Companion Gardening

[2 Beauts]

Does anyone have some good links to companion gardening?? I'd like to try it, but it seems some what confusing.

 

[aee96]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants

I found this one helpful.


aee96

 

[digitS']

Here's info from an extension horticulturalist.

Personally, I think that the best the gardener can hope for is that 1 companion is benefited from living close to another. The other plant isn't too inconvenienced.

Steve

 

[2 Beauts]

Thanks everyone!!

 

[GardenGirl]

We are starting up the garden for the year and want to try companion gardening as much as possible. At the risk of sounding clueless, my question is, how close is close enough to be considered companion planting? Should the plants be in the same row, or is the row right next to each other good enough. I have a list of companion and detrimental pairings, so I'm good on that. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[ams3651]

http://www.ecampus.com/book/0882660640

This is the book i love, have to have the original thought not the revised version.
Carrots Love Tomatos

 

[digitS']

how close is close enough

An answer is partly a matter of what you are hoping to accomplish with your companions.

Marigolds are supposed to benefit the plants damaged by soil nematodes. Therefore, it is likely to help carrots to have the marigold roots fairly close.

Lettuce and spinach are harvested early, don't have very deep roots, and are damaged by the hot sun. If broccoli is to benefit these leaf veggies, it should be where the shadow of the plants protect them especially during the afternoon.

You may want to increase the garden's bee population by growing plants with lots of nectar. Probably, those plants don't really need to be anywhere near the vegetables that will benefit from more bees. The bees will be able to stop off on their way to and from the fennel or those perennial mint family plants blooming like crazy thru the Summer.

If you are growing beans and peas for their value in building nitrogen in the soil, you are probably going to need to wait until those plants have died and roots begin to decompose. Their companions won't benefit much from their nitrogen building capabilities immediately. Personally, I think that their real value isn't realized until the following season but they make a "happy" mix over the years in the garden.

Steve

 

[digitS']

For an overview of Wampanoag, Hidatsa, and Zuni companion gardening, you can look at this from the National Center for Appropriate Technology. It is near the bottom of the webpage.

Distances between plants are given in inches and feet .

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html

digitS'

 

[Beekissed]

My mother planted Nasturtiums beside and in the next row to her squash, cucumbers and melons and, for the first time ever, had no evidence of squash beetles. This year I am planting onions and basil by my tomatoes, nasturtiums near my squash, and marigolds and nasturtiums in any other free space in the garden just for beauty and pest control. I love the idea of companion planting but had never tried it until this year. I don't use any chemicals in my garden, so this seems a likely way to go. I'm also going to plant some nasturtiums in my potato patch. Worth a shot!