One of the questions I have had over the years is, “Why would you want to mix two different plants in the same row?”
When I started gardening back in Overton, I would plant each packet of seeds according to the plan I had laid out, emptying each seed packet as I went along. That is traditionally how we plant our gardens.
Companion planting is growing one plant to help another as part of a community.
Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cover crops are noticeably more resilient and productive when each member supports the next. The benefits can be one-way, such as when nectar-rich flowers planted around fruit crops, like tomatoes, improve insect pollination, or reciprocal.
My parents would plant herbs such as tansy and rue to control the Japanese beetle’s destruction. This beetle would be unchecked and destroy their raspberry crops for many years.
One of the ways the Native Americans taught our pioneer forefathers to plant was in clumps. Companions in the same clump would all grow together at one time.
An example of this is the Three-Sister-Planting. This method of planting has been used for centuries. You start making a mound of soil into which you bury a fish.
Fish have nitrogen and other nutrients that help plants grow. For each of these cultivated clumps, you now place three corn seeds in the middle.
In the row outside the corn, you plant three pole bean seeds. At the edge of the mound, you plant three squash seeds.
The logic behind the three sisters is that the corn represents the strong sister. Corn gives support to the other two. As the corn grows, the beans will grow and won’t get dirty from the ground as the beans climb on the corn.
The beans represent the nurse sister; she helps build the other two. As nitrogen enters the soil, the other two plants grow stronger.
The third sister, the squash, is the protector. The squash grows spines on its vines and will protect the corn from raccoons. Raccoons will come to enjoy the corn as they mature.
These raccoons won’t place their paws on the spines of the squash.
By growing communities of plants that are known to support each other, you can save a lot of time and potential heartache. When you choose to site plants knowing that certain vegetables do better with other plants, you are working with nature.
This is nature’s way of minimizing pest damage, boosting soil fertility, reducing weed competition, and ultimately increasing yields in the garden. Productive gardens cultivated with companion plants in mind also tend to look cleaner.
Tomatoes and basil are natural companions in the kitchen and garden. Basil repels insect pests, such as thrips and disorient moths, which lay tomato hornworms. Aphids hate garlic, and when you plant garlic between your potatoes, the garlic serves as a pungent bodyguard.
The peppery-tasting nasturtium grown close to kale, cabbage, broccoli, and other brassica plants will lure hungry caterpillars away from eating your crops.
One of the reasons that I have kept journals in the past is to record how well certain plants do with other plants. Scientific facts are not the only resource.
Journals and almanacs provide additional information that may not be available on the internet.
What I’m saying is that there will be some trial and error to see what will work for you.
Many variables will affect the performance of how plants may react with one another. Observations are significant to understanding the effectiveness of these concepts.
Understanding your garden as a system of biodiversity, where plants are all connected and interdependent, helps you make better plant choices.
Next week, we will consider covering crops and mulch because nature does not like vacuuming. These columns will overlap with the previous columns next week.
I hope you have a great stroll through your garden this week.
If you see a challenge, let me know by sending an email to ericlarson546@yahoo.com.