Companion Planting Guide

[gixxerific]

A little something I have been working on, thought I would share with everyone.

Guide To Companion Planting

Alfalfa: Deep rooted it makes an excellent companion to shallow rooted plants due to less competition for soil space. Alfalfa also hinders evaporation, which can help other plants during dry spells. Alfalfa and the onion family don't mix. Another thing to be aware of is Alfalfa encourages Dandelions, which also have deep roots they can move in after the alfalfa dies down. Alfalfa also fixates Nitrogen and accumulates iron, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.

Apples: Apple trees do better in the absence of grass. The roots of grass have a breath that tears the tender tips of apple tree roots. Chives grown around Apple trees help inhibit Apple Scab. Foxglove grown around the trees improves the keeping quality of the apples. Potatoes do no fare well when planted around Apple Trees due to Phytophtora blight being more prevalent.

Asparagus: They do well left unattended with a mulch of straw, they also enjoy the company of Tomatoes, Basil and Parsley.

Basil: Basil is an all around friend of the garden. Tomatoes do well with basil around them making them more disease resistant and adding flavor to them. Whiteflies truly hate basil and will not come near it. Pots of Basil placed around the house and yard will also drive the House Fly away. Rue and basil both repel House Fly’s but planted next to each other will be disastrous to each other. Not too mention a sprinkling of Basil enhances many dishes including soups, salads, tomatoes etc.

Bay: Bay leaves repel weevils in stored grains and in dried legumes. A scattering of Bay leaves on the pantry shelf will keep ants away. Bay plants repel many pests and diseases and will benefit many less resistant plants by there nearness.

Beans: A member of the Legume family they fix nitrogen in the soil. Be weary of plantings in the soil recently occupied by legumes. The nitrogen fixation will encourage leafy growth but stifling fruiting. Runner beans may be planted in the same spot year after year. They also love pet hair and vacuum cleaner dirt. Dwarf beans, Beets and Potatoes dowel when planted in alternate rows. Broad beans and Potatoes will inhibit each other’s pests. Beans in general do well near Carrots, Cucumbers, Cabbage, Lettuce, Peas, Parsley and Cauliflower. On the other hand they do not fare well against Onions, Garlic, Fennel or Gladioli. Climbing beans and Sunflowers don't mix well as they fight for each other’s light and space. Broad beans also do better if planted in alternate rows with Spinach, which shades the soil and keeps it damp.

Broccoli: Broccoli is a member of the Cabbage family (see Cabbage).

Brussels Sprouts: don't plant near Strawberries. Mildew and cutworms are the biggest enemy. Light sprays of methylated spirits will help against mildew. Cardboard collars will protect against the cutworm.

Cabbage: Cabbage likes being with Beans, Beets, Celery, Mint, Thyme, Sage, Dill, Onions, Potatoes and Rosemary. Cabbage does no do well around Tomatoes or Strawberries, the berries will not do well either. Always move Cabbage year after year to avoid clubroot buildup. Rue is another plant to keep away from cabbage, due to its bitter leave exhalation and the excretion given off by the roots. The Cabbage White butterfly is a major problem but can be dissuaded by planting one or more of the following: Sage, Rosemary, Dill, Southernwood, Mint and Chamomile. Tansy will repel both the butterfly and cutworm, short sticks of Rhubarb buried here and there will help protect against clubroot.

Carnations: Carnations will poison Hyacinths if planted nearby, conversely if Hyacinths are planted in soil where Carnations have grown, the Hyacinths will die.

Carrots: Carrots enjoy the company of Peas, Radishes, Lettuce, Chives, Sage, Onions and Leeks. Carrots and Onions planted in alternate rows will help each other. The Onions will drive off the Carrot Fly and the Carrots will drive off the Onion Fly a match made in soil. Carrot Fly maggots, which attack the roots, don't like strong odors. Mothballs crumbled into the soil and pungent herbs (Sage, Rosemary and Wormwood) planted nearby will deter the maggots. When planting Plant thinly, the disturbance of thinning encourages the carrot fly.

Cauliflower: This plant grows well around Celery, which helps keep away the White Cabbage Butterfly. It does not mix with Strawberries. Cutworms can be a problem as well, use cardboard collars around the stems to deter this threat. As with most plants a sprinkling of wood ash will also help deter pest.

Celery: Celery likes Tomatoes, Dill, Leeks, and the Cabbage family. The White Cabbage Butterfly does not like celery’s scent.

Chamomile: The “plant doctorâ€

[!potatoes!]

the quick reference guide has chamomile good with onion, but neither list mentions onion good with chamomile. that's one if my new favorite companion plantings - planted in a block with 2 or 3 times more onion than chamomile...had good luck with the combination this year.

[gixxerific]

Potatoes I will fix that I got this info from several sources and some of them contradict each other so some fine tuning may be necessary.

MarlinDo whatever you want with it. If you wait a few day's I will clean this up, I had it all nice and formatted but when I copy and pasted it didn't come out so well here.

I made this for myself but want everyone to use it, if there are errors or something missing I will be glad to look into it and make changes.

Enjoy

Dono

[Duh_Vinci]

Nice list, Dono, thanks for getting it together!

Regards,
D

[nes]

a match made in soil

ROFL!!! That's adorable .

Great list!!! What a fantastic reference - I actually moved a few things all around, didn't realize the cauliflowers shouldn't be near the tomatoes or strawberries, I had them right beside both.

[gixxerific]

I'm so glad this has helped at least a few. It took me a long time to write up with a ton of research as well. I would never have thought about companion planting if it was not for this site.

[Halfway]

Thank you for the effort. Great list!!!

[tk421storm]

Wow! So useful!! This is getting squirreled away....

[suzetrails]

Awesome! Thanks!!! Happy planting and happy plants

[jal_ut]

All well and good, but for the most part this stuff is hype and folk lore.

It is on a par to planting with the phases of the moon. Superstition.

Garden veggies grow best when given their own space and enough space.

But then writers for garden magazines need to have something to write about?

[gixxerific]

All well and good, but for the most part this stuff is hype and folk lore.

It is on a par to planting with the phases of the moon. Superstition.

Garden veggies grow best when given their own space and enough space.

But then writers for garden magazines need to have something to write about?

Maybe, maybe not. I'm not saying it is 100% true but some of this stuff has been in familys for 100 of years, it worth a shot at least.

You just have to believe,

[Joyfirst]

Thank you so much! I love companion planting. I find it very useful and very beautiful too. My veggie beds are full of color, and I learned to eat flowers too.

[gixxerific]

Now remember that when I think of companion planting. I think of many different facets.

This means planting tall crops to shade shorter shade loving crops. Planting like needs together is yet another thing to think about, crops with the same watering, fertilizing or watering needs. There are so many different ideas that this plant helps that plant and this plant hurts that plant. If nothing else the flowering plants that attract beneficial insects is worth the cost of admission by itself.

[GardenJester]

nice... may be the mods should sticky this thread. just a suggestion...

[Auntie Em]

Wonderful list. Thank you very much for doing this.

I have had good success with chives and garlic in containers with flowers. The flowers have fewer insect problems.

Great to know about the peas and chives not being good together. Am off to move a pot now....

[Dixana]

I'd like second this as a sticky!!! Great info gixx

[mfedukovich]

Thanks! Great info!

My husband and I wanted to try out companion planting this year so this list is great!

[cherishedtiger]

great... so I wonder whats going to happen since my potatoes are in the same bed as my pumpkins.... and the pumpkins are suddenly headed their way... hmmmmm

[DoubleDogFarm]

Dono,

Polyculture is a good thing

You could add Borage to your list.

From Wikipedia,
Borage is used in companion planting.[7] It is said to protect or nurse legumes, spinach, brassicas, and even strawberries.[8] It is also said to be a good companion plant to tomatoes because it confuses the search image of the mother moths of tomato hornworms or manduca looking for a place to lay their eggs.[9] Claims that it improves tomato growth [10] and makes them taste better [11] remain unsubstantiated.

All well and good, but for the most part this stuff is hype and folk lore.
It is on a par to planting with the phases of the moon. Superstition.

Yes, religions as well.

Eric

[PunkRotten]

For plants that do not mix well, how much distance do they need? Would planting another plant in between them be adequate space?

[DoubleDogFarm]

It's not only whats above ground, but below.

Eric

[seedsowing]

I've been stuggling with making a matrix of companion planting. Does anyone have a link to a site that shows an actual layout of companion planted garden?

I'm having a good time creating the matrix but it is a lot of time. Hopefully someone can save me the trouble.

[rainbowgardener]

I've been stuggling with making a matrix of companion planting. Does anyone have a link to a site that shows an actual layout of companion planted garden?

I'm having a good time creating the matrix but it is a lot of time. Hopefully someone can save me the trouble.

Not only have I never seen such a thing, I'm not sure it could exist. You are in texas, so the garden that would work for you would be totally different from the one that would work for me here in Ohio. And then it depends on your soil, how much sun your garden gets, how much space you have and so on.

I would start by figuring our what are the main things you really want to grow, that are suited for your climate. Then look those up and start figuring out CALENDAR as well as things that grow with them. The calendar for me does a lot of determining what things are planted together. For example broccoli is a frost hardy, cold weather crop that is done by the time it gets hot. Tomatoes can't tolerate frost and are just getting well going by the time it gets hot. So (and this is all for my climate, just giving an eg) I plant transplant broccoli out into the garden in March, a month before the last frost. Then 4-5 weeks later I transplant tomatoes out in the same bed right behind the broccoli. By early June-ish, by the time the tomato plants are getting big and starting to need the room, I pull the broccoli. Companion planting guides will tell you broccoli and tomatoes don't do well together, but this works for me, perhaps because I pull the broccoli promptly, don't leave it idling along waiting for the last few little side shoots it might produce later.

Your calendar thing is a little more complicated in TX because you have basically two separate growing seasons, spring and fall, with kind of a lull in the summer when it is too hot for a lot of things. So you would want to be planting tomato seeds maybe Christmas time-early Jan, for a spring/early summer crop and then again in August for a fall/early winter crop.

So get the calendar all sorted out first and then see what fits together and then fill in all the spaces with stuff from the companion planting guides.

To make the companion planting thing work, it helps to spread things around. In other words, if you want to have 10 tomato plants, if you pack them all into one big bed you won't have much room to grow anything with them. If you have three different tomato areas, then you will have a lot more room to grow other things with them. And that works much better for organic growing - if you have 10 tomato plants together in one bed, they will spread diseases among each other easily and will be a magnet for every insect/pest in the county that likes tomatoes (and there are many! ) It you have a few tomato plants in several different spots, each surrounded by a bunch of other stuff with different smells (scatter onion and garlic all around your garden!), it will be a lot harder for diseases to spread and insects to find them.

Hope this helps a little! It gets easier with more years of experience with your garden!

[3DMommy]

Thank You, Thank You!! The cucumber/sunflower will be perfect for me!

[PunkRotten]

How come carrots are not recommended with tomatoes? I heard they go good together?

[rainbowgardener]

yup.... It's the title of a book on companion planting "Carrots love Tomatoes."

[floridahillnursery]

Kudos on the list. Thanks

[Gary350]

All well and good, but for the most part this stuff is hype and folk lore.

It is on a par to planting with the phases of the moon. Superstition.

Garden veggies grow best when given their own space and enough space.

But then writers for garden magazines need to have something to write about?

I use to think the same thing. NOVA did a TV show on this. Research shows planting by the moon really works. I will try to explain it myself. Plants do most of their growing in the dark, the darker it is the larger the harvest will be. You want your crop to mature in the dark of the moon to get maximum harvest. So you need to plant at a certain time of the month so the crop will mature in the dark of the moon. Some crops are 65 days, 75 days, 90 and 95 days, you have to plant each one at a different time to make them all mature in the dark of the moon. The old times know this works but they don't know why.

Research shows if a farmers field is next to a highway car head lights stunts the growth of the crop near the highway.

Also north south rows produce a larger crop than east west rows because east west rows never get any sun light on the north side of the plants. Certain crops like beans and corn benefit from this.

If you do a Google search for NOVA TV shows you will probably find it.

[PenPalAnna]

Wow this is awesome! Companion planting and planting by the moon may be a bunch of hype. But my grandpa planted by the moon so I will too.

[rainbowgardener]

We are finding out more and more about all the subtle and intricate kinds of communications that happen between/ amongst plants. I just read something that said that when oak trees come under attack by (whatever kind of insect pest it was attacking them), not only do they increase the amount of tannin in their leaves, to deter the insects, but they exude some chemical out from their roots, which signals the other oak trees in the neighborhood to increase the amount of tannin in their leaves defensively to prepare against attack. Given that level of subtle communication it isn't hard to believe in a lot of other plant interactions that we aren't aware of yet. (Here's one citation related to that:

https://io9.com/5792863/how-do-trees-communicate-without-the-lorax)

As just one more tiny example, we know that marigolds exude a substance which deters harmful nematodes in the soil.

"Another possible solution may be the solid planting of marigolds for 3 months in areas heavily contaminated with nematodes. The marigold, when grown on soil infested with nematodes, suppresses the population of these nematodes and reduces the numbers found in the roots of susceptible host plants. Three compounds of an a-terthienyl type, toxic to nematodes, have been identified in root exudates from these plants. Terthienyls are released from growing roots, even without their decay, but benefits require three to four months to become clear. There is some evidence that a-terthienyl is inhibitory to some plant-pathogenic fungi too. Marigolds also function as a trap crop since larvae which penetrate the roots do not develop beyond the second larval stage and do not lay eggs."

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/fallgarden/nematode.html


We also know that some plants are attractive to beneficial insects, either pollinators or predatory insects like lacewings, ladybugs, etc that eat the insects that eat your plants. So by planting the attractive wildflowers in with your veggies, you make sure the beneficial insects are around. We know that having lots of different smells and colors around helps confuse the insects that eat crops and makes it harder for them to find your crops.

"Herbs have been traditionally used as intercrops with crop plants on the assumption that their odour repels pest species" [laboratory testing with herbal extracts appeared to confirm this]
https://www.springerlink.com/content/l5ur031600128384/

There's a million more e.g.s and possible citations. I can't find the experiment I read awhile back that said planting just one other plant next to cabbage reduced the number of times cabbage moths landed on it, compared to a plant by itself. Even planting it in grass instead of bare ground cut down the insect predation.

All this is hard science. So don't get too dismissive of companion planting!


I've never really tried or researched moon planting, but given that people did it for thousands of years, I won't dismiss that one out of hand either, until I do/see research that doesn't support it.

[GardenGnome]

So when planting next to a plant that doesn't grow well with eachother how far apart is safe? (Its late and I jumped to the end)

[mscratch]

My Grandfather planted by the dark and light of the moon and I have done so in the past and yes I do believe there is something to that..some of the old time sayings are rubbish and some actually worked..he also told my sister in law when to take the bottle away from her kids.

[rainbowgardener]

Garden veggies grow best when given their own space and enough space.

That's quite a dogmatic, blanket statement. Care to share with us on whose authority you make it or what evidence you have for it?

I plant everything jumbled together and very crowded in to 4x8' raised beds. If you translated the amount of herbs and veggies I get from one 4x8 into a per acre productivity number it would be astonishing. And I do it with no fertilizers (except some compost and mulch) and no sprays.

People write in here all the time with their problems with diseases and pests. Aside from the fact that I can't grow zucchini because of the squash vine borer, I have very little of that. Can I prove that is because of the way I grow things all intermingled with herbs? Nope, but it sure is consistent with what the theory would predict.

[sepeters]

anyone know what to companion plant with eggplants

[northern sustainablility]

Tomatos also love being planted with Marigolds. with that note you can enjoy the crop and the beauty of the colorful flowers. Where ever I can I try to plant flowers with vegetables because of the fact that they attract insects we need and get rid of the ones we don't what.

[rainbowgardener]

Carrots and tomatoes go well together. And aromatic herbs are wonderful to mix in with your veggies.

[troyarbor1]

Thanks so much for such a valuable reference. It's not something one comes across frequently. One question I am left with is minor but still... Are sweet potato companions the same as regular potatoes?
Thanx again.

[Greens]

If I were to plant some basil in my garden this season thinking of my tomato plants well being, where would the best spot for basil be? Should I plant in seperate beds anywhere in my garden or can I plant them in side by side my tomatoes?

[rainbowgardener]

Basil and tomatoes grow well together. Allegedly the flavor and vigor of both are improved by being together. The one thing you have to be careful of is not to have the basil so close to the tomato plant that the tomato will shade it out when it gets big; both of them like lots of sun.

[gixxerific]

I put them in between plants and just where every I can squeeze them. As Rainbow said they may do as good but I have other basil in their own area for real production.