Carrots Love Tomatoes

Anyone else trying the techniques proposed in Louise Riotte's book? I am just setting out my late spring plants and put carrots and onions between my tomato plants. I also put a couple of indeterminate tomato plants between my lettuce rows to see if a bit of shade might keep my lettuce going a bit longer into the summer. I have 4 raised beds - each 4' x 4', with soil that has been handcrafted with the best information I can find and an integrated irrigation system. I am officially abandoning rows and scattering the plants and seeds thick. I'll thin as needed when things start maturing. I am going to try to put the "intensive" into intensive gardening.

I just wish that these books on companion planting had at least some scientific study or some field experience to back them up. It seems we're supposed to just take the author's word that what they're saying is something they have verified themselves with years of growing and experimenting. And at least in Houston, Carrots and Tomatoes aren't grown during the same months, so they would never occupy the same soil.

I do like the idea of attracting beneficial insects and growing butterfly gardens. But even the tried and true like planting marigolds to deter pests is being questioned as marigolds can attract pests of their own.

This message was edited May 8, 2008 5:29 PM

jeff your garden sounds great but i bet you will have a hard time thinning out the plants--i put too much in my veggie garden and i just can't seem to make myself thin out healthy plants---feels like i am killing them which of course i would be!

I think we "major in the minors" sometime. Soil (OK to begin with or developed), organic materials, basic fertilization, thoughtful watering, and attentiveness get a gardener 90% of the way there.

IMHO (LOL).

Frank

Linda, I have forced myself to be diligent about thinning. I had amazing (to me anyway) germination rates on my early spring seeded crops (lettuce, radishes, beets, turnips, collards and carrots). I thinned early so that I wouldn't feel like I was destroying valuable harvest. I didn't quite go far enough, so I have been careful to harvest every other plant to give the remaining ones more room to develop.

Feldon, you may be right, but since the author gardens about 120 miles from me, I think her methods should be well adapted to my climate.

I've been blogging my raised bed garden here: http://web.mac.com/farmach/Site/Blog/Blog.html

jeff-i tried moving some little tomatoe and zuchini plants and they didn't do well but it made me feel a bit better--like "well i tried"----funny how we can get about plants!!