Does anyone here practice Companion Planting?

[gardenbean]

If so, have you had any experience with the herb Borge, as I have been told it is great for veggies and the soil too.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Did you mean Borage?

I've grown borage. I mostly use the flowers for mixed salads and iced beverages. They taste a bit like cucumber.

Eric

[Des_WA]

I tried growing it from seed last year but our lack of a summer made them grow so slow they didn't flower until late September, and only one did at that. This year I got a small plant from a nursery I had a coupon at, so even if my starts don't take off I'll have one.

I've read they are beneficial in that they attract bees to the garden and is useful to have if you got a lot of flowering veggies that need pollinating (squash for example - though if you like to breed/save seed you may want to do your own pollinating). Like Eric said the flowers are edible too.

[rainbowgardener]

I tried growing borage last year, because of the reputation for being attractive to honeybees (one nickname for it is "bee's bread"). However, it rapidly got huge and weedy and was taking over the bed it was in AND I never did see a bee come to the flowers, even though I had plenty of bees around. So I ended up ripping it out again, because people were warning me that it would re-seed itself like crazy if I left it.

It is supposed to be edible but the leaves are very fuzzy/ prickly, so it didn't inspire me to eat it!

[orgoveg]

I do some companion planting and it seems to work out really well, but I have no experience with borage. It looks like it is good to plant with beans and spinach, as well as tomatoes. It is also apparently known to attract honeybees.

To attract bees, I grow sunflowers. I plant basil amongst the tomatoes to deter pests. I grow potatoes next to my beans to deter Mexican bean beetles and the beans, in turn, deter Colorado potato beetles. Celery next to my cabbage and kale deters cabbage worms. I've never had a particular pest bother my spinach, but having celery nearby and planting next to cabbage seems to be working.

I have onions all over the garden and sage, oregano, garlic, dill, and yarrow all have their strategic places to deter pests.

Borage is a new possibility for me and I'm glad that you brought it up.

[DoubleDogFarm]

They do readily self seed. I have had plants for many years after the first one was given to me. Another plant that is lifted, potted and sold.

Eric

[Bobberman]

I companion plant all the time. I usually plant lettuce carrots and radish together. Plant few radish since they seem to take over! Sometimes I will mix beets and swiss chard with the lettuce bed! If you want lots of butterflies and bees let your radish go to flower! The flowers are white and some pink and very pretty!. You can even eat the radish pod when they are young! I also let the radish flowers and pods shade other crops in the hot summer!

[DeborahL]

I like the idea of just sticking veggies all over the place. Does anyone do that?

[DoubleDogFarm]

I like the idea of just sticking veggies all over the place. Does anyone do that?

Not at this time. It would make it way to labor intensive for market selling. I don't plant in long rows, but I still mostly Monoculture. In the future Polyculture will be my pattern.

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

Check out Applestar's wonderful post Haphazard Gardening:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=192731#192731


If you want to do natural organic gardening (and you are gardening for yourself not commercially, which does make it way more difficult) I do think mixing lots of different plants up together makes sense. Having a big concentration of one plant makes it easy for all the insects that eat it to find it, makes it easy for the diseases particular to it to get spread, tends to deplete the soil of the particular nutrients that plant likes best, etc. Mixing it all up does the opposite of all that.

And it makes a beautiful garden! You should look for some of the photos of Applestar's garden (or AS you should post more or post links to the ones that are here, I don't have time right now to go look for them)

[SPierce]

In a way-but nothing too complicated. I am planting some Marigolds around my garden this year to attract bees. Also putting Beans with my Strawberries; the others haven't gone into the ground yet, but try to companion plant as much as possible so my bell peppers will probably go in the bed with my onions

[gardenbean]

Thanks guys for all of your insights they have really been helpful to me.

With the information about Borage, I think I will limit just how many will be planted in my garden. It's not that I have much desire to eat the flowers (though I read you can) I really wanted to plant it because its written that it is benefical to other plants and really great for your soil too.

Beside sage, comfry, dill and oregano, I am planning on planting two varities of Nasturtium (Jewel Mix ) and Night and Day. They will be planted pretty much everywhere as my family does enjoy the edible flowers and my they are great in keeping nasty pests away.

[gardenbean]

And I forgot to mention that I am also attempting to grow Brussel Sprouts and Brocoli too. Guess I am growing them to see if I can really do it.....

So far so good, (however it snowed here last nite but didn't cover them up) so will have to wait and see. Less than an inch of snow here so maybe they will survive..........or to the compost they will go!!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Having a big concentration of one plant makes it easy for all the insects that eat it to find it, makes it easy for the diseases particular to it to get spread, tends to deplete the soil of the particular nutrients that plant likes best, etc. Mixing it all up does the opposite of all that.

Yes, All of this is true, but with a large garden, annual additions of compost and crop rotation helps.

Eric

[SPierce]

And I forgot to mention that I am also attempting to grow Brussel Sprouts and Brocoli too. Guess I am growing them to see if I can really do it.....

So far so good, (however it snowed here last nite but didn't cover them up) so will have to wait and see. Less than an inch of snow here so maybe they will survive..........or to the compost they will go!!

Have no fear- I left my Brussels Sprouts in the ground all winter, and they ended up with 4 feet on snow on top of them. The snow melted this spring, and lo and behold they were still green and happy

[lily51]

We always plant marigolds with the tomatoes, which keeps away the tomato worms. Also, there are marigolds that deter destructive nematodes.

Borage is a favorite of mine, easy to grow once it's planted. And it does reseed, but is very easy to pull from areas where it is not wanted. Have never really had it take over an area. I start it from seed in the greenhouse, then transplant. Once in the ground outside, though, it doesn't do well if you try to move it around like marigolds.

[Rogue11]

Aside from planting marigolds around my tomatoes I haven't done much companion gardening yet. But coincidently we just took a tour at a local organic farm last weekend, where we learned a bit about companion plants. I took a lot of notes, and this post is giving me a few more ideas. So this weekend I am planning on heading for the nursery to get some new plants.

[jal_ut]

Companion planting? What exactly does that mean? In a dictionary sense companion = one that accompanies another : comrade, associate; also : one that keeps company with another.

I suppose the row next to the beets is the beet's companion, etc.

If you are referring to the mystical associations some tout are mutually beneficial to the companions, then I suggest we would be far better off to spend time thinking about keeping our soil healthy and fertile.

This and giving plants their own space and enough of it will show much better results.

This is another one of those things where I see a writer needing something to write about, so he invented this theory. Most of it is hard to prove in actual practice.

IMO

[DoubleDogFarm]

I suggest we would be far better off to spend time thinking about keeping our soil healthy and fertile.

James, Good point.

I always find it interesting, when one recommends a flowering plant as a attractant. If the flower of this plant is favored, why would the pollinator visit the un-attractant flower.

Eric