g'day claire,

i don't get this way much try for once a week but!

just follow planting instructions, though i don't generally if something is supped to be 12"s apart i think nothing of planting them 6"s, they'll grow often have multiple tom's growing out of one spot same with beans, and turnips.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens bale garden

Hi Len

Thanks for that. However, what I really meant was - if an instruction says "do not plant garlic near peas and beans" (for example) - how close can the garlic be to the peas and beans without causing a problem?

Thanks! Love your straw bale garden!
Claire

Well over the years I've planted garlic bulbs not too far from other vegies, though no closer than about half a metre or a bit over a foot. Neither the garlic not the vegie - beans or tomatoes or carrots, rarely peas - suffered any detrimental affect. Other more permanent plants, such as trees or, say, wisteria should never be planted over drain pipes as the roots will seek out the moisture and if they can get inside the drain, such as old-style connecting terracotta pipes, they will, and will eventually block the drain. The old sewer pipes were notorious for root invasion.

Hello funnelweb,

Thanks so much. That sounds good. I have planted the garlic about 1.5m away from the peas so hopefully that should be enough.

Do you think your 0.5m rule applies to other veggies that can't be planted near other things, i.e. not just garlic/peas?

Thanks
Claire

Yeah, I took notice of the advice given way back when from Peter Cundell on Gardening Australia; he specialised in the vegie garden. His system, as was others, was to plant crops in individual garden beds: beans in one, peas another, tomatoes another, etc. The most important thing to remember (he use to say) was to rotate the crops each season so as to ensure specific soil-born pathogens from gaining a foothold and devastating the same crops the next year. I had a four bed vegies garden and rotated tomatoes with beans, beans with lettuce, lettuce with beatroot or carrots (though they needed a bit of special care), corn occasionally and then back to tomatoes and so on. I'd fertilise between crops - blood and bone, chook manure, dolamite lime, liquid seasol, and a touch of any special needs that might benefit a particular crop. Gardening guides'll help you there. For a good guide on backyard vegie growing I'd recommend Yates Garden Guide. It's always been around and is fairly regularly updated.
Good Luck
Bill