Help! Planing a Fruit&Veg garden what NOT to plant with what

I am trying to start a fruit and vegetable garden, and I have noted that you are not supposed to plant some plants, like raspberries, where tomatoes or eggplant has been planted. I think there is also something with strawberries, but I am not sure. How can I find out what is compatible with what, and more importantly, what isn't, so I create a successful fruit and vegetable garden?

The books _Carrots Love Tomatoes_ and _Great Garden Compations_ is where I've gotten most of my information about what to plant and NOT to plant together, I'm especially fond of Great Garden Companions. Doing a subject search in a library under 'companion planting' might yield up others.

Christina Cat

Thank you Cristina, I am kind new at this, so I've been asking a lot of questions it seems.

Check out the garden bookworm above (in the tabs) I too agree that the book Carrots Love Tomatoes is helpful! Ask your area extension agent, too! They usually have great sources of information on topics related to growing food.

It doesn't matter much the first time around. Don't plant hot peppers & sweet peppers close to each other, hot will be sweet, sweet will be hot.
The thing to do is lay out your garden, keep good track of where each vegetable is, then in the following years you rotate things around so they are in different areas. This is basic disease prevention. Families all get same diseases. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant are all nightshade family. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, gourds are cubrits. Peas, beans, alfalfa, clover are legumes. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli are brassica.
Contrary to what some people say, cucumbers & watermelons do not cross!
Example, Two varieties of squash will cross & if you save seed you can get some strange fruit from that seed.
I hope I helped & didn't confuse you more. LOL!
Bernie

Another good book which really simplifies your crop rotation and companion planting is Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham. She is a Master Gardener from Cornell University, so lots of fun research info in the book as well.

In Ruth Stout's No-Work Garden Book, the other author (sad we don't recall his name LOL) suggested rotating potatoes, strawberries, and corn. Corn first, followed by potatoes, which are immune to corn smut, then the bed is ready to turn to strawberries for however many years you like. Sorry I don't remember all the why's and details.

To add to Bernie's info about the squash crossing, you can grow and save seed from 4 different squash (just don't do pumpkins LOL) One pepo, one moschata, one each of the other two kind that don't come to mind (help me here Bernie). If you aren't saving seed, then grow as much as you like. I suggest growing your squash all together in one bed, with radishes (let go to seed) and nasturtiums to repel squash bugs. However, I believe that growing cucumbers near zucchini can result ina bad tasting zuke. I will double check that, but i know it is something with Zucchinis, and I had to opt out of zuccinis this year (anyone want my seeds?)

ElapheG, ask all the questions you want. There is a wealth of info here at DG. And don't forget to check out the Garden Bookworm! There is also a thread in this forum with a link with companion planting info, I will look for it and post it here for you. Best of luck, and hopefully you can learn from other's mistakes. :-)

Tamara

Here it is:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/445430/

Thanks everyone this is a big help

How did things work out for you?

Sorry for taking so long to reply my computer has been down. So far so good. Thanks again.

Hope your computer is doing well soon. We would love to see pics or descriptions of how you are doing thus far...

and in case I forgot earlier, WELCOME TO DG!

I just love this site, always a wealth of information. Thanks!!! Denise

Denise, thanks for saying so, as sometimes I think people just want me to shut up already LOL This is the best garden forum ever, huh?!

Everything is doing great with the exception of the blueberries and the watermelon. Both seem to be growing extreamly slow. The pH for the blueberries is perfect and they are not dieing, but there is still minimal new groth on them. The pH for the Watermelons is 5.0 so I may have to add some crushed limestone, but they just dont seem to want to grow, so I just might not have any watermelon this year. Other than that everything is doing amazingly well.

Can you do a nutrient test? Watermelon like it real fertile I think, and sandy or loamy. They just can't grow in clay or hard pan soils at all. Myabe adding some n-p-k would help? I don't know ANYTHING about blueberries. I would start over with them if I could, or look for pests or fungal disease...

The blueberrires are not unhealthy in any way they stand about 3' tall (same as when I got them). The leaves are green and healthly but somewhat sparce, but nowhere near bare. Yet after 3 months they really haven't changed at all. Perhaps a deer or something is munching on the leaves, and kinda keeping the leaves from filling in. I will have to check on that. There is a basis for this suspicion, since a deer was at the cherry tree I planted this year (the cherry tree didn't suffer any ill effects since it was just the lower leaves, but the son of a you know what, ate my only cherry).

Well, that son of a BUCK! I was just thinking, that if they hadn't grown, they were stunted. Diseases can do that, but you would have to check to see what affects blueberries. Have you called your local extension office? Some will make house calls...