I bought some nasturtium seeds to plant with my squash to help fight off squash beetles. It says on the packet to plant in poor dry soil to produce best/most flowers. I was wondering how I should go about creating a small area of poor soil.
I've grown trailing nasturtiums for years in well amended soil. Never had a problem with blooms. I wouldn't worry about it.
What is the mechanism by which they fight off squash beetles?
They self-seed on my allotment and flower fine in the same soil as the vegetables grow in. We don't have squash beetles so I can't judge if they have any effect. But they do attract black aphids and slugs like to lurk in their shade.