"None" wrote in message
...
Common Mistruth! The real truth, marigolds DO NOT repel insects, they
just attract them and not to your tomatoes. Marigolds are one of the
biggest bug and disease magnets in the garden. They are also very finicky
about the soil pH, they prefer it being fairly high. We apply liquid
limestone when they start to show the bronze leaf effect from to low of a
pH.

Weird! What part of the country do you garden in? And, which marigold
varieties have you found to be insect and disease magnets?

As far as "not repelling", this judgement may be due to the fact that many
garden writers generalize about the ability of marigolds to protect from all
sorts of bugs. The *only* proven claim I'm aware of is that marigolds will
repel certain types of nematodes, which damage root crops. This makes them
useful when planted near beets, carrots, potatoes, etc.

Here's a link to read.
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC2216.htm

This Google search will provide many other links on the subject:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...h+marigolds+ne
matodes&btnG=Google+Search