Companion planting forum anyone?

I searched all of the forums on DavesGarden.com for threads with the phrase "companion planting" in the subject line. Here's what I found.

http://tinyurl.com/cqrt3n

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 6:26 AM

Here are the results when searching the forums for the phrase "companion planting" in the *body* of a thread.

http://tinyurl.com/buct6x

Quite a difference.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 6:21 AM

Yes, there is definitely some interest in the subject. I would love to see an actual place where folks can get together to compare notes and share.

One of us who wanted a pottery thread made a list of links -threads on DG about companion planting and started a new thread with that at the top. Much like what you, (PuddleP) did here. I added a list of names of those who had asked for a forum. This gave us:
1) several places to post
2) a feeling of having our own place which made a lot of people come out of the woodwork
3) sufficient evidence for admin that we were in need of our own location

So: 3 forums where CP consistently appears
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/yumyum/all/ (vegetable)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/organic/all/ (organic)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/gardentalk/all/ (garden talk)

Some threads to talk in:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/945995/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/925773/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/925771/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/745568/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/926178/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/804877/

If I see any more I'll add them...

This message was edited Feb 8, 2009 6:49 PM

http://www.companionplanting.net/ListofCompanionPlants.html
http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/companion-planting.html

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 12:53 PM

While "Googling", I happened upon an article on Companion Planting written by Catherine Smith (doccat5) back in April 3, 2008. Wasn't able to get it to link?! Maybe someone else can find it and link it here?? the title is : Companion Planting-The how and why planting flowers and vegetables together make for a better garden. It was a very good article.

Is this it: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/918/

heh. edited to say "WEll nevermind then!" lol

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 1:15 PM

Yes that is it! Thank you :)

I've read through this thread as well as a couple "out there" in forumland (sorry, at the moment forgetting exactly where) and wanted to register my interest in this subject.

I see this companion and guild planting as an aspect, and only one aspect, of Permaculture, and I feel a forum devoted to Permaculture would likely see a good amount of traffic and use. There is a lot of information to gather and as this is a whole systems approach that more and more gardeners are at least visiting if not adopting, it does seem timely to give it some space.

My vote, therefore, is registered. ;-)

Kyla

Can you tell me a bit about permaculture? I'm not familiar with the term.

Well, rather than strain my eloquence at this hour of the night, I think I will just paste this wikipedia link, as the article here does a much better job of summarizing the movement and its history than I could. ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

Forgive me for my midnight laziness please.

Interesting. I looked further and found another explanation: www.permaearth.org
It has a "definition".

Thank you, that looks like a good resource website. The wiki link was simply the first of many available to a google search.

As this thred is getting rather long perhaps we should start it in another section. Does anyone have any preferances where? Organic gardening might be a good start. Does that exclude peeps who grow ornamentals though? Organics seems to concentrate on veggies.
Right folks, cast your votes now LOL

:-)) Rosie

We have started a thread in vegetable gardening but of course the only people who have found it are the ones in that forum right now.

OK but the thing I was trying to avoid is excluding the ornamental growers. A lot of peeps want solutions to problems which affect their prized epiphilums or geraniums - not me I must admit but I would like to see something that encompasses ALL types of plants - not just veggies - which I grow by the way.
:-)) Rosie

Yeah but it looks like we are beating a dead horse here. I guess not enough of the right people want this or something. I know nothing about programming and do not know how hard it may be to include new forums.

There is a distinct ornamental aspect to permaculture, of course, but that is correct, it is a different approach to the one that will take great pains over one distinct kind of ornamental. But there are many approaches that are not suitably exchanged..... Not all of us, for instance, have interest in farm life, hunting, rock collecting! or any of the other focused and specialized discussions to be found here.......

Roseimp, I have grown "mixed" gardens for years. That is, spaces for pleasure, peace, fruitfulness, as well as edibles! Often the edible factor has been the least significant for me. Let 's keep talking! IMO, permaculture and its aspects are an idea whose time has come.

I hope we see a companion planting forum.....is it possible to have one on a trial basis? I think many more gardeners are moving towards healthier and earth-friendly options to grow their gardens. I was brought to this thread because it mentioned companion planting. I know that this topic has been brought up in other forums, but at the end of the day I don't always want to go through 30 threads in order to get maybe 3 pieces of information. This is just my two cents of course..

thanks!

When you filled out the DG survey this week did you put that you wanted a companion planting forum?

What about a more 'umbrella'd' approach? There's permaculture, companion planting, and a couple other things which deal with essentially how to pair and arrange plants for the best plant and soil health. Are we losing people because we don't have the right terms here?

Actually, what I put in the survey, and posted in this thread, is that I myself am interested in a Permaculture forum...... considering companion planting an aspect of that.

What "umbrella" are you thinking of, grownut?

I wish I knew. But there are several related 'disciplines' and quite a few adherents to each. Just seems a shame that there's no place to compare notes and that it might be due to a difference in nomenclature. I can't believe that not enough people are interested --it's a gardening site for pity's sake!!

Companion Planting and Permaculture....

I'll go with whatever the majority thinks. Just for the record though I think we are getting too involved in labels. Whatever a subject incorporates doesn't mean it shouldn't include related subjects. Most forums on DG have indistinct boundries. For instance I posted a question about tiger worms on the organic forum only to discover that was the wrong place to put it - should have gone somewhere else involving composting apparently. For me and many people other people in the world, organic gardening means using anything apart from chemicals to help maintain a balance. I'm not too au fait with specific terms so don't get involved with them. people with more knowlege than me can tell me different if they like.
The reason I mentioned "companion planting" in the first place is that it's not too complicated even for a complete novice, can involve lots of different aspects of planting and has the benefit of using a lot of ornamentals as well as herbs and veggies.
That's a good idea about the survey Kathy. BTW KylaIuaz I am starting a potager garden this year - veggies mixed with ornamentals. Hopefully I will attract some benefical pollinating insects, some preditory ones to feast on rotten little mites and grow better veg to boot!!
BTW also ...I could set up this site to include another forum. I used to optimise websites at one time LOL. It's boring though. Better off sticking to gardening even though we're stuck on what to label our "companion planting" forum.

:-)) Rosie

Hey, Rosie, I'm with you, don't care what we call it......... tho I like the label grownut suggested, as likely to include everything relevant and let folks know what the focuses are.

Re: your potager, I have no doubt you will attract all kinds of lovely beings to it. ;-)

Kyla

I like that too Kyla :-)) Never give up on a good idea LOL

I thought I would toss my 2 cents worth in on the semantic differences of Permaculture and CP. :)

I don't really know much about Permaculture and would like to know more about the experiences of other gardeners in Companion Planting.

I don't really think that the more generalized ideas of Permaculture and Companion Planting are the same.

The small understanding of Permaculture I have is that; it is more related to a life style and not necessarily a method of arraigning your garden plants for their/our/the soils benefit.

That is not to say that those of us interested in Compainion Planting can't learn something from Permaculture enthusiasts, since there is a Companion Planting discipline integrated within the idea of Permaculture.

So, my take on the whole Idea of whether or not we should include the two is that we shouldn't but that would not exclude anyone who is interested in Permaculture.

Hmm. The word "permaculture" came from eliding the two words "permanent" and "agriculture". Its primary proponents and creators have been agriculturists and gardeners. Companion planting is a big part of it..... but there is more to it of course. It could be said to be a lifestyle choice, but it is in my experience more usually a style of and approach to gardening. That it can also be a lifestyle choice should not deter folks from looking into it, IMO -- Homesteading is a lifestyle choice, for example. I read in that forum a lot because I think I might learn something and I like the stories told there.

As a matter of fact, and come to think of it, your description: "a method of arranging your garden plants for their/our/the soils benefit" is a pretty darn excellent definition of permaculture, as I understand the use of the term. Well, it also can and often does involve animal husbandry, another big focus here at DG -- but still, that is a great description of the strictly gardening aspect of permaculture! So, thanks! ;-)

Kylaluaz,

"Companion planting is a big part of it"

This is one of my points.


"that is a great description of the strictly gardening aspect of permaculture"

Again this is exactly my point, its an aspect of Permaculture so strictly speaking CP is not Permaculture and as you said we can learn something from Homesteading enthusiasts but it is not Gardening either and therefore Homesteading enthusiasts have their own forum.


"That it can also be a lifestyle choice should not deter folks from looking into it"

I wouldn't wish any Permaculture or CP enthusiast be deterred. Its only a semantic observation.

It's like I indicated in earlier posts; if I want to find information on CP ideas for my vegetable garden then why look in a forum in which people practice CP for their flower gardens?

There are many forums that are related here on DG. DG is an excellent place to learn and share ideas. I'm only suggesting that it would be easier to zero-in on the information that you seek.

No matter what the name of the forum would be ...... I feel we need it. At least, it seems I can learn a lot from other DGardener's experience now that I will soon start my new garden from scratch. I am for a 100% organic garden and although I could have as much water as I wanted digging a well, I will re-use the water coming from my shower, washing machine and sinks, etc. to water my plants. Yes, I will go for the more expensive biodegradable soaps, expect to have a small worm farm, lots of composting, etc.

Dearest Dave, please listen to our request an make us happy with this new forum.