Companion Planting: Love/Hate Relationships in the Garden
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| Photo Credit: Scott Vlaun, courtesy Seeds of Change |
| Peas, like other members of the legume family, provide nitrogen to corn. |
When you observe plants in an undisturbed natural setting, you may not realize that often they grow where they grow because they have a beneficial relationship with each other. It makes sense that when you follow through with this concept of mutual benefit in your own garden, you not only have flourishing plants, you also don’t need an arsenal of chemicals to promote these happy relations.
Companion planting, as this concept is known, has been practiced for centuries, although the reasons why it works haven’t always been well understood. The benefits of companion planting are varied but can be categorized by type. Here are some of the best-known methods: - Fix nitrogen in the soil by planting certain nitrogen-releasing species. As many gardeners may know, nitrogen is one of the three essential elements for successful plant growth. One of the best sources of nitrogen is legumes, which includes beans, peas and clover. These plants draw nitrogen from the atmosphere for themselves, as well as their neighbors, through bacteria in the soil known as rhizobium. Beans are often planted with other crops – corn, for instance – to provide nitrogen and reduce the need for fertilizer. Clover is planted with grasses for the same reason.
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| Warnings |
- Spraying even with organic sprays like pyrethrum can be harmful to beneficial insects. (Besides, you want to leave some pests for the beneficials, birds and other creatures to feed on.)
- Mexican marigold may deter some plant pests, as well as insects like noxious bindweed (a member of the morning glory family). However, this type of marigold may also be herbicidal to beans and cabbage.
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| Tips |
- Toss the idea of planting your garden in soldier-straight rows. Companion planting can be quite unorthodox and distinctively untidy. Flowers are mixed with vegetables, and “monocropping” is avoided by breaking up the planting of one crop into several smaller beds.
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| Facts |
- The clematis vine benefits from having its roots shaded if it’s started out at the foot of a shading tree.
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| Resources |
- Want to learn more? Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham (Rodale Press) is one of the best all-around guides to companion planting that I’ve read.
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