Arguing over Companion Planting

I've been reading "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" and his idea of wide rows, deep soil, and raised beds. My husband and I are having an agrument over this. He's alway gardened in rows using a tiller. As a matter of fact he bought me a small honda tiller just so I could cultivate that way. I've known about this method for years and have always wanted to try it. I've seen many other gardens arranged like this. He think that with our clay soil that pack very easily that this kind of planting would be very hard to cultivate. Our soil crusts over and becomes very hard even without walking on it. I told him I thought if we mulch, that might help to keep it soft and moist longer. I basically told him I wanted to try this method in a few rows just to see if it would work. I don't mind pulling weeds by hand. Actually I kind of like sitting in the garden in the evening and weeding with a small hand hoe. He thinks I do way to much hand work.

But I really want to try companion planting. Can any of you help me persuade him that it really isn't that hard to cultive with wide rows? Thanks.

I've done beans in wide rows in the past, and have mostly clay ground, and found that the concentration of plants actually helped to break up the soil. It looks like you have over planted horribly, but I didn't find any loss in the crop, and it was much easier to hoe down each side and pull out the occasional weed than to use the tiller. (I think tillers are a man thing, unless you are gardening on a grand scale. I have always liked to weed by hand - very satisfying work!)

If you use raised beds, it makes everything that much easier.

Kathleen, I love people who love to weed! And to keep you happy, I'd like to invite you (and please bring sagewood along!) to feel free to come here and enjoy your enjoyment of hand-weeding! Pul-lease!??? :>) (Today was "weed the onions day", in case you can't tell!)

sagewoodfarm, I'm not entirely sure of your question. Your first paragraph refers to wide rows, deep soil, raised beds, and cultivating. Your last paragraph mentions you want to do "companion planting". Companion planting is a much different topic than the others.

What I do get the gist of is that you would like to get away from gardening in a single row. And yep(!), you're right about mulching will help to keep your soil from crusting and drying out. And yep!...you're also correct about mulching conserving moisture (thereby saving water/irrigation!). It also protects the plants from fluctuating temperature extremes, and that is good!

As for cultivating wide rows or beds, that will definitely be a hand job if it needs to be done, however, with proper placement of the plants, mulching, etc, there should be very little cultivating needed. (As for your hubby cultivating the single rows..well, he really isn't cultivating them, he's only cultivating the paths between the rows w/his tiller.)

Why not try doing some "double rows" for starters? For example, instead of sowing a single row of bush beans, sow two rows of bush beans, each row about 4-6 inches apart, with paths on each side. Once the beans declare, mulch the area in-between the two rows, and also a few inches on the outside of each row. This will give you a "mulched double row/wide row". The mulch will prevent excessive weed growth, conserve moisture, and also keep rain/irrigation from splashing soil and soil borne diseases up onto your bean plants. Any weeds you see popping up should be easily pulled, due to the soil not being excessively crusted (as the soil would be that is baked by the sun, especially the day after a rain or overhead sprinkler has contributed to that).

Think that would work for starters?

Shoe.

Hey Shoe, I'd love to come help you weed. My snow doesn't need any weeding right now.

The double wide row is a good plan, and is actually how I started pulling away from more conventional gardening several years ago. Now, with my very raised bed (30 inches high), everything is done in double rows, except the beets, they get a little extra room. I have a bed that's mounded up a foot for the tomatoes and cukes and the bathtub for potatoes, although I may have to use a couple of old grain tubs as well this year - I have 4 pounds of potatoes ordered. I also stick veggies into the flower beds and the herb bed, which works into the companion planting side of things.

If MIstymeadows has seen this thread, she'd be reccommending "Tomatoes Love Carrots" and "Roses love Garlic" as good references for companion planting.