Category Archives: Companion Planting

What Is Companion Planting?

What Is Companion Planting

Companion planting can be described in a nutshell as growing specific plants together either for their improvement or for the improvement of the plants around them.

Companion planting is basically growing different plants together. If you are an organic gardener then companion planting will help you greatly for numerous reasons (more below). Companion planting is a form of poly culture, a system that will not only save space giving you more yield per acreage but will also look attractive as well.

One form of companion planting is inter planting. This is done by growing plants of different growth patterns that grow in the same conditions at the same time. For instance growing squash (a ground sprawling plant) with sweet corn (a tall growing plant) and runner beans (a vine plant that needs supporting) Thus growing three crops in just one space.

The above example is the “three sisters” first used by the indigenous peoples of the American continent many years ago. The added benefit to this particular example is that as the beans (a member of the legume family) fix Nitrogen from the air, there is extra Nitrogen left in the soil for the other two crops.

Other examples of inter planting include sowing radish seeds in with carrot seeds. As the radishes are quick to grow to maturity, they will be gone long before the carrots need the extra space. The radishes will however mark the rows for you making hoeing for weeds easier.

Lettuces and spinach (both shade loving crops) can be grown in the shade of taller plants like tomatoes that will reach for the sun spreading out to give the shade lovers some cover from the heat.

Growing onion sets amongst cabbage plants will save space and as the cabbages grow they will shade the onions from too much sun thus stopping them from bolting. They are still edible once they have bolted (gone to seed) but they will not grow any larger and will also not store successfully either.

The Benefits of Companion Planting

companion planting benefits

There are seven main reasons for companion planting and each one is of benefit to the organic gardener.

  1. Confusing pests – In a conventional mono crop system pests can home in on a large area of their favourite food. Once found they can spread to each plant causing more damage as they go. How companion planting helps is by preventing them from detecting their food source so easily and they will need to move onto someone else’s plot to find food there.
  2. Multilevel planting – As mentioned above, growing plants on different levels in the same ground is a great way to save space. Another form of this is woodland growing which is the basis of permaculture, this allows for seven layers of growth in the same area.
  3. Shelter crop as a windbreak – Growing Jerusalem Artichokes in clumps for example, will give you a strong but pliable wind break for your tender plants to shelter behind. Allowing the more tender plants to grow unhindered by strong winds which can not only damage plants but also dehydrate them.
  4. Protecting from pests – Usually by growing strong scented plants to hide your crop or in some cases actually repelling the insect invaders. Good examples of strong scented plants used in this way are lavender, garlic, rosemary,basil, and marigolds.
  5. Attracting predatory insects – Certain insects are attracted to certain plants. You can use this to your advantage by growing these plants near to plants commonly attacked by pests that these insects prey on.
  6. Sacrificial crops – As above some insects will be attracted to particular plants these can be grown to keep pests off your prize crops.
  7. Attracting pollinators – Most fruit and some vegetable crops rely on insects to pollinate their flowers to produce our food. By adding other flowers and herbs that are known to attract pollinators into your garden you will increase the chances of your crops success.

How Did Companion Planting Start

How Did Companion Planting Start

In nature plants grow together in groups that work for each other, to my way of thinking this is companion planting. Since man stopped being just a hunter gatherer and started growing food crops we have been trying to improve yield etc…

That being the case, and knowing the ingenuity of mankind, I do not think it would have taken long before somebody looked at nature and thought “well that works” and then tried to emulate that on their land.

We know from archaeological sites that the Indigenous Americans first started to grow squashes, sweetcorn and beans as food crops 10,000 years ago. It’s not too much of a jump to assume that they grew them together soon afterwards. In some areas of America there is evidence of a fourth sister being grown.

The indigenous peoples of the South West States of America often added the Rocky Mountain bee plant (Skunk weed) obviously to attract pollinators for the squash and beans. So for at least 10,000 years companion planting has been used by farmers/growers to feed their people.

We know the ancient Greeks and Romans were also aware of the benefits of companion planting and so on through the history of mankind. To say this is a nonsense or at best a fad is to my mind a very ignorant standpoint. Looking at history is a great way to learn from the mistakes and successes of others.

Of course not every combination works, but that’s life. Look at nature only some groups of plants grow together others will not grow within a very long distance of them. Armed with this knowledge the organic gardener can improve their crops health and yield, who wouldn’t want to do that?

Crop Rotation After Garlic

Crop Rotation After Garlic

I work to a 4 crop rotation plan, and in my plan the plant family that falls into crop rotation after garlic is solanum. That is the nightshade family, including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, chillies, and aubergines. Garlic Crop Rotation Garlic and onions should follow brassicas, and be followed by potatoes. In a 4 crop rotation system garlic is only in the same bed every 4 years. This will keep soil bound pests and diseases at a minimum and improve the health of all crops. For the following year, as garlic is not a very heavy feeding plant, it should not… → Read More

What to Plant After Onions

What to Plant After Onions

This is not as straight forward as it seems, because there are some plants that don’t get on with onions. Depending which type of onions you grow will determine how late in the season you have this problem. Over wintering onions are lifted earlier than spring sown, so what to plant after onions depends on many factors. What to Plant After Onions As I said earlier, time is the main problem here, and this is where forward planning is needed. If you have some winter squash, Pumpkin, Swede, Winter Cabbage, Chilli or Tomato plants in pots, these can be planted… → Read More

Get Rid of Blackfly on Broad Beans for Good!

Get Rid Of Blackfly On Broad Beans For Good!

The scourge of the broad bean grower, blackfly are not just unsightly. They weaken plants and leave them susceptible to diseases and infections. The best way to get rid of blackfly on broad beans for good is not as difficult as it sounds. What Are Blackflies? The blackfly that attacks your broad beans is a member of the aphid family. They survive by sucking the sap from your plants, this is the lifeblood of your broad bean plants (and any other plants). Because this sap is mainly sugar the blackfly have to consume much more than they can actually eat,… → Read More

Radish Companion Planting

Radish Companion Planting

Such a small and often thought insignificant plant, the radish is a very useful companion plant. Radish companion planting is all about continuity, one of the fastest growing plants that I know of, from seed to table in 6 weeks. Sow every month for a near constant supply of these tasty salad vegetables. It’s worth remembering that radishes are members of the brassica family and need to be rotated with other crops accordingly. Having said that, they make a good catch crop between rows and as markers for slower developing seeds. Radish Companion Plants There are two main companions to… → Read More

Winter Squash Companion Plants

Winter Squash Companion Plants

All plants benefit from growing in companion with others, and winter squash are no exception. Below are the best winter squash companion plants I have found to increase yield, health and vigour of your plants. Although they are called winter squash, this relates to their storage ability and not to when they should be grown. Winter squash are grown at the same time as summer squash ( zucchini, patty pans, courgettes etc…) but can be saved to consume during the winter. Whereas summer squash will not store because their skin does not harden enough to keep the inside fresh. So… → Read More

Zucchini Companion Plants (Courgettes)

Zucchini ( Courgette) Companion Plants

Whether you call them zucchini or courgettes, this summer favourite is easy to grow. As long as they are picked regularly summer squashes including zucchini, marrows, and patty pans will continue producing until the first frosts. There are many zucchini companion plants and  all will benefit your plants. The key to healthy plants is as always, soil preparation. Add plenty of compost or well rotted manure to the soil to give these hungry plants a boost. Once they flower feed weekly with comfrey plant food or a good tomato fertiliser. Zucchini Companion Plants Good companion plants for zucchini (courgettes) are… → Read More

What Grows Well With Strawberries

What Grows Well With Strawberries

Strawberries are the very epitome of summer, the taste, the look and nothing is as nice as picking a ripe strawberry from your own garden. Most of us have limited space, so companion planting is always going to be the best option. So let’s find out what grows well with strawberries. What Are Strawberries? The fruit of the strawberry plant is probably one of the most recognised fruits in the world. They are grown in most temperate zones and are used to flavour many sweets, ices and shakes. Their name is a misnomer, they are not actually berries at all…. → Read More

Growing Strawberries In Containers

Growing Strawberries In Containers

Strawberries are an easy crop to grow, and work very well in pots and containers. By growing strawberries in containers you can grow at an easier to reach level. Allowing you to prevent slug damage, identify any insect infestation quickly and save your back. Growing Strawberries In Containers There are many different containers on the market now days and most can be used to grow strawberries in. These range from small, shallow, low pots to large, high, roomy containers and it all depends on your wants and needs. For instance, if you have problems with your back go for higher… → Read More

Companion Planting Flowers

Companion Planting Flowers

Nothing looks nicer than a well balanced, colourful garden display and to achieve this effect you need to understand something about plants. You have to know how plants inter act with each other. What you have to know is how companion planting flowers works. All plants need certain conditions to grow successfully and getting this right will greatly enhance your display. By understanding the various needs of each plant will help you to position it in the correct conditions to maximise growth. That said, not all growth is good, for example if you want a show of flowers and your… → Read More

Herbs As Companion Plants

Herbs As Companion Plants

Herbs are one of the most used plants in the kitchen, and everyone has their own favourite herb. Did you know that using herbs as companion plants not only look good in your garden, but also benefit your other plants as well. think of the luscious aromas of summer, thyme, lavender, basil, oregano, Marjory, sage… I could go on forever. All of the herbs below will benefit your garden as well as your table. It’s time to get into the wonderful world of companion planting herbs. What Is Companion Planting? Companion planting is a system of growing plants together to… → Read More