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Organic Gardening

Best companion plants for veggies

16 years ago

Looking for suggestions for the best companion plants for my veg garden. My garden is not huge, and I mostly plant brassicas, some roots, and a few in ground tomatoes and peppers. Problematic insects have been aphids, spider mites, small green worm larvae. I already plan on dill to attract ladybugs. What are some other good perimeter type plants ya'll have used? Thanks TiMo

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Comments (6)

hamiltongardener
16 years ago
I have ladybugs all over my strawberries because they overwinter in the strawberry patch. That gives them a good start in the spring. I guess giving them a home is as important as giving them food. They were also on the tomatoes and peppers eating aphids.

My basil attracted bees big time. This year I plan on planting a patch for pinching and eating,and others all around the tomatoes to allow to flower and attract bees.
Kimmsr
16 years ago
Some companion plants can aid in keeping the baddies from your plants while other companion plants aid in plant growth. As a general rule look at the lists of companion plants and do not plant the ones known to do harm near each other and all the rest can be mixed together. Planting a variety of plants, intercropping, produces so many mixed signals that insects become confused and cannot find the plants they normally target.
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Here are the results of my companion planting experiment. I'm knocking on wood as I type since the growing season isn't completly over, but I had no svb's in the garden companion planting squash with nasturtium and borage. The results are inconclusive however. In the main squash bed I interplanted with both companions. I moved one volunteer squash to another area and planted only borage nearby. I moved another volunteer to the other side of the house near the garden where my next door neighbor lost her pumpkins last year. I planted nasturtium near this one. My neighbor who lost her pumpkins to svb's in the past lost all of her squash and most of her pumpkins to them again this year. We disected the affected vines and got a positive i.d. on the borers. She decided against using Bullseye out of concern for inadverantly harming bees. She told me a neighbor down the block lost all of his zucchini to svb's. My squash seeds were sown in average soil, good sun, topdressed with compost and were given a foliar feeding of kelp early on and alfalfa/nettle tea a bit later, before they started vining. I don't think my neighbors made any special efforts with their plants. My next door neighbor bought plants from a greenhouse. I don't know if the companions were responsible for keeping the svb's away. They couldn't possibly have not seen my squash as they traveled through the neighborhood. If I ever plant squash again (the worry over svb's became excrutiating at one point), I'll definitely include these two companions in the bed.
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rootdoctor
Original Author
16 years ago
Kimmsr, that is an interesting way to look at things, I had never thought about it in that light. Would you suggest a total mix, or borders of, or maybe a combination of both? I really don't care what it looks like, just for a great harvest. Thanks TiMo
fertilizersalesman
16 years ago
I have done selective weeding where I allowed the clovers to grow among the crops. Worked out well, the clover starts to fade when it gets hot in the summer. When they got too tall I would rip the tops off and mulch with it.
grow_now
16 years ago
This site has an extensive list of companion planting vegies

http://www.countrybrookfarms.com/Vegetable_Garden.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Companion Planting
madmagic
16 years ago
Rootdoctor, I companion-plant in wide raised beds, mostly for the benefit of tomatoes and mixed varieties of peppers. I've found garlic, onions (onion sets) and marigold are all helpful. Basil too, though it does sometimes shade the smaller pepper plants.

Lettuce tends not to grow as well under the shade of the larger plants when they're mature, but it does well in the late spring if transplanted in along with the tomatoes and peppers.

Though I haven't done A-B comparison tests, I believe the mixed plants also improve the flavours of the harvested foods.

All the best,
-Patrick

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