Vegetable Gardening Companion Planting List and Gardening Tips

Vegetable Gardening Companion Planting List and Gardening Tips

Generations of gardeners passed down observations regarding plants that flourish with specific neighbors. These blossom and vegetable companions seem to match each other in ways that benefit both or one. Some plants provide shade or enhance soil nutrients, but others attract valuable bugs or repel pests. Gardeners often swear by these relationships, but many traditional companion lists disagree on friends and foes. The basis is folklore, not science, but principles behind the pairings ring true.

Acknowledging Ancient Examples

Three vegetables planted together for centuries illustrate the fundamentals behind companion planting. Known as the 3 Sisters, the trio still undergirds planting schemes utilized by indigenous peoples now. The annual crops of corn (Zea mays), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and squash (Cucurbita spp.) are planted together in a mutually beneficial bond. Cornstalks offer living poles for beans to climb, so pods do not lie on the ground. Beans in turn fix nitrogen, providing nutrition for themselves and heavy-feeding corn. Squash sits in their toes shading the soil. The leaves help retain moisture and reduce weeds. Coexisting in a small space, the three produce ample, high-quality returns. They produce nutritional balance, too.

Enhancing Plant Nutrition and Growth

Several vegetables, herbs and grains enhance soil nutrients and reduce competition from undesirable weeds. This enhances life for them as well as their vegetable partners. Like beans in Three Sisters plantings, peas (Pisum sativum) and other legumes replenish soil nitrogen. Cover crops grown and tilled into the soil benefit the vegetable companions that follow. Tilled rye (Secale cereale), for instance, adds nitrogen as it decomposes, just as grass clippings do in compost. Rye remnants additionally inhibit seed germination, thereby reducing weeds. Just plant vegetable transplants, not seeds, wherever rye has been. Annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus) roots discharge a biochemical with comparable consequences.

Managing Beneficial Insects and Pests

Companion plants handle insects in several neighborly ways. In a plot called trap cropping, early-rising radishes (Raphanus sativus) draw leaf miners and beetles from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and cole crops that can’t afford above-ground hurt. Annual borage (Borago officinalis) discharges tomato worm moths — and caterpillars that follow — from neighboring tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum). The blue blooms also draw beneficial bees that improve pollination and increase tomato yields. Roots of French marigolds (Tagetes patula) release chemicals that suppress root knot nematodes, enemies to tomatoes and other vegetable plants. The marigolds must be increased the season before and then tilled in. Strong-smelling herbs have been touted as companions to attract, repel or confuse insect pests.

Sharing Space and Shade Wisely

Smart companion plans utilize space by planting vegetables side-by-side or in sequence. Carrot (Daucus carota ssp. Sativa) and radish seeds may be sown together in a single row. Quick-growing radishes have been harvest-ready three weeks following planting, right when bananas require thinning. Rather than throwing out carrot seedlings, you are going to be eating radishes. Various heights and growth rates make for good companions, too. Cool-season crops like lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. Capitata) require ample early-season sun, but they can’t take heat. Plant them north of a taller, slower-growing companion, like corn, and late-arriving shade goes lettuce season.

See related