Companion Plants

I thought this was an interesting article on companion plants. At the end of the article is a list of good and bad companions for different fruits and vegetables. www.frenchgardening.com/tech.tmpl?SKU=31091285647395

Thanks, I will add this info to my companion lists. I know this really works!

Just curious, TamaraFaye, what plants have you put together?

Today I planted sweet corn with sunflowers. Tomorrow I will add cucumbers to one crop, and squash with another.

I have another patch of corn with sunflowers and cucumbers that are looking great! Soon, I will be planting lettuce in the shade of the cucumbers.

Another patch of corn/sunflowers has Libra Squash and Aji Amarillo peppers in it.

I have a pumpkin patch with flour corn, and will be adding sunflowers there.

I planted bush beans between a corn patch and potatoes. I will be planting something with my okra, can't make up my mind.

And, of course, I have carrots growing around my one lonely tomato plant.

Mostly I have learned what not to plant. Like peas or beans near onions (or other allliums). And peas or beans near sunflowers, also no potatoes near sunflowers.

I have read some good books, and still have a lot more planning and planting to do. Next year, I hope to have more flowers and herbs. I have found that weeds make the best companions for watermelons. Actually, I have read a lot about weeds (since I have such a variety of volunteers LOL), and certain ones make very good companions with specific plants.

Now, you tell me, what do you plant together?

Oh, my goodness! Before I read this article I had never even thought about it! So, I've just planted whatever wherever. I'm pretty new to gardening, and this is my first year for vegetable gardening, so I don't have any experience with this concept except for this year.

I'm growing tomatoes for the first time, and because we weren't able to get the vegetable beds finished in time for the tomatoes, I ended up planting them in my newest flower bed in my front yard! Half of them ended up being surrounded by chamomile, and the other half are surrounded by onions. The one's surrounded by chamomile are doing much better than the one's planted with the onions, so I'll try the chamomile again next year when I'm growing them in the back yard.

Two days ago I decided to plant some garlic between my roses to see if they benefit from it in any way. Mainly, I'm hoping that the garlic will help control the rose eating bugs.

I'm really interested in this whole idea of companion planting. Are there any books you'd suggest?

Thanks , it is a useful link for all members.

There are books galore on the subject. I recommend you read several, as so much of it is opinion, though some is backed by research. The research is usually controlled with just one companion though, so you just have to think your options through. "Gardener's Lore", as they often call it, is usually right, and when they say 'The Indians did it this way", I am always ready to give that a try.

I was just ordering some Rodale books last night, and I saw they had three or four companion books, all under $10 each plus 3.49 shipping.
Here is the link:
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?wtopicr=Gardening%20Garden%20Design%20Gardening%20Companion%20planting&matches=501&rtit=Companion%20Planting&rauth=Bird%2C%20Richard

if the link doesn't work, after searching for the title "companion planting", click on "more books like this"

My favorites have been, Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte, Roses Love Garlic by Louise Riotte, Companion Planting by Susan McClure (Rodale Press). I nearly bought Companion Planting by Richard Bird, and a few others, but I had to restrain myself for this month LOL

I started out calling my library and getting these books by interlibraary loan, so I could read without buying, then the ones I liked, I bought to have as reference. Alibris has some new some used, and I have been very satisfied with them as well as http://www.Amazon.com and http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Try Marigolds with your tomatoes, and carrots too. Carrots would do great in a flower bed, and you can harvest them all winter if you mulch them good after the first frost, or put a bale of hay over them...

Thanks! A new tangent for me, but I'm excited about this one!

Clair, I did some more planting today. Please keep me posted on your endeavors. Maybe with enough interest, Dave would start a companion planting forum.

DID YOU HEAR ME, DAVE???

Oooohhh! Great idea!!! Yes, Dave, please do!

Claire... I have just purchased Carrots love Tomatoes... If you would like to borrow it let me know...

Drew

Claire and Drew~
I learned that if we want a new forum considered, it has to be posted in the forum "Dave's Garden", to see what kind of response there is.
Please go there and give your opinion.

http://davesgarden.com/t/446608/

BTW, I just suggested there that we could trade books with each other =-)

I wish someone out there could tell me what companions well with OKRA???!!!

Okra- Here it is from "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte (she lived in Ardmore, OK so that is closer to your zone, TF)

"It's a warm weather plant that will grow wherever melons or cucumbers thrive. I plant two rows, dig a trench between, and cover it with mulch. On the north side of my okra I plant a row of sweet bell peppers and on the south side a row of eggplant. All are well mulched as the season advances. When the weather becomes dry, in midsummer, I lay a hose in the trench and flood it so that all three companions grow well."

She also suggests that the bell peppers, as they are quite brittle, benefit from the windbreak of the taller okra.

DA~
Thanks, I have that book, don't know how I missed that suggestion...
Meanwhile please go to the link above to give your opinion on a new alternative forum...
TF

bump...

I bought that Carrots Love Tomatoes also and it is a good book. I also bought The Edible Garden by Sunset and have enjoyed it very much. The french gardening website is wonderfully inspiring. I especially loved the page on herbs http://www.frenchgardening.com/tech.tmpl?SKU=3164873867231346
-Juli

Oh, been wanting that book too. Glad you know what bump means now LOL. I just didn't feel much like figuring out what to say at the time, figured the thread could speak for itself :-)

I keep seeing it and didn't understand. Tee Hee! Between the Edible Garden book and that French garden website I am so inspired by it.
-Juli

Back on the subject of companion planting, a friend of mine was really disappointed in her MG class last week. The "expert" was from Lubbock (probably Texas Tech), and was pushing chemicals, etc. He insisted companion planting was not helpful, that marigolds did not reduce nematodes, and you couldn't build the soil naturally. I say, just look at the dust bowl around Lubbock. Before you listen to an "expert", look and see if you want what they have! I am going to search for a good publication from Cornell University (they have all kinds of research on CP, and organics), and send it to him. Or maybe he needs to get an email from me with some links! I don't know, some people just can't be re-educated!!! I am so glad it didn't work out for me to go to that class this year. I would be fighting with all the instructors, or at least leaving grumpy every day...

Has anyone hear read Sally Jean Cunningham's book "Great Garden Companions"? I love it! I think it was published by Cornell University, maybe he needs a copy of it LOL

Anyone tried peas with tomatoes lately? Would you believe my toamtoes are in the ground already, need to get the peas in this week...

I'm just about ready to put everything in the ground this weekend. I forgot to harden off my tomatoes so I'll have to wait on those but the Farmers Almanac says that 15-16-17 are the most fruitful days to plant above ground crops and to start flower gardens.
-Juli

Juli64, glad for that reminder about time to plant seeds for above ground, like the zinnias that I must plant today. DonnaS

That almanac info is off somehow. Leo, a bad palnting sign, just came in this morning, and the next palnting sign is Tuesday morning. But once, I had to plant some corn in Leo, and just prayed belssing over it! It got ebery kind of disease and bug known to corn, but still got 13 dozen ears from four 20 ft. rows. Good luck on your weekend planting. I am going to play it safe and just double dig some more beds!

The best planting info is from my calendar I got at:

http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com

Much easier than reading the ephemeris, more accuarte than the almanac...

Tamara

Oh, I am trying a new companion this year for my tomatoes.... I have one cabbage plant per raised bed of three each tomatos, 3 sq ft each peas, 2 sq ft. each carrots, 4 each cucumbers. Next I will add dill, and flowers, (will have to give that some more thought). I may not add the dill, the carrots may offer the same protection...hmmmmm.

The peas and carrots are to benenfit the tomatoes, the dill is for the maters AND cabbage benefit. Flowers for benenficials. And cucmbers just for convenince, I have a 'hoop' outside the bed to train them out onto, where they can be easily harvested from under, and on the other sid eof the hoop will be a west row of sunflowers, for relief in this heat, since these are early, cool loving tomatoes.

I hope this all works. I may add some other things to the beds. What not to add: onions (or any allium), radishes (too much brassicas), tall flowers (would crowd out the morning sun). Any other ideas anyone? Still have 5 sq feet to fill...

Tamara

The french gardening website http://www.frenchgardening.com/tech.tmpl?SKU=31091285647395 says that they put foxglove in all their gardens, no scientific proof of anything other than that they have done this for centuries.
["The common biennial foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), on the other hand, has traditionally been allowed to self-sow throughout French gardens because of its beneficial effects on other plants. It is believed to stimulate their growth and enhance their resistance to disease. In addition, it is said to enhance the keeping qualities of fruits and vegetables it grows among. Whether this has ever been investigated scientifically, I don't know. But for French gardeners, the word of experience is sufficient reason to perpetuate the tradition."]
Oh and do not eat the foxglove! It is not edible!
-Juli

Guess I need to find some seed! Hope you got my email in time. I wonder how much space they need? Do they flower? Well, since i am clueless, I will just use your link and search it out, thank you!!!

BTW, do you remember that thread form last year, about starting a new forum on companion planting?

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/446608/

Seems we are gettinga lot of new forums lately to go wwith all the new subscribers and members. So I was thinking of asking again (After the 24th of April :-))

Edited to say, according to French Gardening Companions, the peas and cukes shouldn't be with the tomatoes. I have some that aren't, so I can compare and see. Hope it doesn't hurt too bad. Maybe if I can think of a better place, I could dig up the seeds, just planted them yesterday LOL

Tamara

This message was edited Apr 16, 2005 11:48 AM

This message was edited Apr 22, 2005 10:28 PM

I's wondering about your Peas and Tomatoes. Are you talking about garden peas, or cowpeas? If garden peas those are a cool weather crop; tomatoes are a warm weather crop. Didn't understand how they'd do good together. By the time the weather is nice and warm for the maters will the peas still be able to flower/begat?

I also have found the common perception of not planting peas with onions doesn't seem to hold true (for me) either. I've often grown peas and onions side by side and see great results!

Hope your companion planting goes great for you; I still like to dabble in it a bit also. (Especially with basil and 'maters together! Yummy!)

Horseshoe~Yeah, I have heard of your garden, twenty plus years in the works, wonderful mulched soil. (what can I say, I read a lot of old threads), and I have seen a pic of them growing side by side in your garden too. This is my second year, and I figure I gotta be a little more careful what i plant while I build the soil :-) BTW, garden peas, yeppers. And early maters, 55 days.

Tell ya what happened. I had it all planned out, and drawn up. Four, 4x4 raised beds with 16 square feet to plant in. Then I blew it. I started too many beautiful tomato plants, many of them prefering cool weather (Glacier and Stupice). So even though I missed the date for planting peas. I managed to squeeze in a few extra tomato palnts where peas and cukes were suposed to be. (In the shade of sunflowers that aren't there yet.) Messed with my plan, and made a mess!

So, as you can guess the tomatoes stay ;-D, as they will produce more food per square foot. I can easily move the arches for the cukes down a ways by the corn patch, and after the peas sprout I figure PERHAPS I can transplant them to another bed further down. (If not I have a ton of pea seeds, and plenty of shade to help them along) (I have a feeling we will have unusually cool weather till June) I already found a place to move the ten cabbages. So since the tomatoes get to stay, then I will plant with them:

Dill, carrots, onions, chives, marigolds, nasturtiums. I am going to leave that one lone broccoli plant though LOL

"Twenty plus years"...mercy!, Am I getting old or what!!? :>)

Sounds like you have a good plan going. (Not sure you'll have good luck transplanting peas but I'd sure give it a try! I've started beans in cell packs before and had great success transplanting them into the garden!)

If your cukes are near your tomatoes, I bet they'd do just fine growing up your tomato cages, or the plants for that matter. (I usually stick our Christmas tree in the No Work garden and plant cukes around it; makes a great cucumber trellis!)

If you have pea seed left, wonder if you can do a Fall crop where you live? Some of my best gardens are in the Fall.

Oh, I will certainly have a fall crop of peas. I have had a tremendous fall crop of beans every year, so I imagine pease would do great too. Just wanted to see what they could do with some extra evening shade. And I guess i was thinking, since they fix nitrogen in the soil, that it would be good for the tomatoes, but I suppose not. I'll sure try anything, just to see what happens. I checked and they aren't up yet, but we got rain last night, and the soil is still moist.

The cukes were to have their own arched trellis, while the tomato trellis is upright. I was going to plant the seed (2 to a foot) in the peas' squares. But I am used to changing my plans, particularly when I am the one who started all the changes (chuckle!)

But there is still time to change my mind again, as I haven't moved anything yet, won't till Wednesday...

This might be of interest...

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

That is a nice way of growing, and considered a great example of "companion planting".

I did Three Sisters first in '91 or '92. Have grown that way twice since, with varying "luck". As a boy I remember (in the NC mountains) being allowed to choose a pumpkin from a 3 sisters patch (wasn't aware of that name for it at the time). Not many folks wandered that far into the hills at the time; looking back I'm surprised I was accepted! Some areas were known to be "off limits" by shotgunners (stillers) and some were known to belong to the keetwos/keetoos (or something like that)...anyway, the name referred to the local Indians. '(I guess because of my wanderings/ramblings, checking my rabbit boxes and looking for "the perfect honey hole" for trout I was considered just another part of nature) (or a freak of nature!?)! I'll never forget carrying that dang pumpkin back to my G-parents house! Long way for a 9 yr old!

I grew pole beans, corn, and squash in my garden in '91. All grew well until a drought happened and very little was considered a success. The next time, all did extremely well untill the corn lodged and it was really a pathetic sight (and chore) to pick the beans...vines were so heavily entwined it was hard to pick fresh beans. The corn never made much cus when it fell to the ground the tassels weren't high enuff to throw the pollen around to pollinate the silks. The last time, all went well.

Since then I've grown beans up cornstalks and sunflowers, and also spagetti squash (one of my favorites!) Now I tend to grow squash separately early in the yr cus it gets so eaten up once the squash bugs come out later. By just growing pole beans up the corn allows me to be able to run the rows easily to keep weeds down and to side-dress, if needed. (Squash/pumpkins spread out so much you can barely walk down the rows.)

Hope you will be taking pics of your garden this year! Hope you keep updating us! Thanks!

I have decided to leave the peas, as an experiment, but plant more elsewhere. Now all else can go as planned in the SFB, and I will just move the cabbages (easy enough).

Shoe- I loved your post! I have a question though. I'm planting corn here in the upper desert and we get winds that start picking up around noontime. I wonder if they will be too much for the corn tassles? Any thoughts on that?
-Juli

Howdy Juli! It would be hard for me to say, not sure how fast those high winds blow! If it is sporadic I wouldn't think it should affect things too badly. Pollen appears over a period of time from the tassels, not all of it appearing in one day only. Also, when you see the silks appearing you could go out in the calm part of the day and gently shake the plants (or walk down the rows with a broomstick handle, letting it gently bump the stalks as you walk along). You should see pollen clouds if the pollen is ripe and ready to do its job.

If you have high winds and are growing a tall corn I'd also suggest you plant your corn deep and/or also hill it up good once it is firmly established. This will encourage more roots to form and more securely anchor the stalk to good ol' terra firma, helping to keep it from easily blowing over.

Have a great crop! I loves my corn!

I was thinking about doing the trenching thing because of the heat.
-Juli

I hilled my corn twice last year, and they got massive roots. The wind is awful here. Planting a double row of sunflowers around the patch helps in many ways, including wind break and keeping thew pollen from blowing away. Even just one the side of the prevailing winds, ours are S-SW.

Gemini is the best sign to hill under if you are planting by the moon.

Shoe- that corn looks great! That's not this year's crop already? I'm trying silver queen. I'm thinking of planting next weekend.
TamaraFaye- when is the Gemini moon? And I think the idea of planting sunflowers along my southern garden border will be a good idea too. Thanks!
-Juli

Juli~ There is a Gemini moon May 9 and 10, but I don't think your corn will be up high enough to hill (6"), so you may be better on June 5,6,7. On another day, I will post a pic of my corn and sunflowers growing together, very lovely combination :-D Careful not to put tall sunflower with short corn (I did that), (or at least leave some space), as a west or south border would block too much of the sun. I have five corn and five sunflowers, trying to match their height and maturity dates together...

You didn't ask ;-) but Friday or Th evening (Libra) are good days for planting, Saturday is void from 9:30 AM to 7 PM your time. Sunday the 24th and Monday the 25th (Scorpio) is good too, until 5:30 PM PDST. The next good days are Th 28th and Fri 29th (Capricorn) till 3 PM PDST. I will probably spread my work out and plant some each of those days.

Silver Queen sounds great! YUMMY, I AM READY TO EAT CORN ALREADY!

Cornius~Tamara

This is a fun thread! I appreciated Daisy's posting about okra companions.... works out very well for me, as I am planning to put burgundy okra, purple peppers, and several odd eggplant varieties in a side landscape bed, but didn't realize these "edible ornamentals" were good companions too!

And now I know where to plant sunflowers this year -- with the pole beans! No corn for me, though.... sadly, and oddly, that's where DH puts his foot down.... "we will not grow corn. we are not a farm." Fortunately, there's a great place down the road that grew 'Honey Select' last year, and they plan to put in a larger field of it this year -- best tasting, sweetest yellow corn I ever ate!