Fight over Companion Planting

I've been reading "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" and his idea of wide rows, deep soil, and raised beds. My husband and I are having an agrument over this. He's alway gardened in rows using a tiller. As a matter of fact he bought me a small honda tiller just so I could cultivate that way. I've known about this method for years and have always wanted to try it. I've seen many other gardens arranged like this. He think that with our clay soil that pack very easily that this kind of planting would be very hard to cultivate. Our soil crusts over and becomes very hard even without walking on it. I told him I thought if we mulch, that might help to keep it soft and moist longer. I basically told him I wanted to try this method in a few rows just to see if it would work. I don't mind pulling weeds by hand. Actually I kind of like sitting in the garden in the evening and weeding with a small hand hoe. He thinks I do way to much hand work.

But I really want to try companion planting. Do any of you plant like this and can any of you help me persuade him that it really isn't that hard to cultive with wide rows? Thanks.

Old habits are hard to change. My grandparents planted in rows, so my parents did, too. I've been using raised beds and companion planting for more than 25 years and wouldn't go back. My ninth season is coming up for this location. I had to start with rocky black clay that had never been cultivated and had lots of really stubborn native grasses and perennial plants. Clearing rocks and sizeable pebbles is a continuing challenge (they seem to be breeding down there!) but lots of compost has begun to improve the tilth of the clay considerably.One very strong advantage to raised beds is good drainage, an important consideration for clay. And yes, I prefer to interplant varieties to enhance growth and confuse the bugs. One really good book I highly recommend is "Great Garden Companions" by Sally Jean Cunningham, a Master Gardener with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Your library may have it. I found my copy in Barnes & Noble's used section.

For cultivation, I use my rolling bench. It has a comfortable tractor seat that swivels in a complete circle. I can use close spacing of plants, which crowds out some weeds, and by working at plant level I can pull weeds which I believe is less of a disturbance than hoeing to the roots of crop plants I'm trying to nurture. For stubborn deep rooted weeds, I can go deep with a knife blade or the thin point of my ho-mi.

Certainly you should have an opportunity to work a section of your garden in a raised bed system. In addition to being productive and effective, it's just plain fun! Yuska

Yuska,
What is a rolling bench? Do you have a picture of it. It sounds really good.

costco carries those little rolling seats.

I got mine from Lee Valley - here's the catalog page for it: http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=45921&cat=2,2120

Gardener's Supply now has one with a lever that allows one set of wheels to turn so the gardener can turn corners without rising from the seated position. Here's the catalog page: http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-CategoryProduct?catalog=StandardCatalog&name=New_YardLandscaping&sku=35-661

One suggestion: When planning wide rows/raised beds, be sure to consider how far you can comfortably reach without strain or (in my case) losing your balance. Many reference books and articles discuss four foot widths. The square foot gardening method has four foot beds. From experience I found that a three foot width works best for me. I can work from first one side and then the other and can easily reach the center without an uncomfortable stretch. Yuska

This message was edited Mar 2, 2006 7:17 PM

Companion Planting: http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
Vegetable Companion Planting Chart: http://www.tinkersgardens.com/vegetables/companionplanting.asp

Companion Plants for Better Yields: http://www.gardensablaze.com/Companions/CompanionYield.htm

Companion Plants for Pest Control: http://www.gardensablaze.com/Companions/CompanionPest.htm

Companion Planting: Basic Concept and Resources: http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/complant.html

HTH, for whatever reasons you need.

~* Robin

Like Yuksa, I find 3 foot beds best. With four foot, I would sort of tip off balance into the bed.

Robin,
Thanks for the links. They will be very helpful. Yuksa, I've asked my DH to make me one of those Rolling Benches. They look pretty nifty.

sagewoodfarm, I've been tilling my soil ( in vegetable garden)for years but I make wide rows when I plant, about 1 1/2 feet wide 4 to 6" high you get so much more planting room that way for things like carrots , beets, onions, strawberries, etc. in the fall I rake it down, rototill, and plant a cover crop. weeds aren't too much problem, I sprinkle a pre-emergent that I get at costco in between the wide rows. the pre-emergent goes wherever I don't want to weed like in my roses, on trails in my hosta gardens etc. lol hostajim1

Hello hostajim-- we're practically neighbors! In fact, we used to be much closer as I went to Sedgwick Jr. High...

sagewoodfarm, thank you so much for this thread! Yuksa, I'm glad to hear that Great Garden Companions comes recommended since I bought that book a couple months ago and am planning on implementing this method in my first-ever garden this year. I have high hopes, but I think I'll be happy as long as we get some harvest and I get a good learning experience for next year. :) I'm getting excited, and I think I'm going to start some seeds indoors this weekend.

Hi danak,
I use to live in Olympia. Loved living there. I lived out on Pleasent Glade Rd. off Slatter Kenney. My sister and hubby live in Port Orchard. Small world.

Wow! Yes, it is a small world! :)

Hi danak.

A man from my home town went out to Port Orchard after WW 2 to start a mink ranch. Then they put in a large airport [military?] and this scared the mink silly. The man's name was Art McConnaughey[spelling?].

Hmm, that sounds familiar to me-- I think I've heard about that!

Another good book that covers basic companion planting strageties is "Carrots love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte. You can read the review posted here on DG in the Bookworm section of the site. I never did figure out how to post a link, but go there and search for book title. I like this book because it's written with a real "homey" style and also covers alot of the folklore of gardening.

sagewoodfarm, Got back from the bus trip to Reno, last Friday evening. Had a good time, there were only 25 on the bus, usually 35 or 40, so plenty of room. Had a different driver and took a different route home from Ontario, OR, so didn't come throught Benton City, so I didn't get to look for your place.

A nice day today, 58 degrees and no wind. I planted my poppy seeds, about 10 or so different colors, and two or three varieties, on my bank in front of the windbreak trees. I've planted seeds of poppies in that area before, so there will probably be some volunteers. Also planted some Larkspur. If it doesn't rain tomorrow as predicted I will have to irrigate.

DonnaS

Carrots love Tomatoes http://davesgarden.com/gbw/c/417/

~* Robin