Hello all. My boyfriend and I purchased our first ever house in January of this year. The yards, both front and back, are pretty much a blank slate. I've never done much gardening, but I want the yard to be beautiful, and also functional. So I've been researching all kinds of info on gardening, herbs, plants, etc. since we moved in.
I love to cook and want to have an herb garden. My question is, is it important to be careful of what plants you plant near edible plants? For instance, I know that lilies are often poisonous. Would planting an herb and a lily (or any other poisonous plant) near each other contaminate the herb in any way? Or can I just plant whatever I want next to whatever I want (as long as the growing requirements are similar, of course).
I'm in Sugar Land, TX, which is in the Houston area, just fyi. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
Valerie
Can herbs be "contaminated" by other plants?
Valerie -
Yes and No. A lily, next to an edible herb will cause no problem. Just being close is not the problem. Cross pollination is were things get tricky. So lets assume you wanted to have some peppermint and you planted it next to a spearmint. These guys are in the same family and the polllen from one plant can pollinate the other with the result that the offspring will be some sort of mix between the two. Any two plants that are closely related can possibly pollinate each other but they have to be very closely related - apple trees to apple trees, orange trees to orange trees. In fact this is something that gardners have used to their advantage for years, using two plants with useful attributes and cross pollinating them - hoping for a superior offspring!
So, assuming that if a plant is close enough in species to cross-pollinate my herbs, most likely it would also be edible, or at least not poisonous, if I am understanding you correctly. So I should be able to plant whatever I want next to whatever I want, right?
Mixing up my herbs wouldn't be such a big deal, although I'll be careful to keep the ones I want "pure" away from each other. I just don't want to poison anyone by accident! ;)
Valerie
There are lots of books on companion planting. "Roses Love Garlic" and "Tomatos Love (something... I'll remember it as soon as I've hit "send", I'm sure...)" and that sort of thing. There are herbs that will affect the flavor or strength of other herbs but I've never heard of any that will make a neighboring plant inedible. You might want to google "companion planting." And also be aware of what is invasive. Good luck!
Tomatoes Love Basil!
:-)
I've never heard of nearby plants making another plant inedible, either, so I don't think you have to worry about that. I do make sure that I don't use any systemic pesticides (ones that are taken up into the plant by the roots) in beds where I might want to interplant herbs or edible flowers, and I also make sure that any pressure treated wood (the old arsenic kind, the newer kind is fine) nearby has been well sealed.
Have fun with your "blank slate!!" You'll be making lists and planting diagrams all winter... :-)
Thanks for the info! That answers my question.
I will definitely be making lots of lists and diagrams. I have already been, since we moved in! Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of money for fixing up this house, inside or out, and have a list about, oh.... 3 miles long, already! But I figure, if I make a good plan and have it all figured, then I can just start small in one area, and work my way around as I have the cash. As tempting as it is, I don't want to just jump in haphazardly and then end up with something that makes no sense at all! lol.
Thanks again everybody.
Valerie
ACK! "Carrots Love Tomatoes." I knew I'd think of it.
I'm in basically the same "clean slate" position you're in and don't you love it? Don't hesitate to post questions that feel stupid (because they're NOT) on DG -- you'll get wonderful input. And it's nice to reap the experience of people in your own zone that you'd never have talked with otherwise.
Use graph paper. It's a lot better. ;)
Actually, I'm using Excel, currently. As you might guess from my name, I'm kind of a computer-oriented kinda girl. And it's convenient, 'cause no erasing, since I make changes about every ten seconds. Besides, I can't draw for crap, so if I tried to draw a landscape plan, I'm sure my boyfriend would say "What is that.... a monkey?" and I'd have to be insulted that he didn't recognize my trellis (or whatever!). lol
Oops! sent same message twice.
This message was edited Jul 27, 2006 6:02 PM
Check out this thread that I started on my herb/lily bed. I sent a few pictures. We have been eating parsley, oriental garlic chives, chervil and red Japanese mustard from this lily bed for years and have had no problems.
Lilies could cross pollenate other lilies, and my Italian flat-leave parsley could cross with other parsleys but as far as I can tell they haven't. They are yummy after years of reseeding.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/630699/
This message was edited Jul 27, 2006 6:03 PM
Some plants, like those in the mint family act as "root parasites", meaning they tend to absorb from the plants around them. If you were to grow a mint next to a hemlock, the mint would absorb some of the poisons from hemlock and could become toxic to eat.
Wood Betony is in the mint family and is one of the best treatments for tension headaches. It's been used since Roman times. The only reported toxicity from Wood Betony has been from plants that grew near other poisonous plants that exude into the soil.
Thanks for that information! I'm planning to put mints either in pots or out under my little fruit trees... so no worries here... but that's good to know!
The only think along those lines that I knew about was that Black Walnut trees put out a toxin in their root zones.... but since that toxin would probably just out & out kill any herb planted there, I figured that wasn't relevant.
Yes, thanks for the information. Do you know any other food plants that absorb toxins?
Betty