Companion Planting for My Garden

Hi All,

I didn't do much in the garden today.  I went to go check everything out.  In the big garden I saw that my Kentucky Wonders have popped up as well as a lot of my corn.  That is always exciting.  

I'm happy to report that my seedlings are continuing to do well.  I'm super thrilled about their progress.  I transplanted six of my tomatoes - four into containers which I plan on giving one of my in-laws that might be interested in some tomato plants.  Sharing truly is caring.  Also I transplanted two of my nasturtiums amongst the broccoli and collards.

That last sentence brings me to what today's post is all about:  

Companion Planting

Here's why companion planting is important.  Because, as good as they are doing now, when summer gets into high gear and things become a little more "pesty" outside it's going to be important to deter and prevent pests as naturally as possible as well as attract good insects.  Today's post will provide you with a little information as well as some resources to get you started.

What are the benefits of companion planning?

The main purpose of companion planting is for two plants to work together for mutual benefit.  For example, this might be beans and corn.  Beans can grow on the corn and corn can have ready access to the nitrogen that beans add to the soil.  Win-Win.
Conversely, some plants have a sacrificial relationship - planting mustard or collard greens to get eaten up by pests and protect more valuable plants.  Lose-Win.
On a different note, some insects may dislike a pungent or aromatic herb.  Planting those next to a plant they do like deters them from bothering it.  Also, some plants may attract certain insects that are natural enemies to one the ones that destroy crops.

If plants do better on their own that means there is less need for fertilizer or pesticides that could harm the environment or be an added garden expense.  

One last thing to consider though is trying to plant things that are in season for your area.  I know that I am taking a risk growing broccoli over the summer because I have a lot of problems with cabbage bugs. But come September it's a completely different story.  Sometimes we need to take the season - our garden's most constant (and fickle) companion into consideration.

Resources on Companion Planting

A quick Google search will reveal thousands of articles that deal with companion planting.  Ditto on pinterest.  While some of those articles are flashy they might not always be that high quality.  I suggest anyone take information on companion planting with a grain of salt and to approach it scientifically.  Try out a pairing and note your findings.  You may be surprised at what and what does not work.
Below are a few links which I found handy and I plan on adding to my Resources page, which houses some other information that may be helpful to you.

Mother Earth News A-Z Companion Planting Guide:  This is very comprehensive and written in a way that is easy to read.  If you get annoyed with the idea of having to look at a new page just to read the whole article, click on the print view.  It will give you the whole list without having to bounce around as much.  

Afristar Companion Planting Pictorial Guide:  If you are visual learner then this is for you.  Short and to the point.  Increase the zoom on your browser if you have trouble reading it. 

My pairings

I have a lot of different pairings that I am going to try out.  Here are just a few that you might find interesting, too.

• Corn / Beans / Squash - I'm hoping to do a three sisters thing with beans and squash.  The corn provides support for the beans and the squash acts as a living mulch.  Very neat!
• Cucumber / Sunflowers - Apparently these two are BFF's which works out great for me in the garden
• Nasturtiums / Broccoli / Thyme - Nasturtiums seem to either keep insects away or serve as a sacrificial plant.  Either way they are very pretty and edible and will be planted along with my broccoli and collards.  (Rumor has it Nas' also loves squash)
• Tomatoes / Aromatics / Marigolds - Every year my mom plants marigolds along with her tomato plants.  Marigold and aromatic herbs, like basil and dill, keep bugs away from the plants.  I currently have dill and chive seeds interspersed with my tomato plants.
• Radishes / Squash - not my ideal food pairing but apparently if allowed to go to seed, icicle radishes keep bugs away from squash.  Figured I'd give it a try.
• Sunflowers - in general they keep bug populations down because they attract birds to the garden.  Birds can be a pest in their own right so I'll let you know how that goes for me.

As I get more plants in my garden I hope to try out more pairings to find out what does and doesn't work for me.

Hope your garden is growing well!

Take care,

Rebecca