Tag Archives: brassicas

Companion Planting Celery [What To Grow With Celery]

Not the easiest of vegetables to grow, but so satisfying when you get it right and the taste of home grown is far superior. As with most crops, celery will benefit from being grown with helpful neighbours. Companion planting celery with the following will be good for one or both of them. Companion Planting Celery As with all plants when looking for suitable companion plants we need to look at plants that are compatible. Not only with each other, but also with the sunlight and soil conditions needed for growing celery successfully. So what does celery prefer? Celery originated in… → Read More

Companion Planting Lavender

A classic garden plant and no garden is complete without a lavender plant. There are many benefits from growing lavender and companion planting lavender will improve your garden. Not only in appearance but also fragrance and by the wealth of beneficial insects it attracts. Companion Planting Lavender To Repel Pests Grow lavender to repel many pests including fleas, moths, and white flies. Sprigs of lavender placed under the carpet will stop fleas from entering your home. Lavender attracts many beneficial insects as well and these will improve pollination and cut down on pests. Bees and hoverflies are attracted to lavender… → Read More

What To Plant In A Planting Box

My son recently set me up with a vegtrug to make growing vegetables and watering easier for me. After he put it all together I planted it up and now he’s made me a planting box. So what to plant in a planting box. What To Plant In A Planting Box My post entitled vegtrug planting guide gives all the information about what I’ve planted in there. This new one is like a large raised bed, it stands about 3 foot(90 cms) high and is roughly 3 foot x 6 foot (0.9 metre x 1.8 metres) and a depth of… → Read More

Companion Planting Catnip – The Benefits

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) also known as catnep, catswort, or catmint is a member of the mint family. Like all mints if planted with the correct plants catnip can be a very beneficial plant. Read on to find out the benefits of companion planting catnip. Companion Planting Catnip The Benefits Catnip has a strange, but not unpleasant smell and deters flea beetles, ants, aphids, weevils, cabbage white butterflies, and mice. It’s flowers attract many bees, hoverflies, and other pollinators. It also attracts parasitic wasps making catnip a very useful plant for the organic gardener. Companion Planting Catnip Just by looking at… → Read More

What Can You Plant With Potatoes

One of the most popular vegetables grown by the home gardener along with tomatoes. Also like their cousin the tomato, they have preferences when it comes to neighbours. So what can you plant with potatoes? What Can You Plant With Potatoes In the UK potatoes are generally sown from March and depending on type are harvested from June through to October. In all cases potatoes should be lifted before frosts return to your area. There are many plants that can be grown as companion plants with potatoes, below is a list of some of the best ones. Potatoes and Celery… → Read More

Companion Planting Geraniums

Geraniums have a distinctive smell, some people hate it but more importantly so do some plant pests. By companion planting geraniums your garden will benefit from less insect infestations. Companion Planting Geraniums The strong scent of the geranium repels many damaging insects Including mosquitoes, Cabbage white butterflies, Japanese beetles, rose chafers, and leaf hoppers. Mosquitoes might not cause problems to your garden, but they definitely cause problems to this gardener! Cabbage whites are the bane of the brassica grower, both Japanese and rose chafer beetles do considerable damage to roses and leafhoppers damage a wide range of plants. What to… → Read More

Nasturtium Companion Plants

Such useful plants, nasturtium leaves, flowers, and seeds can be used to give a peppery kick to salads and garnishes. But there is so much more to this colourful plant,using nasturtiums as companion plants bring many benefits. Read on for all you need to know about using nasturtium companion plants. Nasturtium Benefits Aside from their nutritious benefits, nasturtiums are of considerable benefit in the vegetable garden. They attract pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, and hoverflies to your garden. They also attract aphids and cabbage white butterflies which can cause serious damage to your crops. Grow nasturtiums as sacrificial plants to… → Read More

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 Not To Plant With Tomatoes

Companion planting is all about what plants to grow together to enhance the health and yield of your crops. There are many plants that help tomatoes when grown together but this post is not what to plant, but what not to plant with tomatoes. Many secrets have been learned and lost throughout the years, it’s my aim to gather as many as possible and to help growers improve their crops organically. What Not To plant With Tomatoes. The first one is pretty obvious if you think about it, but I’ll include it as I want to be as concise as… → Read More

Companion Planting Rhubarb

Many people grow rhubarb, and according to gardening books it needs a lot of space. By companion planting rhubarb you can make the most of that space and enhance your plants. By growing more plants in a small space you reduce the risk from weeds taking over the area. In days gone by, they used to grow Rhubarb and Strawberries together, it makes sense, they’re both harvested at about the same time. They also both benefit from being dressed with straw. I can find no actual benefit for growing rhubarb and strawberries together, maybe Grandad was wrong… More than likely… → Read More