Companion plant gardening is a natural and organic technique for repel pestilence and growing hefty plant .
Companion planting can aid you mature sizeable and more productive flora without harsh pesticide and synthetic fertiliser . This gardening technique has been used for genesis to course boost plant wellness andreduce pestilence activeness in garden spaces , herbaceous plant beds , and container garden . adjudicate some of these top companion plant pairings in your garden this year for your best harvest yet .
Denny Schrock
Credit:Denny Schrock
What Is Companion Planting?
It does n’t only count what plant you develop , it also matter where you establish them . As author Jessica Walliser explains in her book , Plant Partners , gardens are “ an ecosystem rather than a stilted environment , ” and select to arise sure plants together can be the mystery to garden succeeder . Companion planting works by pair the right plants ingarden beds to enhance the growthof one or both plants . But what are associate plants exactly ?
fellow traveler plants gain each other in at least one way . Those benefits can include born pest control , increase pollinator activity , ameliorate industrial plant and soil health , added shade and reenforcement , weed curtailment , and better disease resistance .
A classical example of companion planting is the Three Sisters , which was evolve by aboriginal American refinement centuries ago . In this fellow traveller plant mixing , corn , mash , andclimbing beans are interplanted together to enhance the ontogeny of one another . The Zea mays provides support to the bean , the beans hike up dirt nutrients due to their atomic number 7 - fix abilities , and a squash ’s big leaf shade the stain to conserve moisture and block locoweed .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
There are many more example of comrade planting . Over the year , familiar plant life recommendations were establish mostly on folklore and personal experience . However , as this gardening technique has gained popularity in recent years , scientific studies were impart to find the good tried - and - true fellow traveller plant dyad . You ’ll observe the issue of these studies in the tip below .
1. Use Herbs to Repel Pests
Many pest insect avoidstrongly scented herb . Interplanting scented plant among your vegetables can naturally repel many insects and even keep deer and other works - eating creatures out of your garden bed . Try these aromatic plants tonaturally disgust pest :
2. Interplant with Flowers
In the past , companion planting focused on the benefits that unlike vegetable plants provide to each other when planted together . However , recent studies have found that ornamental prime and blossoming herbs can be some of the best mintage forcompanion planting .
efflorescence herbs , such asdill , sage , andchives , are highly attractive to bees and other pollinator . uprise these herb among your vegetables can increase pollinator action and hike up harvesting proceeds of fruiting plants such as squash rackets and cucumbers .
3. Attract Beneficial Insects
blossoming plants not only attract pollinators ; they also promote the natural action of other beneficial insects in your garden . These good dirt ball provender on blighter and slim the penury for harsh pesticides .
plant life likecosmos , calendula , andmarigoldscan attract parasitic WASP and hoverflies that prey on loot loopers and other pestilence . These works can be helpfulwhengrowing broccoli , cauliflower , and other brassicas , which are often targeted by Caterpillar .
If you ’re shin with aphids , dill , genus Alyssum , and coriander can draw ladybugs tokeep aphid populations in check .
4. Improve Garden Soil
Legumes , including beans and peas , are well bang fortheir nitrogen - fixing abilities , which of course improve garden soil and abridge the pauperization for fertilizer . Interplanting legumes with other vegetables can aid your plants grow healthier and quicker . As N is peculiarly utile for leaf development , planting legumes with leafy green can help you get lusher leave of absence . Some other topcompanion plants for legumesinclude :
5. Try Trap Crops
Trap crops are plant that are moreattractive to pest insectsthan veggie plants . turn trap harvest near your garden can take pests away from the vegetables you actually require to harvest . Some classic examples of trap crop include :
Marty Baldwin
6. Grow Natural Support
As in the Three Sisters method , tall and stalwart plants like corn whiskey andsunflowerscan be used as natural support for vining flora . Since you wo n’t need to invest intrellising systems , these plant pairings can save money . The natural look of dome vines climb sunflowers and Indian corn is pretty , too .
7. Shelter From Too Much Sun
While most vegetables and herbaceous plant opt togrow in full sun , if you live in a hot area , some plants may suffer from burn during the heat of summertime . Companion planting can facilitate you avoid this . To protect legal tender plants , mature turgid , leafy plants above them to ply tax shelter and specter during the heat of the solar day .
For example , companion planting tomatoes with Basil of Caesarea aid shieldbasil leavesfrom the bright sunshine and prevent foliage scorching . In return , St. Basil the Great appears to boil down some pest and disease problems for tomatoes .
8. Control Weeds
Large leaves can shelter plant life from the sun , but they do more than that . Interplanting garden beds with leafy green and other plants with big leaves can help keep your garden soil hatch . This , in twist , naturally suppresses weed ontogeny andreduces the need for weed killers . to boot , by covering the soil , leafy plants slow down evaporation rate , which helps regulate moisture levels for nearby plants .
9. Sow Fast Growers
tomato , squash , andcucumberscan rise slowly , and you might need to wait several month to glean the produce . To maximise your garden space , trycompanion planting fast - growing vegetablesamong farseeing - time of year crops . Plants like carrots , radishes , andlettuceoften spring up tight enough that you may get a harvesting or two inbefore your tomato plant maturate .
Plant Pairings to Avoid
While manyplant pairingsare good , a few plants do n’t make good garden neighbors . shameful walnutandfennel , for exercise , produce compound that curb the increment of nearby plants , so they should never be grown beside your vegetables .
Additionally , toprevent the spread of disease and blighter , avoid planting similar industrial plant species together . For example , pepper , tomato , and other nightshade are vulnerable to the same pests , and they should be spaced apart in your garden .
Frequently Asked Questions
Companion planting is highly beneficial in minuscule gardens because it groups plant life in close proximity , which maximize the consumption of space .
Yes . fellow traveler planting reduce the want for chemical fertilizer and pesticide because it encourages rude pesterer control and heighten soil quality .
In addition to reduce pest naturally , companion planting improve pollenation , enhance flavors , and increase proceeds .
Garlic Chives ( Allium Tuberosum).UIC Heritage Garden
Practice the Good Neighbor Policy in the Garden . Oregon State University
Lady Beetles . Colorado State University annex
Trap Cropping . University of Missouri Integated Pest Management
Blue Hubbard Squash as a Trap Crop . Utah State University Plant Health Extension
Yield , Pest Density , and Tomato Flavor Effects of Companion Planting in Garden - Scale Studies . West Virginia University
