for 'Benton,' 'Firecracker,' 'Hecker,' 'Hood'  and 'Rainier.'

EVERBEARING:

These produce berries summer through fall, offering a lighter crop over a longer period. Look for 'Aromas,' 'Eversweet,' 'Fern' and 'Seascape.'

Freelance writer/photographer

Vern Nelson

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Strawberry companion plants: what to grow with strawberries

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By growing strawberry companion plants alongside your fruit bushes you can help to boost the crop of these delicious soft fruits. 

Try taking a lesson from nature and grow plants alongside your strawberries that will be beneficial for a great harvest. Companion planting is a great way of ensuring a bumper strawberry crop and has been used by gardeners and farmers for many years.

Companion planting strawberries is just one of the elements worth trying if you're learning how to grow strawberries and a way to achieve the best results from your vegetable garden ideas.

Read on for more details of the best strawberry companion plants to grow. 

Why grow strawberry companion plants?

(Image credit: Unsplash)

When you are planning a kitchen garden, companion planting is one of the factors to consider.

'Companion planting strawberries can enhance growing conditions, attract pollinators, control pests, and make good use of available space,' says Claire Ransom from Lazy Flora .

The benefits of companion planting strawberries can include improving their flavor, or increasing their resistance to pests, such as slugs. Sometimes the strawberry companion plant will do both. Select the right companion plants and you may also improve pollination and boost the nutrients in the soil.  These are all excellent results for permaculture gardening and if you want to create a sustainable garden with less reliance on chemical pesticides and lots of soil maintenance.

'Strawberries, in particular, are prone to a number of pests. Strawberry companion plants will also provide shade in the afternoon light. In return, strawberry plants serve as a mulch, keep weeds at bay and keep the soil cool and moist,' adds Claire Ransom.  

Strawberry companion plants include everything from vegetables to other fruits, and herbs, and can be used whether you are growing strawberries under cover in a greenhouse, as vegetable garden container ideas, or in a small vegetable garden. These are the best to grow side-by-side.

Strawberry companion plants – herbs

(Image credit: Future / Tim Young)

There are many herbs that can be grown as herb garden ideas that make useful strawberry companion plants.

If you grow thyme, chives, mint and borage, they are all excellent companion plants for strawberries.  

Borage, in particular, is a long-established and much valued strawberry companion plant. The deep blue flowers of this plant for pollinators attract pollinating insects, which then draw in insects that prey upon them, such as predatory wasps. The predators also prey on insects that can damage the strawberry plants. 

Borage adds trace minerals to the soil, which help strawberry growth. Some people also claim that borage improves the strawberries' flavor. 

Vegetable companion plants for strawberries

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Whether you are growing strawberries in raised garden beds, in containers or in the vegetable patch, there are many crops that make good strawberry companion plants to grow alongside them.

Try growing asparagus, beans, peas, spinach, lettuce, garlic, horseradish, and rhubarb – yes, strictly speaking, rhubarb is a vegetable. All work well planted alongside strawberries. Strawberries are good for onion companion planting.

Legumes – beans and peas – grown next to strawberries will improve the soil, fixing nitrogen and thus feeding the strawberry plants.

Asparagus and strawberries are compatible neighbors as their roots spread in different ways, so they don't compete for space or nutrients. 

Flower companion plants for strawberries

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Growing ornamentals among your edible crops not only looks lovely, adding color and scent, but also brings a number of benefits.

The humble marigold (tagetes) is valued by gardeners just as much for its pest repellant properties as for its cheery blooms. Strawberries and marigolds are a classic combination in many mixed garden planting schemes. 

You'll often find marigolds used as cucumber companion plants, for tomato companion planting, with beans, lettuce and many other popular vegetables. Many gardeners swear by the marigold's ability to keep pests, bugs, and even invasive weeds at bay.  

'Although there is limited scientific research surrounding companion gardening, many gardeners find it extremely beneficial,' says Sue Sanderson of Thompson & Morgan .

Indeed, Sarah Raven has written about the success she's had in her own garden with Tagetes minuta, the Mexican marigold, which she says 'is effective against perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch grass and ground elder as it gives out a chemical from its roots that is toxic to them. It sounds far-fetched,' she continues, 'but I can vouch for its efficacy: it cleared ground elder from my rose garden and yet had no effect on my roses. They’ve gone from strength to strength, yet the ground beneath them is now clean.'

Marigolds are just one of the flowers useful as strawberry companion plants, with others including borage, lupins and white clover.

(Image credit: Faba Photography/GettyImages)

What should not be planted with strawberries

There a various crops you should not plant with strawberries. These include: cauliflower, cabbages, broccoli, fennel, potatoes, melons, peppers and mint. 

Plants from the brassica family – cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli – would compete with the strawberry plants for nutrients. 

Plants from the Nightshade family, including tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, or aubergine, may spread fungal disease to strawberry plants. 

What is good to plant with strawberries? 

Onions are a great companion plant for strawberries. Their smell creates an unappealing deterrent to many garden pests, especially slugs and snails.

Bob Lawson from Kellogg Garden advises: 'These pungent vegetables make great strawberry companion plants. Their unappealing odor is a natural deterrent of many garden pests that feed on the leaves and fruits of the strawberry plant.'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Do tomatoes and strawberries grow well together?

Tomatoes are not the most productive companion plant you can choose for your strawberries.

According to Lawson, strawberry plants are prone to a disease called verticillum. 'Plants like tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, melons, peppers, roses and okra may actually contribute to this deadly disease in strawberry plants. It is essential to note that strawberries should not even be planted in beds that have recently housed those plants on this list,' he explains.

Does basil grow well with strawberries?

It is a great choice to grow basil alongside strawberries. The plants work really well side by side. They also taste great together in a salad and are definitely something worth trying.

Karen is the houses editor for homesandgardens.com and homes editor for the brand’s sister titles, Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors, and an experienced writer on interiors and gardens. She loves visiting historic houses for Period Living and writing about rural properties for Country Homes & Interiors, and working with photographers to capture all shapes and sizes of properties. Karen began her career as a sub editor at Hi-Fi News and Record Review magazine. Her move to women’s magazines came soon after, in the shape of Living magazine, which covered cookery, fashion, beauty, homes and gardening. From Living Karen moved to Ideal Home magazine, where as deputy chief sub, then chief sub, she started to really take an interest in properties, architecture, interior design and gardening. 

Why marigolds are planted near strawberries. Marigolds in the garden - decoration or protection from pests - With your own hands at the dacha

Every housewife planted marigolds (tagetes) at least once in her life. These flowers are distinguished by their bright colors, lush blooms and strong aroma.

Tagetes is very useful, decorating your beds with it, you can improve the land and get rid of pests.

Tagetes contains phytoncides. These substances kill and stop the growth of bacteria, increase the immunity of the plant itself. Cabbage whitefish, onion fly, Colorado potato beetle do not tolerate phytoncides and die. Thiophene, which is found in the roots, protects against soil pests. Because of it, weeds such as horsetail and wheatgrass grow less. Given all the beneficial properties of marigolds, they can be planted throughout the garden.

The cold is coming, the marigolds wither and cease to delight with their beauty. But these plants are useful even after they have faded. Seeds can be collected for further planting, and the rest can be processed into fertilizer.

How to use tagetes:

Planting flowers in the garden

Marigolds are unpretentious in care, but they also need an approach. In the conditions of central Russia, flowers are recommended to be planted in the garden with seedlings. Planting time is mid-March-April. Shoots appear in a week, and after 40-45 days flowering begins. Unlike many plants, tagetis easily tolerates a transplant in a flowering state. The only requirement for the soil is looseness. Flowers do not like heavy clay soil. The situation can be corrected by adding peat or sand to the soil.

Holes 10-12 cm deep are dug under the seedlings. The distance between low-growing crops is 15-20 cm. Planted seedlings are watered, without fear of wetting the leaves. During the season, it is enough to feed the flowers once with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.

Seed collection

Dry seed heads are collected from healthy and large flowers. If the humidity is high, or it rains, then the inflorescences need to be dried. To do this, they must be hung by the stems in a place where the air is well ventilated. All seeds are best stored in paper bags or boxes.

Autumn plantings

Marigolds can be planted into the ground by adding to green manure. Such a fertilizer will work as a protection for the beds for several years. A month before planting carrots, onions or garlic, you need to dig up the tagetes along with the green manure.

If you have already planted vegetables before winter, you can mulch all the beds using marigold stalks and spruce branches. The earth will not freeze, and new plants will receive protection from pests. With the onset of spring, the spruce branches are removed, and the tagetes are left between the rows.

The benefits of flowers for the country garden

1. By planting flowers between nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes), we repel the Colorado potato beetle, whitefly, weevil and aphids, and prevent the development of fusarium. Tagetes roots prevent the reproduction of wireworms, nematodes and bears.

2. If strawberries grow in the country, be sure to plant tagetes flowers on the beds with them. Strawberries framed by marigolds are less sick with gray rot and avoid meeting with the nematode.

3. Plant these flowers next to cabbage seedlings, fighting cabbage fly, cutworm and cabbage white.

4. Neighborhood with marigolds can increase the yield of onion crops. If planting with tagetes flowers is placed next to the onion beds, the onion fly will not spoil the crop. The secretive trunk beetle and the root mite try to stay away from these additional garden plantings.

5. To scare away the bear and wireworm, crushed marigold bushes are introduced into the ground during autumn digging. This procedure also prevents the development of fungal infections, reduces the number of weeds. Only legumes do not like our heroes, so they are not added to the places intended for peas, soybeans, beans.

6. Adding tagetes bushes to the compost improves the quality of the fertilizer, reducing the content of pathogenic fungi and harmful insects in it. The cockchafer, which lays its eggs in a compost heap, cannot stand the smell of marigolds.

7. Do not forget to plant a few marigold bushes in the greenhouse and greenhouse, they will create more comfortable conditions for seedlings of garden plants, repelling harmful insects.

8. If there is a place for berries and fruit trees in the country house, plant marigolds between the bushes and in the trunk circles, this will reduce the number of pesticide treatments, reduce the disease of trees and bushes with fruit rot.

9. Cut flowers are hung in bunches in a country house or on a veranda to keep flies and other insects away.

10. Dry flowers are used as a spice in dishes with vegetables, poultry and nuts, especially in Caucasian cuisine. Marigolds give food an orange color due to the presence of quercetin, so food coloring is replaced with flowers. Dry flowers are steamed with a small amount of boiling water, insisted and used for coloring creams, eggs, confectionery.

Marigolds and strawberries

Nematodes and weevils are common pests of strawberries. Marigolds help to scare them away, as they contain phytoncides. All parts of the tagetes are crushed and sealed between the rows. But for greater protection, the inflorescences are placed in the hole before planting.

The combination of French marigolds with garden strawberries will serve to prevent root nematodes, which cause significant damage to the roots of strawberry plants.

Why marigolds are useful for strawberries?

Marigolds destroy the nematode, weevil, mole cricket, onion fly and other pests.

Marigolds protect strawberries from Fusarium, a fungal disease.

These flowers can be planted around strawberries or directly in the beds between the buds.

If flower beds in the garden are not in your plans, you can scatter finely chopped marigold stalks in it during the spring digging of the soil. They will disinfect the soil.

Infusion of marigolds

Infusion prepared from marigolds will protect plants from diseases, insects and pests.

Recipe: chop marigold stems, flowers, roots, leaves and soak them in warm water. Insist for two days, then add laundry soap (40 g).

Strawberries can be sprayed with infusion at the rate of 3 liters for every 10 square meters of the berry.

Tagetes compost

A layer of other organic waste is placed on the crushed marigold stalks, then a layer of last year's compost. Water is poured over, and in order to speed up decay, preparations are added that contain many beneficial bacteria, enzymes and bioactive substances.

After harvesting, marigold roots can be left in the ground. This will improve the soil, trace elements will be less washed out, and air and moisture will be easier to penetrate. Many useful substances will remain in the soil for a long time.

The easiest and most affordable way to obtain fertilizer from marigolds is to prepare humus. To do this, at the end of autumn, it is necessary to dig a hole in the garden and put bushes into it along with flowers, stems and roots.

Plants should be compacted well and watered. After a couple of months, humus will turn out, after which the green manure can be used for its intended purpose.

Marigolds will get rid of nematodes

Nematodes, worm-like inhabitants of the soil, reach very small sizes, but can cause disproportionate damage to plant roots. These tiny worms prefer warm, sandy soil and quietly ravage entire gardens. Chemicals that can be used to fight worms kill not only nematodes, but also the plants themselves, so the discovery of a protective plant is very important.

Marigolds are very effective in eliminating nematodes that devour potatoes, strawberries, roses and various bulbous plants. Experiments have shown that marigolds are able to eliminate meadow nematodes for a period of about three years and control the appearance of other varieties of nematodes for one year without damaging the plant.

The easiest way to use marigolds for nematode control is to replace marigolds with other plants more susceptible to nematode attack. In order to reduce competition, marigolds should be planted two or three weeks later than the plants they are supposed to protect.

Marigolds control the appearance of nematodes with a sulfur-containing substance called thiophene. It is produced from the roots of the plant and kills pests the moment it is released into the soil. African and French marigolds emit the same substance in composition. Chemicals are produced very slowly, so marigolds need to be cared for all season. If you transplant them from one place to another, you will not notice any positive effect in the first year, but in subsequent years the influence of this plant will become apparent and the nematode population will decrease.

If you plant tomatoes along with marigolds, you will see that they will grow faster and better, and if the plant is planted next to beans, it can protect them from Mexican bean bugs. In addition to all this, marigolds help repel weeds and can withstand such strong plants as earth elder, bindweed and earth ivy. The more well-known varieties, which have a strong smell of foliage and flowers, are considered the most useful and effective.

Marigolds (Calendula officinalis), or calendula, are planted next to any evergreen plant to deter dogs. This is a very old herb, which was still used by our grandmothers in order to give the soup a special flavor.

Green fertilizer

Tagetes is recommended as a fertilizer to improve the condition of the soil, increase its fertility and harvest a good harvest. The culture has the following positive properties:

  1. Marigolds allow you to deal with such a hard-to-remove weed as creeping wheatgrass.
  2. If you bury the plants in the territory of the garden plot, they will fight against parasites that winter in the soil, and with the advent of spring they harm garden and garden crops.
  3. The pungent smell of marigolds is not tolerated by many rodents. Given this feature of the plant, they can still be used to protect the land from pests. Aphids, bedbugs, bears, fleas, the Colorado potato beetle leave the area where these flowers grow.
  4. Marigolds are a good protection for roses, tomatoes, peppers, leeks, carrots, strawberries, potatoes, cucumbers from diseases and pests, and help to increase crop yields.
  5. Marigolds protect the root system of garden and horticultural plants from beetles and larvae.

Tagetes are well planted before planting sage, barley, corn, as these crops require well enriched soil. After these flowers, bulbous and perennial flowering plants also grow well.

It is important to take into account one feature of tagetes: they can inhibit the development and growth of some plants. This applies to cabbage and beans, so you can’t plant a lot of flowers with these crops, even though they protect them from pests.

Methods of application

In horticulture and horticulture, marigold green manure is used in the following ways:

They are used to improve soil structure and to control diseases and pests. After marigolds are introduced into the soil, the effect of the fertilizer lasts up to 6 years.

Mulching

Marigolds are applied to the soil in autumn to improve its structure and enrich it with useful substances by the arrival of spring. This method is used by gardeners who dig up the land for the winter. You need to feed like this:

  1. In autumn, the plants should be crushed and scattered over the entire area of ​​the plot.
  2. Then the garden must be dug up, along with chopped marigolds.
  3. By the beginning of spring, tagetes will decompose in the soil and saturate it with nitrogen and other useful substances.

In addition to the fact that this method of introducing the crop will saturate the soil with nutrients, it has a positive effect on the penetration of oxygen and moisture.

The positive result of top dressing in the first spring after its application will not be noticeable. In full, this method begins to manifest itself in the second year.

Liquid fertilizer

Liquid fertilizer can be used for watering and spraying plants in the garden, in the garden or at home. It is easy to prepare:

The resulting fertilizer is used for watering indoor and garden plants. Such care improves growth, flowering and fruiting.

Do not fertilize horticultural crops with a concentrated liquid, as the root system can be burned. Before use, it must be diluted with water 1:9.

After the solution has been used up, the remaining plant particles can be refilled with water. To prepare fertilizer in this way, it is recommended to use wooden, ceramic or plastic containers. The metal, upon contact with the solution, oxidizes, which will harm both the fertilizer and the vessel.

Foliar top dressing can also be carried out by spraying the aerial part of the crop with liquid. For this, the concentrated infusion is diluted 1: 20. It is necessary to dilute the liquid with water just before use.

Experienced gardeners mostly use liquid fertilizer. Compared to compost and mulch, it penetrates the soil faster and better and is absorbed by the root system of horticultural crops. The acidity of the soil also decreases, which occurs as a result of the alkaline reaction of the solution.

If you add a little bone and blood meal or wood ash to the finished fertilizer, you can enrich the liquid with other useful substances. Liquid fertilizer is rich in potassium and nitrogen, after being introduced into the soil, they are quickly absorbed by horticultural crops.

Pest control solution

To prepare a pest control solution, tagetes is used in combination with other green manure. It is mixed with nettle, alfalfa, tobacco, wormwood, mustard, horseradish, tomatoes.

To prepare an infusion based on the collection, you need to take 2 kg of a mixture of plants per 10 liters of water. It is insisted in a warm dark room for two days, then filtered, water is added up to 10 liters. To increase the effectiveness of the solution in the fight against pests, you can add 40 g of laundry soap.

Conclusion

Gardeners have long known the beneficial properties of marigolds as green manure. That is why you can often see these bright flowers planted in small islands in the gardens.

what makes berries sweeter, the benefits of green onion mulch and a seasonal recipe - AgroXXI

Just like people, plants have friends. With whom does strawberry build mutually beneficial relationships, she is garden strawberries? Here are the top most popular companion plants for this sweet berry

First, let's remember what is planting companion plants? It is an agricultural practice adopted in permaculture to allow neighboring plants to support each other for maximum productivity.

By placing certain flora in the neighborhood, you optimize usable area, improve crop quality, and provide preventive measures for integrated pest management. Some types of plants work well to attract beneficial insects, others scare away uninvited guests, and still others act as a phytotrap.

In the case of strawberries, it is important to remember that this crop can be relatively aggressive. Most varieties quickly form a thick canopy of strawberry shoots if left unthinned.

Therefore, you need to select neighbors who will not be suffocated or crowded out by overgrown strawberries when you have not gotten around to tending the garden.

Strawberries love full sunlight, so make sure you don't plant plants that are too tall to block the garden's access to the sun.

If you are planting plants just above the strawberry bushes, position them towards the north so as not to block the sunlight. The same is true vice versa; if planting a small groundcover next to a strawberry, place the strawberry to the north of it.

Finally, when planting strawberries, remember to need well-drained loam, choosing companions with similar soil requirements, alternatively, if the soil is clayey and heavy, then plants with a strong root system are needed to break up the compacted layer and improve drainage.

Something really strange happened when people became obsessed with manicured lawns and monoculture, wiping out weeds, which turned out to be useful ones. An example of this is borage, aka borage and bee bush, a favorite of strawberries.

Borage's small blue flowers (which are edible, by the way) attract bees and entomophagous insects, and in addition, the plant enhances the sweetness of strawberries and increases their number, as many gardeners claim.

Borage is known for extracting minerals from deep within the soil with its strong roots, "sucking" these nutrients into large leaves that produce valuable, nitrogen-rich green manure. The leaves can be ground into the soil in crushed form for almost the entire season, especially since they appear in early spring.

Remember that borage can grow quite large, so you should plant it north of the strawberries.

This is an annual plant, but it is so adept at self-seeding that once borage has appeared in your garden, you probably won't have to worry about its reproduction, just timely weeding.

Onion

Sulfur compounds in onions are not tolerated by most harmful insects, so planting strawberries next to this crop is very favorable.

As you know, fresh onion can be used to make an organic spray to protect strawberries by chopping the onion in a blender, adding water and some liquid soap. But onion feather mulch is useful as a fertilizer with potassium and calcium.

Grow onions directly in the strawberry patch, then after flowering collect the seeds (next year), cut and leave as mulch around the strawberry plants.

Alternatively, simply trim the feather of the onion and cover the strawberry patch while the strawberries are fruiting.

Harvest trio

Lettuce and spinach. Many gardeners find that combining lettuce and spinach with strawberries increases the productivity of all three plants. Leafy plants can also hide ripe berries from hungry birds and excess sun, resulting in dry and bitter fruits.

Beans

As a legume, beans are a nitrogen fixing plant and also lower soil pH somewhat, which is good for strawberries.

Green beans and fresh berries are used to prepare a very tasty and healthy seasonal dish.

Here is the recipe.

Strawberries are sliced ​​and marinated with balsamic vinegar, lime, olive oil and parsley. Green beans are boiled in salted water until cooked, and then allowed to cool to room temperature, the ingredients are mixed and served.

Ingredients:

6 to 8 large strawberries, sliced ​​

1 cup every day balsamic vinegar

Juice of one lime

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

approximately 2 cups of green piles of fresh beans

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix the marinade, consisting of vinegar, lime and lime and lime and lime and lime and lime and lime and lime olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Place the strawberry slices and chopped parsley in the marinade and let stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

Bring salted water to a boil in a 4 liter saucepan. Add green beans to boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes until the pods start to become soft but slightly firm - "tender crispy". Let cool to room temperature.

Before serving, place the ingredients on a plate and top with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the marinade.

Cumin and marigolds

Planting cumin attracts parasitoid flies and wasps, tiny beneficial insects that are harmless to humans but are voracious hunters of aphids, grubs, caterpillars and other pests.

Learn more