Companion Planting

What is this Companion Planting that I am always rabbiting in about? Why is it important for an organic garden? I first heard of it years ago, when I was informed that growing any form of vegies in neat rows is just providing a smorgasbord for bad insects. They just chew their destructive way from plant to plant. Onions are slow growing & are affected by weeds, so I plant pansies among them. They are quick growing spreading plants, which keep the weeds down & also insulate the soil around the onion bulbs. Win Win.  The trick is to create a biodiversity in your garden. With careful planning, you will always have flowers blooming to attract the birds, insects & reptiles that will protect your garden (tubular type flowers like pineapple sage, a vast array of natives) There are many sites on google & many books to help you with this, but here is a quick guide.

Companion Planting is the planting of different plants near each other for their benefit. There are several ways the plants can benefit from each other including pest control, pollination and nutrient uptake.

Companion planting works because one or more of the following occurs:

• one plant produces a substance or substances that help another plant in various ways;
• the growing habits of one plant compliment the growing habits of another;
• one plant attracts predators that eat the pests on the companion;
• one plant repels the pests that eat its companion;
• one plant disguises its companion so that pests do not recognize it;
• one plant creates a micro-climate for another;
• one plant attracts pollinators that are required by its companion.

Plants that attract beneficial insects

 a mixture of flowers and herbs among vegies and fruit trees will encourage a healthy diversity of living creatures to move into the garden. Insect-attracting plants that grow readily from seed include herbs like thyme, sage, coriander, chives and mint, and flowers such as cosmos, calendula, lavender, echinacea and marigold.

Phacelia, for example, is very successful at attracting useful garden insects such as bees (valuable pollinators) and hoverflies (aphid predators). Phacelia’s appealing lavender-blue flowers produce vast amounts of pollen and nectar that make them irresistible to many insects.

Masking and decoy plants

Masking plants emit an odour that disguises the smell of desirable plants and confuses the insect pests that might otherwise attack them. A good example is planting chives, onions or garlic near roses to deter thrips, aphids and other pests.

Closely related to the masking plants are the ‘decoy’ plants that attract pests to themselves and away from their neighbours. Nasturtium is one of the best known decoy plants. Nasturtiums act like magnets, pulling pests away from other plants. Plants like this are sometimes called ‘sacrificial’ or ‘martyr’ plants because they’re prepared to suffer in order to protect their companions.

Nurturing plants

Other plants improve conditions for their neighbours. The best-known of these are the peas, beans and other members of the legume family that have the ability to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere. Plants growing in close proximity to peas and beans benefit from the nitrogen the legumes have added to the soil.

Choosing companion plants

Working out which plants grow well together is often a matter of individual trial and error but below is an extensive list to get you started.

Good Companions

Apples	Chives - Horsetail (Equisetum) - Foxgloves - Wallflowers Nasturtiums - Garlic - Onions
Apricots	Basil - Tansy - Southernwood
Asparagus	Tomatoes - Parsley - Basil
Basil	Tomatoes - Asparagus - Parsley - Apricots
Beans	Carrots. Cucumbers - Cabbages - Lettuce - Peas - Parsley Cauliflower - Spinach - Summer Savory
Beans - broad	Potatoes - Sweetcorn
Beans. Dwarf	Beetroot - Potatoes
Beetroot	Onions - Silverbeet - Kohlrabi - Lettuce - Cabbage Dwarf Beans
Borage	Strawberries
Brussels Sprouts	Nasturtiums
Cabbages	Beans - Beetroot. Celery - Mint - Thyme - Sage - Onions Rosemary - Dill - Potatoes - Chamomile - Oregano Hyssop - Southernwood - Nasturtiums - Tansy - Coriander
Carrots	Peas - Radishes. Lettuce - Chives - Sage - Onions - Leeks
Cauliflowers	Celery. Beans - Tansy - Nasturtiums
Celery	Tomatoes - Dill. Beans - Leeks - Cabbage - Cauliflowers
Chamomile	Mint - Cabbages - Onions
Chervil	Dill - Coriander - Radish
Chives	Parsley - Apples - Carrots - Tomatoes
Citrus	Guava
Coriander	Dill - Chervil - Anise - Cabbages - Carrots
Cucumbers	Potatoes (early crop only) - Beans - Celery - Lettuce Sweet Corn - Savoy Cabbages - Sunflowers - Nasturtiums
Dill	Carrots - Tomatoes - Cabbage - Fennel - Coriander
Fennel	Dill - Coriander
Foxgloves	Apples - Potatoes - Tomatoes
Fuchsias	Basil - Gooseberries - Tomatoes
Horseradish	Fruit trees - Potatoes
Hyssop	Grapevines - Cabbages
Kohlrabi	Beetroot - Onions
Garlic	Roses - Apples - Peaches
Geraniums	Grapevines
Grapevines	Geraniums - Mulberries - Hyssop - Basil - Tansy
Guava	Citrus
Leeks	Carrots - Celery
Lettuce	Carrots - Onions - Strawberries - Beetroot - Cabbages Radishes - Marigolds
Marigolds	Lettuce - Potatoes - Tomatoes - Roses - Beans
Melons	Sweet Corn
Mint	Cabbages - Chamomile
Nasturtiums	Apples - Cabbages - Cauliflowers - Broccoli Brussels Sprouts - Kohlrabi - Turnips - Radishes Cucumbers - Zucchini
Onions	Carrots - Beetroot - Silverbeet - Lettuce - Chamomile Kohlrabi - Summer Savory
Oregano	Cabbages
Parsley	Tomatoes - Asparagus - Roses - Chives
Parsnips	Peas - Potatoes - Peppers - Beans - Radishes - Garlic
Peaches	Tansy - Garlic - Basil - Southernwood
Peas	Potatoes - Radishes - Carrots - Turnips
Potatoes	Peas - Beans - Cabbage - Sweetcorn - Broad Beans Green Beans - Nasturtiums - Marigolds - Foxgloves Horse Radish - Egg Plant
Pumpkins	Sweetcorn
Radishes	Lettuces - Peas - Chervil - Nasturtiums
Raspberries	Tansy
Roses	Garlic - Parsley - Onions - Mignonette - Marigolds
Sage	Carrots - Cabbages - Strawberries
Savory	Beans - Onions
Silverbeet	Onions - Beetroot - Lavender
Spinach	Strawberries
Squash	Sunflowers
Strawberries	Borage - Lettuce - Spinach - Sage - Pyrethrum
Sunflowers	Squash - Cucumber
Sweetcorn	Broad Beans - Potatoes - Melons - Tomatoes Cucumber - Squash - Tansy
Tansy	Cabbage - Roses - Raspberries - Grapes - Peaches
Thyme	Cabbage family
Tomatoes	Asparagus - Celery - Parsley - Basil - Carrots - Chives Marigolds - Foxgloves - Garlic - Sweetcorn
Turnips	Nasturtiums - Peas
Wallflowers	Apples
Zucchini	Nasturtiums

Bad Companions

Apples	Grass - Potatoes
Apricots	Tomatoes, Basil, Sage
Beans	Onions - Garlic - Fennel - Gladioli - Sunflowers - Kohlrabi
Beetroot	Tall beans
Broccoli	Strawberries
Cabbages	Rue - Strawberries - Tomatoes - Garlic
Carnations	Hyacinths
Cauliflowers	Strawberries
Coriander	Fennel
Fennel	Beans - Tomatoes - Kohlrabi - Coriander - Wormwood
Garlic	Peas - Beans - Cabbages - Strawberries
Gladioli	Strawberries - Beans - Peas
Hyacinth	Carnations
Hyssop	Radishes
Kohlrabi	Tomatoes - Beans - Fennel
Mint	Parsley
Parsnip	Carrots - Celery - Caraway
Pears	Grass
Peas	Onions - Shallots - Garlic - Gladioli
Potatoes	Apples - Cherries - Cucumbers (with any but early crops) Pumpkins - Sunflowers - Tomatoes - Raspberries - Rosemary
Pumpkins	Potatoes
Radishes	Hyssop
Raspberries	Blackberries - Potatoes
Rosemary	Potatoes
Rue	Sage - Basil
Sage	Basil - Rue - Wormwood
Strawberries	Cabbages - Cauliflowers - Brussels Sprouts Gladioli - Tomatoes - Broccoli - Garlic
Sunflowers	Potatoes
Tomatoes	Rosemary - Potatoes - Kohlrabi - Fennel Apricots - Strawberries - Dill
Wormwood	All other plants

AND....................

a couple of general plants that make great companions for other reasons

• Basil helps repel flies and mosquitoes.
• Borage in the strawberry patch will increase the yield.
• Catnip repels fleas, ants and rodents.
• Caraway helps breakdown heavy soils.
• Chamomile deters flies and mosquitoes and gives strength to any plant growing nearby.
• Chives grown beneath apple trees will help to prevent apple scab; beneath roses will keep away aphids and blackspot.
• Elderberry a general insecticide, the leaves encourage compost fermentation, the flowers and berries make lovely wine!
• Fennel (not F. vulgare or F.officionale) repels flies, fleas and ants.
• French Marigold root secretions kill nematodes in the soil. Will repel white fly amongst tomatoes.
• Garlic helps keep aphids away from roses.
• Hyssop attracts cabbage white moth keeping brassicas free from infestation.
• Mint repels cabbage white moth. Dried and placed with clothes will repel clothes moth.
• Nasturtium secrete a mustard oil, which many insects find attractive and will seek out, particularly the cabbage white moth. Alternatively, the flowers repel aphids and the cucumber beetle. The climbing variety grown up apple trees will repel codling moth.
• Pyrethrum will repel bugs if grown around the vegetable garden.
• Rosemary repels carrot fly.
• Rue (Rutus, not Peganum) keeps cats and dogs off garden beds if planted round the borders.
• Sage protects cabbages from cabbage white moth.
• Tansy (Tanacetum, not Senecio) repels moths, flies and ants. Plant beneath peach trees to repel harmful flying insects. Tansy leaves assist compost fermentation.
• Wormwood (Artemesia, not Ambrosia) although it can inhibit the growth of plants near it, wormwood does repel moths, flies and fleas and keeps animals off the garden.
• Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator, mining a host of nutrients from the soil. These are then made available through its fast growing leaves which, lacking fibre, quickly break down to a thick black liquid. Comfrey is an excellent source of potassium, an essential plant nutrient needed for flower, seed and fruit production. Its leaves contain 2-3 times more potassium than animal manure, mined from deep in the subsoil, tapping into reserves that would not normally be available to plants.

The Comfrey

 

This is what companion planting is about - letting your garden do the work for you , while you sit back and enjoy the flowers and produce.

Happy Grubbing

Gardenia Trellis

(Tam)