Carrots Love Tomatoes is the name of a book, by Louise Riotte, by (Ithink) Rodale Press about 30 or more years ago. It's the classic companion-planting book.

What I think is just as important is pH preferences. Both Carrots and tomatoes do best in a limed soil (we use a scattering of woodashes.) But both potatoes and radishes like soil a bit more acid so I plant my radishes as a first crop in the middle of my potato bed. Some other things that like lime are sugar snap peas, green beans, and cucs. Happy gardening

Wendy,

NEVER apologize for posting often and asking lots of questions....that is the very reason this forum exists!

Books are great, but there is nothing quite like getting info from people who are gardening in the same state! Many garden books are VERY general because they are written to appeal to a broad national audience. So, ask away, and we will answer!

I second Dorothy's recommendation of CARROTS LOVE TOMATOES as well as any/every other book ever written by the late, great southern Oklahoma gardener, Louise Riotte. It is a great book. It was published in the 70s when I was still in high school and I didn't discover it until the early 80s, and I adore this book. I am on my third copy....having worn out the first two! Another wonderful book on companion planting is GREAT GARDEN COMPANIONS by Sally Cunningham. It is one of the most helpful books I've ever read.

If you want to, post a list of plants you're planning to grow in your garden, and I'll try to go through that list and tell you which ones are good companions for one another.

Also, I thought I'd start a separate thread on Favorite Gardening Books and, perhaps, all of us together can give you a list of books that will help you learn more about gardening.

Happy Growing!

Dawn

And I'll add what I've learned, but Dawn is right; we need to know what you are planning to grow. No point in telling you about beets and zucchinni if you hate them or don't have room. Great idea about the book thread, Dawn. I'll add my favs to the list. Dorothy

ok i am planting:

Tomatoes, jalapeno peppers ,Broccoli,pole beans,peas,cucumber,crookneck squash,potatoes,onion,carrot,
parsnips,fava beans,2 kinds of chives and any any other herbs I need to plant in order for everyone to get along in the garden .

Wendy

A really cool website for companion planting is:

http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

It gives good advice on what plants complement each other, what plants deter pests, and what plants encourage beneficial bugs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Harvest Companion Planting

TOMATOES:
Tomatoes and broccoli repel each other, so place them some distance apart from one another in the garden. Tomatoes like to grow with chives, onions and carrots. I interplant my tomatoes with basil and borage(improves flavor), marigolds* and parsley.

*In my garden, marigolds seem to help repel pests. Some people, though, believe marigolds attract spider mites so they won't plant them near their tomatoes because spider mites can be a huge pest on tomatoes. In my experience, if spider mites are present in the tomato patch, it tends to indicate the tomatoes have been overfed, esp. with nitrogen. IF spider mites infest a garden, they tend to show up first on the marigolds and then, later, on the tomatoes. If this happens in your garden, pull up the marigolds once they are infested with spider mites, and DESTROY the plants immediately before the mites can migrate to the tomatoes.

JALAPENO PEPPERS:
Peppers grow well with tomatoes. It is worth noting that pepper plants are pretty brittle and must be handled gently. They benefit from growing next to a wall or taller plants that will help shelter them from the wind. Hot peppers grow well with cucumbers, squash and tomtoes. They benefit from having rosemary, parsley and oregano grown nearby.

BROCCOLI: Keep away from tomatoes and pole beans. Grow with potatoes and onions. Benefit from growing near aromatic herbs like dill, chamomile and sage.

POLE BEANS & FLAVA BEANS: Good companions for these two are radishes and nasturtiums. They don't like sunflowers or kohlrabi.

PEAS: Grow with carrots, cucumbers, beans and potatoes. Do not grow close to onions.

CUCUMBERS: Cucumbers like to grow with beans and peas, but not potatoes. Sow radishes, especially rattail radishes, around your cukes to repel cucumber beetles and other pests. Don't harvest the radishes. Leave them in place and let them flower and set seed.

SQUASH: Same as cucumbers above. Also, plant nasturtiums around your squash (and cukes) to repel squash bugs.

POTATOES: Keep potatoes and tomatoes away from one another in the garden as tomatoes render potatoes more susceptible to blight. Potatoes don't like to grow near cucumbers or squash either. I like to interplant petunias with potatoes to help repel potato bugs. Potatoes grow well with broccoli and beans. Marigolds and horseradish help protect potatoes from pests. Unfortunately, horseradish is VERY invasive, so grow it in a pot to keep it under control.

ONIONS: Grow well with tomatoes and chives (and other aromatic plants like leeks, shallots and garlic). Do not like peas and beans.

PARSNIPS AND CARROTS: Both are compatible with tomatoes and lettuce. Both benefit from being planted with the following plants which help repel carrot flies and other pests: chives, rosemary, sage and parsley. Both don't like dill and radishes. And, finally, carrots and parsnips don't like to grow with each other!

There are certain herbs that are beneficial to the garden in many ways, usually because they repel bad bugs and attract good bugs. These include: nasturtiums, dill, chamomile, basil, oregano, parsley, borage, catnip, chives, garlic, cilantro/coriander, feverfew, tansy, marigolds, lemon balm, mint (repels white cabbage moths, but is invasive, so plant with care), sage, and yarrow.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX:
Think outside the box when planning your garden. The old-fashioned kind of garden that my parents and grandparents' generations grew with widely spaces rows of one type of plant in bare soil are being replaced nowadays by wide rows, thickly planted, with companion plants and mulches utilized to reduce pest problems and weeding.

For example, my dad's garden might have had six rows of corn, two rows of tomatoes, a row of peppers and a row of potatoes. There was no companion planting and no mulch.
When planting the same exact crops, I'd do the following:

CORN: Interplant with pumpkins and winter squash to keep the raccoons out. Plant pole beans once corn plants are two feet tall. The pole beans will climb the cornstalks and help replace the nitrogen in the soil that the corn would otherwise deplete (corn plants are heavy feeders, bean plants are givers). I'd plant my cucmbers and squash on the north side of the corn so the corn can shade themm.

TOMATOES: Interplanted with my tomatoes, growing either in between the plants, or as a border alongside the plants, I'd have lots of the following: basil, parsley, marigolds, borage, garlic, chives and onion. I also would have some chamomile and tansy nearby, although not necessary in the same row (chamomile can reseed and become invasive and tansy gets HUGE). I'd have vining nasturtiums creeping and crawling between the tomato plants and all the other companion plants.

PEPPERS: I'd plant these on the north side of taller crops so they can get the shade during the heat of the summer. I often plant a row of peppers in the same ' wide raised bed as tomatoes, with the peppers on the north edge of the east-west running bed and the tomatoes on the south edge. All the companion plants are in between and all around.

POTATOES: I'd still grow them in a row like dad did, but I'd alternate petunia plants with potato plants. Right beside this row (with no walking space between them), I'd have a row of alternating bush beans and nasturtiums.

So, dad's garden would look nice and neat and orderly, everything in precise, straight, exact rows with wide dirt pathways. No mulch. Weeding a constant chore. And there is nothing wrong with this method....it worked for my dad's generation and many others as well. I have plenty of neighbors who still garden this way.

My garden? It looks like a jungle. The raised beds (4' to 5' wide) are jam-packed with carefully-chosen companion plantings of veggies, herbs and flowers. Everything is heavily mulched to keep weeding to a minimum and conserve moisture. Not an inch of space is wasted. It is not only
productive but also beautiful.

A lot of people still grow the way my dad did, and there is nothing wrong with that....their garden, their choice. However, I have noticed that many of them "give up" by mid-July when they are losing the battle with weeds, watering and bugs because all that bare soil soaks up water, dries out quickly and becomes infiltrated with Johnson grass, bermuda grass and every weed you can imagine.

I once gardened that way before I slowly converted over to wide-row gardens with narrow pathways and tons of companion planting and mulching. The way I "used to" garden involved lots and lots of watering and weeding and constant insect problems. The way I garden now uses less water and virtually no pesticides, and then only organic ones. Weeds CANNOT infiltrate easily because the mulch, the intercropping and the companion planting don't leave the weeds any bare soil in which to sprout. Watering (by soaker hose only) is less of a chore because the mulch and companion plants help shade the ground and keep it moist longer. I prefer the "new" way to the "old" way. I hope it works for you.

Happy Growing!

Dawn

Thank you Dawn so much for the info . I had planned on planting my carrots and parsnips right next to each other . But now I will rethink it . Where do I find all those herbs ? Some I have heard of. Is there something like a anti/pest herb package you can get ? Can you winter sow these herbs ?
I think I will plant my garden like you outlined .

I can't wait to get my garden books in .

Wendy

Dawn,

Thanks for that little tip on the marigolds and spider mites, I haven't read that anywhere else. I had those tooooo!!! last year. Now, I think I may skip the marigolds altogether! I had nearly every pest out there last year, and was only fertilizing with seaweed spray, after the initial manure and tomato tone. So I guess I will just use that sparingly and plant alot of herbs in between. Sheri

Wendy,

Ooops! I didn't make it back to this thread until today. I didn't intend to leave you hanging without an answer to your question.

Many herbs will grow from seed sown directly in the ground OR started inside in flats. You also can purchase herbs pretty much any place that sells plants, including Wal-Mart, Lowe's or Home Depot, during the growing season. Some of the larger cities often have spring gardening festivals or herb festivals in the spring and you can find a lovely assortment of herbs there. Gardening catalogs, especially those that cater to organic gardeners, often offer a "good bug" mix that is usually a mixture of herbs, annuals and sometimes legumes that attract "good" bugs. I'll link one example of one below.

Sheri,

When I was a kid, Daddy and one of his gardening friends, B. I., lost every tomato plant, regular as clockwork, to spider mites in all but the rainiest years. So, you just KNOW that I grew up with an almost-overwhelming fear of spider mites.

I have grown up now (in terms of both "age" and "maturity and experience" as a gardener) and no longer fear the spider mites. It has taken me about a decade to get to the point that I truly believe spider mites are not the demon I thought they were when I was a kid!

I think I will write a separate thread on spider mites just because they can be a serious threat to gardens (not just veggies, but ornamentals as well). Spider mites DO remain a serious threat, but they certainly are a manageable one.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Bug Seed Mix

hi, I am new to the idea of companion planting and mulching, so I was wondering if I put mulch in as I go planting my seeds or do I have to wait?Any advice will be really hepful and greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Theresas3boys,

I'd wait for the seeds to sprout and develop a few leaves before mulching. If you mulch before the seeds sprout, they may have a hard time sprouting and growing up through the soil AND the mulch. I usually mulch after the seedlings have sprouted and are a couple of inches tall.

Dawn

Dawn, what kind of mulch do you use and how thick a layer?
Thanks for all the good advice.

Vickie

Vickie,

I use all kinds of things for mulch. It depends on the time of year and what is available. It also varies with what I am mulching.....veggies, flowers, shrubs, etc.

IN THE VEGGIE GARDEN:

In the veggie garden, I like to use chopped/shredded leaves in early spring. They break down pretty quickly and feed the veggies all season as they decompose. (I have acres of trees, so they are plentiful too.)

As the season goes on, I like to use straw (no seeds, unlike hay) or really old, spoiled hay that some of the local ranchers give me from time to time. (Last year one gave me about 30 square bales!) Old, spoiled hay is better than fresh hay because often it has gotten hot enough as it began to spoil that the weed seeds have been "cooked" and won't germinate. If I use fresh hay, I try to lay down several layers of newspaper between the ground and the hay to help keep the weed seeds from sprouting in the soil.

Sometimes I purchase and use bags of shredded bark mulch. When I do that, I buy the stuff that is very finely shredded and not the big chunky stuff (I am on a slope and the big chunky stuff washes downhill into the creek.) I like both cypress mulch and pine bark, and have even used cedar.

One of my favorite mulches is grass clippings. I either let the clippings stay on the lawn because they feed the grass as they decompose OR I collect them with the grass catcher bag as I mow and use them as mulch. I like to use them with veggies that like lots of nitrogen, like onions. I also use grass clippings in the veggie garden pathways.

As far as how heavy to apply the mulch, that varies too, depending on the season. I put on only a light (1/2" to 1") layer of mulch in early spring when the soil is cool, because I want the soil to warm up....to a point. Once the soil temperature hits 70 degrees and I can plant the heat-loving crops, I add more mulch. I like to have 2" on the veggies by the time mid-June rolls around. As the summer gets hotter, I like to add more mulch to the veggies, hopefully to a depth of 4" to 6", to help keep the soil cool and moist.

It sounds like a lot of mulch, and it is, but if you are creative and continually scavenge for old hay or straw, grass clippings, leaves, etc., you really don't have to purchase as much as you might think. The very thick layer of mulch not only keeps soil cool and moist, it also keeps the weeds down significantly. As a bonus, as it decomposes, the mulch enriches your soil a great deal.

In the late fall, after the garden is done for the year, I like to collect and shred bags and bags of leaves and pile them up in the garden--up to a foot thick is ideal. I wet them down so they won't blow away. Over the course of the winter they begin to break down and form rich, crumbly leaf mold/compost. They also keep all those horrid winter weeds from sprouting in the veggie garden beds. In the spring you can plant right through that mulch.

In some areas, either the city or county or local electric coop shred tree branches and other waste material and you can get it from them for a nominal fee or sometimes it is free.

IN ORNAMENTAL BEDS: In my mixed beds that have trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers and annuals, I usually just use chopped leaves, and some bark mulch on top of that. I like to keep 3 to 4" of mulch on these beds year round.

Dawn

Thanks, Dawn. I appreciate the info. The hubby and I have battled weeds in the veggie garden for the last couple years. I knew some type of mulch would help, but with it being as big as it is, I knew I couldn't afford to buy that many bags. You gave me some very good suggestions. You are a big help. I appreciate it.

Vickie,

Even if you just start with one row, that would be better than nothing. You can use newspaper as a bottom layer. If you have a paper shredder, you can use the shreds as the bottom layer. Just wet down the paper and immediately place something else, like leaves or grass clippings, on top of it to keep it from blowing away. You also can use cardboard. If you wet it down good when you lay it down, even a strong wind won't lift it.

If your area has a Freecycle group, you can post a message there that you are looking for old hay, straw, etc. to use as mulch.

If you don't have a lot of trees of your own to provide you with leaves, you can offer in the fall(again on Freecycle) to come rake leaves for other people if they will let you keep the leaves for your own garden use. Or, you can drive around and pick up bags of leaves left curbside for trash pickup.

If you use a layer of newspaper or cardboard as the bottom layer, it will attract earthworms as it decomposes. That's a plus, of course, since earthworms are great for the garden.

Other weed strategies.....don't rototill the soil because every time you do it exposes weed seeds to light which enables them to sprout. Rototilling really isn't necessary. If you need to add amendments to the soil after the first year you plant the garden, you can layer them on the top. Over time, the earthworms and gardening activity will work them into the soil.

If you do have weeds in the garden, it is best to pull them by hand and dispose of them on the compost pile BEFORE they go to seed.

You can scatter corn gluten meal on the soil surface and it will prevent annual weeds from germinating.

To some extent, a veggie garden will always have some weeds because weed seeds blow in, wash in, and are left there for you by birds and other creatures. I've gardened in this location for 9 years and the areas that have been heavily mulched have almost no weeds, but it has taken several years to get to that point.

Good luck and hang in there. You just have to be more persistent than the weeds (and you already know how persistent they are).

Dawn

About how much of the wood ashes do you scatter for the tomatoes, does that work as well as anything else? I have looked for lime and can't seem to locate any. Sheri

Sheri,

I found a bag of lime at Lowe's on Saturday. It was in the outside garden center with lawn fertilizers on the aisle near the outdoor checkout area. The kind I bought was by Pennington and was in a 30-lb. white bag with red, blue, yellow and green lettering/graphics.

I suppose ashes could be used instead, but I've never used them so am not sure how much to use--maybe about one handful of ashes per plant.

Dawn