Vegetable Companion Planting
But like all things, it depends on how you use the term.
Original Meaning
If you expand the term from its original meaning to include plantings such as “trap” plantings (where you sow plants that pests prefer over the crop plant) then there is much more reliable information available.
Having said that – there is a difference between research and anecdotal stories from our collective gardening experience. Collectively, we and our gardening ancestors have found the following guidelines to be very useful when it comes to the practice of companion planting.
Science Agrees
And even science has shown that healthy plants are less likely to be attacked by pests so perhaps there is something to companion planting that may make the individual plants healthier and this is the mechanism that works in companion planting rather than a vague deterrent factor.
Vegetable Companion Planting
So just to clarify – we plant some plants next to others in order to 1) discourage bugs or attract bugs, 2) discourage or prevent certain diseases 3) increase yields of both vegetables.
Working Combinations
Here are some combinations that have worked over the years.
Planting corn, squash and beans together is a time-honored system. The beans provide nitrogen for the corn, the corn provides support for the squash and all live happily together. This is often referred to as three sister gardening (and it comes from the Native American tradition of gardening).
If you want to control the tomato hornworm easily – plant lots of dill next to your tomatoes. The hornworms will flock to the dill where you can leave them alone to hatch out to Sphinx Moths, also known in some areas as Hawk Moths or Hummingbird Moths. You'll also attract the larval form of Swallowtail Moths to the dill. Just be sure to plant lots of dill so you don't mind them munching and you can get a bit of dill as well.
Try not to plant tomatoes and peppers next to potatoes. The potato beetle will cross over to these plants fairly quickly.
Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles simply adore the taste of white or pastel shaded zinnia, white roses or marigolds that have no fragrance.
Japanese beetles also love soy beans so if you plant a few of them around your valued vegetable crops, you’ll be able to kill the beetles while they are eating a crop you’re not trying to grow or eat yourself.
Cabbages & Harlequin Bug
Mustard plants save cabbages from the harlequin bug and that may be the only good thing about growing mustard in the vegetable companion planting scheme of things. :-)
And aphids love nasturtiums so plant them wherever you have a crop (like peppers) that aphids also like.
And if you have some good vegetable companion planting tips, feel free to write and I'll include them here as well.
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