I'm trying, along with two of my friends and neighbors, to grow an organic food garden. Until we can harvest, I buy mostly organic produce to avoid residual pesticides and GMOs harm the environment and could be compromising to human health as well. And I've been researching the methods behind the concept.

Options for pest control include physical barriers such as netting as well as natural concoctions to replace chemical pesticides. These options aren't very glamorous or aesthetically pleasing. I realize we're growing food, but I'm a sucker for eye-pleasing landscapes. That's why I was thrilled to learn that incorporating flowers into our food garden could be an effective method for pest control.

Marigolds and lavender are among a long list of components that can be used as part of companion planting, which, as it turns out, has been a standard method used by organic gardeners for some time. Other bloggers over at Green Daily have covered it as well. It's too soon to tell if it's working in our garden, but it sure looks pretty. And that works for me. For now.