How to use eggplant to rid potatoes of beetles

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The first mention of significant damage to potatoes by the potato beetle dates back to 1855. It happened in the state of Nebraska, in America. And in 1859 the insect appeared in the state of Colorado, after which the name Colorado potato beetle was fixed for it.

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The pest remained a resident of America, and its rare appearance in various parts of Europe was quickly suppressed. But during the First World War, the beetle settled in France and from there began its spread throughout Europe. Since then, the American native has become a real curse for farmers and summer residents.

The pest affects nightshade crops, mainly potatoes, and less often tomatoes and peppers. Despite the huge number of drugs that destroy the beetle, it is impossible to get rid of it. It is incredibly voracious, quickly gets used to insecticides, and it can lay up to 1,000 eggs per season.

But most of all, this pest loves eggplants. It destroys their plantings with extraordinary speed.

Unlike potatoes, which can be processed with a strong chemical agent and meet the waiting period, eggplant fruits are eaten immediately. Manual harvesting gives poor results, because beetles from all over the district flock to the eggplant bed.

An ordinary villager would find this situation terrible, but one observant gardener used this property to his advantage. He realized that with the help of eggplants, you can get rid of the potato beetle. This technique is used in agronomy and is called “sacrificial culture”.

Its essence is that when growing vegetables, certain plants are sacrificed to pests. Eggplant is the most striking example.

If you plant a couple of eggplants next to potatoes, all the beetles will crawl onto these few bushes and leave the potatoes alone.

A similar thing can be observed when potatoes grow next to tomatoes. Beetles don't really like tomatoes, so they first eat potato leaves and only then move on to tomatoes.

The same situation applies to eggplants. In the garden, they can be planted in the corners of the garden, but in the field at the ends of the rows. It is much easier to walk and collect beetles from several bushes than to inspect 20 acres of potatoes every day.

This agricultural technique will not only simplify the life of a villager, but will also help grow environmentally friendly potatoes without the use of insecticides.

And to further distract the beetle from potatoes, you can sow flowers that smell strongly, such as marigolds or calendula, in the middle of the planting.

Just don't sow them next to the “sacrificial” eggplant, otherwise the beetles won't smell it.