companion planting

There's a controversy, apparantly, around companion planting.

People like John Swenson---whose opinions I heartily respect---insists there is no scientific basis for the idea that one plant can protect another. Yet, there is an incredible body of anecdotal evidence that supports the idea.

I've planted borage, for instance, with tomatoes and not seed hornworms or similar pests. And radishes are great for planting with both beans and cukes. Indeed, I know market growers who protect their cucumber crops with radishes, and never see a Colorado Cuke Beatle.

I was curious, therefore, what others think. Do you companion plant? And if so, what combinations do you use, and why.

I planted basil with my tomatoes and had less problem infestation. I have also been told that it makes the tomatoes taste better, but I can't help you there. I didn't mark the tomatoes when I picked them. I put marigolds all through my garden also. I haven't gotten a chance to work with many more, but was planning on it this year. I planned it last year, but had my daughter on May 4th. I didn't get half of the things accomplished last year as I had planned. :)

I'd say you accomplished plenty.

Congats on your daughter.

I've always heard that marigolds repel bugs (I really don't have much experience with companion planting except for beans with corn), but the last three years the grasshoppers ate all the marigolds just as they were beginning to bloom. By ate, I mean the whole plant. They left the stalks for a few days, but then came back and ate those too. With all the poisons that are put out for bugs that are killing and extincting everything else, why are there still so many *#T*(^&($ grasshoppers? I think we will all be dead before we get them.

I'd heard that about marigolds, too.

Only time we tried it was one year when we lived in Illinois, and weren't as serious about gardening as we are now. So there was nothing but a gut feeling that it seemed to work.

Downside was that we had volunteer marigolds, after that, until the day we moved.

Your corn/bean planting is a fairly common one, more to use the cornstalks as supports for the beans. The ulitimate in that is a three-sisters planting, consisting of corn, beans, and squash, all interplanted.

This is a Native American thing, that was taught to early settlers. The three set up a synergism, in which each contributes something to the whole, and each takes something back.

For instance, the beans help fix nitrogen in the soil, which feeds the corn. The squash shades the ground, helping to retain moisture and minimize weeds.

A companion planting I just heard of---haven't a clue if it does anything or not---is to plant okra with melons. At a minimum, this would be a way to maximize the use of available land. But whether it does anything else I don't know.

There is a web site at UCONN where they have done extensive testing with companion plantings, Their findings were that it does not work.

Just as a minor example, Marigolds attract the hover fly which also eats aphids, but marigolds also attact spider mites,

The smell of radish suposidly repells squash vine borer but it is to hot for radish to germinate during the second attact of squash vine borer, Just a few of the many

Byron

Well, like I said, there is no scientific evidence that it works, just a lot of anectodal data.

I figure it's like chicken soup. Maybe it doesn't help; but it sure don't hurt.

I used the book "Carrots Love Tomatoes" and did marigolds and basil with my tomatoes. Also used the book to determine where to plant what. My hot peppers flourished with basil planted among them. I was extremely successful. I have only been doing this for about four years tho, so maybe I'm just lucky. Marigolds are supposed to deter nematodes in the soil. So I plant them everywhere there is a bare spot. I just like seeing them poking out of the tomatoe jungle. I used the really tall varieties (Hawaii) at the back and in the middle and the really short varieties (Lilliput) at the front.

I also used the farmers almanac to plant everything by the moon phases. But I started out doing this and have done so each year of my garden. I think it is valuable to use the suggestions for pest deterrents - why poison if you can grow something pretty to ward off evil bugs? I guess if you don't mind spending the time (dropping seeds when you plant tomatoes, etc.) What can it hurt? :)

Very interesting thread I found! And I beg to differ. Recently, I purchased an old library book called Companion Planting, and in it are MANY references to SCIENTIFIC STUDIES. Besides that, Cornell University is a big proponent of Organic methods, which includes companions. There is even more to the three sisters planting. That and other companions are discussed at length here, and in some cases, I quoted the book. L:ots of good info, from lots of folks!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/488950/

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/481468/

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/445430/


Tomatoes and beans as well. And keep your cabbage at least three feet from your tomato plants. Naturally, if you are row planting, that would happen by default. But I am finding that many of these "old myths" pertain to intensive planting.

So what did you plant together this year?

It ocurred to me after some research, that you plant the radishes FIRST, so that they are going to seed when the squash bugs come. Seems to work that way. You aren't gonna eat 'em, you gotta leave em in the ground :-)

As I understand it, the basis of companion planting is diversity, and trying to replicate natural conditions as much as practical. Given this, it seems logical that various combinations might be less effective in straight row gardening than in mixed beds or intensive planting. And, once we mix things up, it's probably impossible to prove scientifically what works, though what doesn't work is likely ovbious after a try or two.

Personally I like the concept of companion planting and it also fits well with our yard layout to have several beds rather than a rectangle with rows of produce. If I were competing or if the garden was all that stood between us and starvation, I might see it differently. As a pastime that yields significant rewards, companion planting is more enjoyable to me, the process as well as the end result. Perhaps it depends on what kind of challenge we like :)

Kat

"what doesn't work is likely ovbious after a try or two"... you can say that again! LOL

It is so interesting to find other people that like challenges, esp ones of replicating nature.

Kat~You live in a beautiful part of our country. I would love seeing pictures of your yard or gardens. Also, being new to gardening and companion planting, if you could tell me of any combinations that worked or didn't work well for you?

Tamara

Maine is a lovely place, Tamara, but the summers are very short and the winters are very long! Two years ago, we moved home to live with my mom after my dad passed away. After 15 years in Hawaii, with 5 years in No. Va. before that, we had some major adjusting :) This is home, though, so it wasn't too bad. I'm almost through a roll of film of the yard that I took for my cousin in Ca. so I'll post some when it's developed. And maybe one of these days I'll paw through the box labellel "puter stuff" and find the cables and software for my digi cam!

The yard is large for the city, and a perfectly square 10,000 sq. ft. One corner has a stand of huge maples, some in our yard and some in the yards that corner us. That area and the north side of the house are the only deep shade, the rest is about 50/50 full sun and part shade from smaller trees. We're four or five blocks from the ocean in three directions (can't see it, but we can smell it!), hence the 5b. We can push zone 6 with a little care and luck, though I'm mostly interested in things that are either native or have adapted in a friendly, uninvasive way. My parents both grew up on small farms. Mom was very happy to be off the farm, but dad remained a farmer 'til the end, and was pretty much chemical free for the last 10 or 15 years. All the books say it starts with good soil, and it's true! Everywhere I dig, I find lots of worms and other good guys and very few pests, just the occasional slug, snail, or grub. Right now, I'm trying to get educated on the bugs and other critters so I don't knock off the good guys. This is the first year that I can devote a lot of time to the yard. Last year we let a lot grow up so we could see what we had. A lot of volunteers, some very nice wildflowers. So this year I'm trying to herd them into the places I want them, or weed out the grass and have less to mow. We're going to be starting major renovations this summer, so I'm focusing on parts of the yard that won't be affected. I've been composting (with worms we added as well as "wild" ones) in my dad's garden plot since it will be covered in excavation dirt soon. I was really pleased that it stayed warm enough all winter for the worms to keep working and reproducing. Three feet and more snow on top helped!

My only real companion planting story (so far) was the tomatoes I grew next to the compost pile last summer. I started a few plants from seed and planted them out in June with cages. In July, my FIL passed away and we had to go back and forth to NY several times. I did nothing with the poor tomatoes, no weeding, no watering, and since the soil was fertile, they had a LOT of company! But mostly it was Queen Anne's Lace, asters, white clover and brown-eyed susies. When I finally gave them some attention in August, fully expecting they were gonners, they were thriving! I weeded just enough to get to them and we had loads of tomatoes until frost. The squirrels and "Chuck" got quite a few, also.

This year, the tomatoes will be growing in the perennial border since the garden will be inaccessible. I could have planted them out without prep, but I kinda wanted to get to know the dirt. I'm trying a few with red plastic mulch, a few with packing paper, and a few with white clover. All will have borage, basil and marigolds here and there, along with the wildflowers I've let come up behind them. Also trying peppers and eggplant, since they like and dislike the same things. A week of rain and cold temps have slowed me down a bit, but Stay tuned!

My folks already had some great perennials along with the drift ins, and we planted a gazillion bulbs last fall. We're adding this and that and moving a few things (the three lone asparagus spears need help!), mainly trying to bring just a little order to it and attract more birds, bees and butterflies. One of the benefits of that long winter is all the time for reading and planning.

My goodness, sorry to ramble on so! It's been great reading all the helpful and interesting posts here. Oh, my favorite book, so far, is Great Garden Companions by Sally Cunningham. I like her style and she's in a very similar climate, actually a bit more severe, so it's become my bible.

~Kat

I was thinking of suggesting her book, so much of what you mentioned sounded right up Sally's Alley, but you already have it! So, may I recommend Carrots Love Tomatoes?

Don't know who "Chuck" is, but I'll bet he likes maters!

I suppose you have read "four season harvest" by that guy in Maine?

For more info on the good and bad guys, go to the GardenFoes forum, and the thread is Friend or Foe, parts 1 & 2...

Loved hearing you go on, that's what I read all this for..... everybody and their garden experiences :-)

LOL, Chuck is our neighborhood woodchuck (groundhog). Most of the open fields and woods in the area have been filled in over the years, so there's not much in the way of wildlife. A fence will stop him (or her?) when needed; so far sharing has worked out okay. Our neighbors have done a great job attracting birds back into the area. For many years we only saw seagulls and crows with an occasional robin. Now we have a regular symphony every morning!

Both books you mention are on my list. Our construction project includes replacing all the windows, so we'll be thinking of how to use them. Lots of ideas here at DG and around the Web. To date, all my questions have been answered with just a little digging. Having a reliable resource like this gives me more confidence. When I've come across a grub or caterpillar or seedling that I haven't "met" yet, chances are good I'm not the first and it's already here somewhere. :) And it's just great reading with my morning coffee. Gives me the motivation to get my hands dirty.

~Kat

Oh, I should have known. We don't have those here, just prairie dogs, moles, ground squirrels, and that other tunneling creature, can't recall...

Nice of you to share with Chuck. Let's hope it's a he who doesn't meet a she....

gotta run, nice chatting with you...

Kat~
Have you found your digtal stuff yet?

Here is a picture of the companions between my corn circles, and next to my winter squash. My understanding (and observation) is now that the radishes blooming deter the moth that lays the vine borers, and the ones planted newly around the base of the squash deter the squash bug.

But the only thing that seems to deter the squash bug is the smell of squashed squash bugs! About every three days, I get a new crop of them, and they get squashed too! I have nasturtiums planted betwen teh squash, but they don't like this heat and I don't know if they will make it...

Tamara