Hi Again Dave!
Just wanted to know: is it true that growing coriander, garlic next to peppers would prevent spidermite infestations? Also, there seem to be a few "normal" spiders hiding in my plants… they don’t seem to harm the plants, so could they be one reason that I haven’t seen spider mites for a while?
–Jukka Kilpinen, Finland
Hello Jukka:
There’s been a lot written about so-called "companion planting" but I’m very skeptical about it. If spraying garlic and chile-based liquids on chile plants does not discourage aphids and spider mites, why would planting them next to the chile plants work? As far as "regular" spiders eating spider mites, you would have to ask an entomologist. I guess it’s possible.
–Dave