Vegetable Gardening Plant Combinations: Companion Planting NO Dig

Companion planting and combining means growing plants together that like or benefit each other. Vegetable companion gardening can have a real impact on the health and yield of your plants.

In nature everything interacts to create a whole life force. This is a basic understanding... that everything organic and living has a mutual influence on every other living thing.

Every plant has an effect on every other plant and every creature has an effect on every other creature.

Over time, gardeners have observed these interrelationships, and scientists have studied them.

It’s well worth while reading a little bit about how and why companion planting is so important before we get into which specific plants go with what. . . .

Plants, unlike many people, are not timid. They are always actively engaged in growing as fast and as strong as they can and re-populating their species. They do all this by sending out root hairs as far into the soil as they can depending on their surroundings.

They select and reject nutrients; they create in their structure and the environment, complex chemical compounds, such as perfumes, pollen, essential oils, growth inhibitors, hormones, enzymes and some minute trace elements.

Different species accumulate certain substances that affect the surrounding ecology, often once the plant has died and the decaying tissue is carried away and re-deposited by insect droppings, or other go-betweens.

Nature's Way of Companion Planting

The companion effect happens naturally in the wild. Flora and fauna of fields, meadows, forests, swamps and deserts, all evolve for mutual benefit. It may seem like survival of the fittest, but the truth is some species prefer to grow with specific others, balancing out their differences and providing ideal conditions for optimising their unique traits.

Plants don't like to fight for their food, so shallow rooted plants prefer to grow near deep rooted plants and each can get their nutrients from different levels. Some smaller plants like a bit of weather protection from bigger plants. Conversely, dry loving plants sulk if grown alongside plants that thrive with wet feet.

Just like us, life's too short for putting up with bad conditions... so aim for the good life for your plants too!

Uh oh... I hear you say...

If it all sounds overly complex and high falutin', step back and observe. That's what good gardeners are so good at... just observe what works for you in your patch, not what you read or what the Joneses do.

There's a good deal of debate on some of the mixes and matches of plant combining, and in one area or climate certain twosomes or threesomes may get along particularly well... but change the conditions... and trouble brews.

Often plants that seemingly dislike each other can successfully co-exist as long as they're spaced father enough away so their root zones don't overlap... therefore wider rows may work or maybe have some herbs planted amongst them.

If your garden is a jumbled jungle and thrives, then no need to order your plants around. But if perchance something isn't quite up to scratch, then practise a little plant companionship and see if that brings improvements.

Home veggie gardeners of course usually like to grow their food on as much available space as they can. They don’t want weeds, pests or ornamentals occupying valuable real estate!

But flowers for example make good companion plants as well as adding beauty. They can attract predators to go after pests and they bring bees to your garden for pollinating your fruit.

Aromatic weeds and herbs help confuse hungry pests that might go after your crops. Their fragrances can distract pests away or mask the odor from the pests’ normal favorite plants.

Intercropping or Interplanting goes hand in hand with companion planting.

Crop Rotation is also an indispensable ally for gardeners, and is another way of plants benefitting other plants.

The chart below lists the well-known basic veggie warm fuzzies... who loves who and who not and why.

Companion Planting Chart for Vegetables

Vegetable Good Companions Bad CompanionsAsparagus Basil, tomato, Nasturtium,

parsley, basil, dill, coriander, marigold, aster flower(Parsley and marigolds repel asparagus beetles, solanine in tomatoes protect against asparagus beetles)

Onion, garlic, potato,

Beans Carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, celery, corn, marigold.(Corn protects against wind, sun and provides climbing support. Squash has deep roots, beans are shallow and squash smothers weeds and provides a living mulch)Cucumber, strawberries(Particularly go well near dwarf beans)

Chives, leek, garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers

Broad Beans Brassicas, carrot, celery, corn, lettuce, potato

Fennel

Beets Broccoli, lettuce, onion, sage Bean (pole and runner)Broccoli Celery, chamomile, mint, dill,

rosemary(Dill attracts beneficial wasps to help control pests including cabbageworms. Rosemary repels cabbage fly)

Oregano, strawberry, tomato

Brussels Sprouts

Potato, thyme, dill Strawberry, tomato

Cabbage Beetroot, bush beans, celery, mint, onion, potato, oregano, dill, chamomile, sage(Aromatic plants like onion, celery and herbs help keep cabbages pest free)

Strawberry, tomato(Although tomatoes and cabbages usually repel each other, the solanine in a few nearby tomatoes will help deter diamondback moth larva)

Carrot Bush beans, pole beans, lettuce, Dill, parsnip

onion, garlic etc, parsley, rosemary, pea, radish, tomato(Onion family plants, parsley and rosemary deter carrot rust fly)

Cauliflower Peas, beans, celery, oregano(Peas and beans help fix nitrogen to supply to cauliflowers)

Nasturtium, peas, potato, strawberry, tomato

Celery Cabbage, cauliflower, leek, onion, spinach, tomato(Leeks like similar high potash growing conditions as Celery and celeriac)

Parsnip, potato

Chard (Swiss chard, silverbeet)

Cabbage, endive

Corn Beans, cucumber, melon, peas, pumpkin, potato, radish(Peas and beans supply nitrogen)

Tomato(The same worm (tomato worm and corn earworm) likes both plants)

Cucumber Beans, peas, celery, lettuce, pea, radish, nasturtium, corn(Nasturtium deters cucumber beetles and harbour beneficial spiders and beetles. Corn protects against bacterial wilt virus)

Cauliflower, potato, basil and any strong aromatic herbs

Eggplant Beans, capsicum, potato, spinach, peppers(Beans repel Colorado potato beetle which attacks eggplant)

kohlrabi Onions, beets, lettuce(Lettuce repels earth flies)

Strawberries, tomatoes, pole beans

Leek Carrot, celery, onions, strawberry(Carrots deter leek moth. Celery and celeriac like similar high potash growing conditions as leeks)

Lettuce Carrots, radishes, strawberry, cucumber

Beans, beetroot, parsley

Melon Corn, radish PotatoOnion Broccoli, cabbage, carrots,

lettuce, strawberry tomato, beets, tomatoes, summer savory

Beans, peas

Pea Beans, carrot, corn, cucumber, radish, turnips, spinach, mint, potatoes

Onion family

Potato Horseradish, beans, corn, cabbage, pea, eggplant(Beans repel Colorado potato

Cucumber, tomato, Jerusalem artichokes, pumpkin, squash, sunflower, raspberries(Cucumbers, tomatoes and raspberries attract potato

beetle. Horseradish protects against potato bugs and stimulates growth)

phytophthora blight)

Pumpkin Corn, beans, peas, radish PotatoRadish Lettuce

(Repels earth flies)Spinach Strawberry, celery, cauliflower,

eggplant, radish(Leafminers prefer radish leaves rather than spinach)

Tomato Asparagus, celery, NZ spinach, carrot, parsley, basil, marigold, garlic(Garlic protects against red spiders)

Corn, potato, kohlrabi, fennel, cabbage and other brassicas

Turnip Peas

Zucchini Nasturtium, flowering herbs(Flowers attract bees for pollination)

Companion Planting Will Maximise Your Veggie CropsWhether you are planting a new garden or replanting one that has been growing for years, attention to companion planting is guaranteed to improve your homegrown crops.

It's a simple concept based on the way nature works... naturally. For instance one plant's enemy is another plant's food. Some bad bugs have pet hates, so by planting or introducing what they don't like, you can protect the plants that they would otherwise feed on. And then there are plants that have something to offer other plants, be it shade, or some sort of nutrient they put into the soil. You will also find that some plants provide other plants with specific nourishment.

A Fatal Attraction for Bad Bugs

Here the trick is to plant whatever attracts the nasties. For instance, the tiny black aphids that chomp their way through young cabbages, broccoli and other veggies provide a feast for nasturtiums. These easy-growing herbs attract the aphids with their sticky juices that effectively end up smothering large numbers of these damaging mini-bugs.

Growing Plants that Deter Bugs

An interesting fact about companion planting is that not all plants like - or dislike - the same bugs. Similarly, while some plants (like carrots) love tomatoes, some plants (like dill and asparagus) loath tomatoes.

Some examples of plants that will deter bad bugs include:

pennyroyal that keeps worms and beetles away from strawberries, asparagus and marigolds both help to protect tomatoes from harmful nematodes in the soil, lemon verbena that will keep flies, aphids and midges away from all vegetables and fruit

trees, just about any plant that is related to garlic or onions, including chives (in particular garlic will

chase off potato bugs).

Plants that Have Other Benefits for Companion Plants

Providing shade is a biggie, but you need to be sure that the shade giver actually likes the plant you choose to be its companion. Sweetcorn is an excellent provider of shade and works well with a lot of other plants, including pumpkin that will creep around towering corn plants, producing fruit at ground level. It can also be a support for some climbing flower plants.

Fennel is one of the few plants that most other plants hate! But there are a couple of veggies that like fennel, including gem squash and spring onions (or green onions).

There are many more plants that benefit from just about anything. Yarrow is a good example as it attracts ladybirds and wasps that both love to eat aphids. Most plants are fond of yarrow.

Picking Plants that Deter Bugs

Just as we can use leaves and other parts of certain plants to make organic pesticides, or to rid our environment of pests (scented geraniums are great for mosquitoes, freshly crushed tomato and basil leaves will usually get rid of flies, and sprigs of catnip will get rid of ants), there are similar steps we can take within the garden itself. Here are two possibilities:

1. Don't rake up the leaves from oak trees. Instead use them to create a barrier around garden beds where lettuces are growing and they'll keep the snails and slugs away.

2. If you're a fan of grapefruit, cut them in half and scoop out the fruit, then use the skin "shells" to attract slugs. Simply place them upside down in any part of the garden where slugs are a problem and remove them, together with slug invaders, the next day.

Ultimately you need to be aware of which plants do well together, and which don't. Probably one of the very best examples of companion planting is illustrated by the relationship between tomatoes and asparagus. They really are best friends because not only will the solanine contained in tomatoes protect asparagus plants from insect attack, but it also encourages growth in the asparagus.

Intercropping, Polyculture or Relay Cropping in the vegetable GardenIntercropping is in! Whether you call it relay cropping, polyculture, double crop or multiple cropping... it’s a specifc form of companion planting and a fine way to increase the harvest from your garden.

Bare soil is a no no.

Nature... if left to be natural... rarely allows nudity and likes to cover up exposed bits.

This stops the soil drying out or being washed away and keeps the soil organisms happy and protected from the elements.

So growing several or multiple crops of different plants in the same area, each allowing for their own growth patterns and needs, gives you greater returns and less work.

Intercropping/Polyculture Benefits

No doubt you’ve heard of monoculture? Possibly you do have an idea... but I still have to say you have no idea what a short-sighted folly it is follow the vast monoculture practices that we do in the world today.

Monoculture — Mono means one. One crop, say corn, covering as far as the eye can see in every direction! Or, one country with every farmer growing the same crop, say potatoes, on large and small plots.

Now can you see the specific corn pest or virus go giddy with excitement? Can you hear the potato pest or potato blight text their mates to come to the party?

The same thing can happen in a mini way to your garden if you grow all one sort of plant, or large blocks of one variety. The opposite of monoculture is polyculture — Poly means many. See how confused the pests and diseases are now. There are no feasts to encourage them to get a firm foothold and cause problems.

Often you can plant a crop of two or more different varieties of the same family, but checking that they each have different disease resistance.

Intercropping Examples

Let’s take a large plant such as a cabbage. Although it starts small it grows a lot chunkier. Same with other brassicas such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts; and same as vines like zucchini or squash.

In the meantime and in between — plant speedy crops like radish, rocket or leafy lettuce. By the time the main plants grow into their surrounding space, you will have harvested and enjoyed a meal or more of your intercrop plants.

Even with rows you can intercrop, or doublecrop as it’s often called. A common example is to sow slow parsnips with fast radishes together in rows. Parsnip seeds take forever and a day to germinate, but cheeky radishes will pop up, mark the rows for you, and you can crunch your way through them which will then leave space for the parsnips to grow.

End of season picture of chilli plant underplanted with vines

Intercropping can be described as undercropping when it comes to ‘vertically challenged’ plants. Little shorties of the leafy varieties like lettuce which like some sun protection, can be grown in the shade of the tallest plants such as broad beans or corn.

The short crop also acts as a living mulch for the roots of the tall plants.

The classic “Three Sisters” combination planted by Native Americans is a perfect example of intercropping or plant combining.

The Three Sisters describes three indigenous plants grown together. Corn (maize) with their tall stalks provided support for beans and shade for squash. In turn the squash vines provided a living mulch to control weeds and protect the roots of the corn and beans. The prickly squash vines deter pests as well.

Makeup cropping (I made up that word) means filling up a bare patch, which we know nature abhors, with a makeup crop... usually a gaggle of fast salad plants like radish, lettuce, bok choy etc... that you can make up a salad with!

This takes care of that garden patch where you’ve eaten the last skerricks of say a winter crop of cauli and you want to plant some spuds there but it’s too early; so use the patch for some quick, small plants that you’ll be finished with in a month or so.

Intercropping Tips

Stuffing your garden to the gunnels is not exactly the idea with polyculture. Cramming too much into every spare space can create problems with fungal diseases due to reduced air flow.

Also an over-heavy layer of plants increases the need to water more often. It also makes harvesting difficult.

Any time you see that your main crop is being hampered by a second or third crop, take a step back and sort them all out... in fact pull a few plants out and restore some order to the melee. Peace must reign in your garden for success. No fighting allowed!

The Golden rule with intercropping is to use the available planting area to its maximum advantage to get maximum yields without compromising plant health.

Crop Rotation All about Succesion Planting in yourVegetable GardenA key to successful gardening is crop rotation. It’s not the latest dinner party gossip, it’s old hat. So be a smart cookie and do what nature does (there I go about nature again)!

Different plants take different nutrients out of the ground soil and add back other elements or enhance the soil in other ways. To prevent your garden from becoming less productive from season to season, crops are rotated.

Importantly, crop rotation allows you to naturally interrupt the life cycle of pests and deseases so they cannot become established.

Of course, this applies only the to annual plantings, not the perennial plants, such as asparagus.

Plant succession happens naturally, whether it be caused by a landslide, flood, or a freshly bulldozed area. First onto the scarred soil grow the aggressive weeds which hold it together and stop wind and rain from denuding it further.

Usually the next invaders lurking under the weed cover are matted rambling plants. They guard the ground and may have thorns, as though to warn, ”Sorry, you can’t come in here now, but never mind, have some berries!”

The next succession, under protection from the elements come the fast growing trees, followed by the re-establishment of the full forest many decades later. It’s a natural succession, each succession benefitting from the previous plants.

In our gardens we have a less elaborate but more specific plan. As with nature, which will quickly cover soil with plants, what we do is to choose the plants which will bring us the most benefits.

Rather that letting weeds spring up, we plant either a fallow or cover crop to tide us over to the next season and replace lost nutrients that the previous crop took out, or we plant another useful vegetable crop that utilises different nutrients and growing conditions than the previous crop.

Here’s a story... Mamma Colorado beetle got blown over 'n over and landed down the street into.. wow, her wildest delight, an eggplant patch. She laid lots of eggs and the baby larvae chomped on the leaves. The babies dropped into the soil to pupate, slept in and suddenly it was spring again. Time to get up, but where’s breakfast? Why has Mum given us spinach? We don’t like spinach, we want eggplants... waaa... keel over and die...

And of course, if you have the misfortune of getting blight in your spuds, onion worm in your onions, and other flapadoodle dandies dicing your veggies, then you simply must not grow those veggies in the same space again for many years.

It's better to rotate veggies to prevent any trouble happening in the first place, but you can quickly stop any rogues in their tracks by careful management thereafter.

Separate the garden into sections. Anything from 4-8 areas is ideal. They can be part of one bed, or they can be a group of beds, it doesn't matter. Visualise it, draw it down, mark it out — or do what you need to get the picture of how it will work in your garden.

Many gardens are higgledy piggledy plots of soil here and there, or odd shapes, so don't worry about doing the perfect diagram.

What does matter is that you rotate the crops around the beds systematically. The rule of thumb for crop rotation is counterclockwise... don’t ask me why... funny lot we gardeners!

The suggestions here will be put in very broad terms. It is impossible to predict every combination of vegetables that you will want to grow, but the principles are fairly straight forward.

Plant Requirements

There are roughly 3 main classes of plants when talking about their requirements. They are:

1. Heavy feeders: These need lots of fresh rich fertiliser (compost, reasonably aged manure and liquid manure etc ) and can be planted immediately into this fertilised soil.

These heavy feeders are all leaf vegetables like head lettuce, spinach, brassicas such as cabbage and cauliflower, chard, endive, as well as celery, leeks, sweet corn and vines particularly cucumbers and squash. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder, but does not need to be rotated because it is a perennial.

Tomatoes, another heavy feeder, are decidedly odd in that they like to grow in the same spot each year and somehow build up resistance to problems. This is handy because you can utilise that nice warm spot by the fence for example, each season... but you must make sure you pile on plenty of fresh compost each year.

2. Soil conserving and improving: Legumes such as peas and beans, and cover crops, often called fallow crops are perfect to follow heavy feeders. These are plants give the soil a bit of a rest, as well as returning some nitrogen and fiber to the soil when they are incorporated into the ground by way of mulch or compost before the next crop.

3. Lighter feeders: They still love that compost, but it must not be fresh otherwise they will grow rank and coarse. So well aged fertiliser suits such plants as all bulb and root crops like carrots, radishes, beets etc. Parsley with its long tap root, and many herbs also fall into this aged compost feeding class.

What about the families?

Ah yes, like us they can wear each other out! Horticulturally, it’s because plants from the same family tend to have the same nutritional needs and can exhaust the soil of particular elements if continually planted in succession. They can also attract the same problems which can build up alarmingly unless the family members do a recommended split.

Out of thousands of plant families, here are the most familiar ones:

Monocots

Grasses (Gramineae), like cereals and corn.

Dicots

Mustard Family (Cruciferae). Cold loving plants, such as brassicas like cabbage, kale, bok choy, collards like kohl rabi and turnip, etc. Also radish and cress.

Pea Family (Leguminosae). These include peas, of course, and beans plus vetch, lentils and lupins.

Carrot Family (Umbelliferae). Lots of long root crops here, like carrots, parsnips, parsley, celeriac, fennel, chervil, and the root herbs.

Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae). A mixture here, such as beets, swiss chard and spinach.

Nightshade Family (Solanaceae). The well know potato and tomato plants. Also eggplant, chillies and peppers.

Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae). Warm loving plants such as melons, pumpkins, squashes and other gourds.

Composite Family (Compositae). So called because of their complex composite flowers, they include endive, witlof, sunlfower, Jerusalem and globe artichoke, salsify and some herbs like dandelion, yarrow and chamomile.

A few of the many other plant families include the Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae) which has rhubarb; the Morning Glory Family (Convolvulaceae) which supplies us with yams, kumara and sweet potatoes; the Mallow Family (Malvaceae) supplying okra; the Carpet Weed Family (Aizoaceae) giving us New Zealand spinach; the Rose Family (Rosaceae) with most fruits and berries including strawberries: and the Mint Family (Labiatae) which include mint, sage, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, lemon balm, savory, bergamot and many other herbs.

Time for a tour of your garden to work all this out... or better still to sit down and write a plan. It's helpful, especially if you are just starting out, to make notes and keep a record of what you do.

It soon becomes natural for you to rotate your plants, making small adjustments to arrive at perfection (you wish!). I recommend you have a look at GrowVeg's popular modern method for garden planning, incorporating crop rotation.

Briefly to start, plant like with like. Divide your plants into families because they need broadly similar conditions and they generally get along together. The odd exception is usually because of pests and disease challenges, such as Potatoes and tomatoes, whereby tomatoes attract potato blight.

Prepare each area for what it is expected to grow. Leafy heavy feeders like an early and continuous feast; most root crops like an alkaline soil and hold back on the manure and fresh compost.

Tomatoes and eggplants like a more acidic soil, with plenty of feeding and aged manure.

Legume crops love well aged compost and a few light feedings to follow. They will leave the soil loaded with nitrogen which sets the bed up perfectly for brassicas and leafy greens to follow.

For most home gardeners it's nigh impossible to do crop rotation 100%. So be content with succession planting on a small scale and for generally watching out for potential hazards. Club root in brassicas is one that comes to mind — it's hard to avoid if you don't rotate those brassicas, especially if you buy in seedlings or accept some from a friend.

Sample outline of crop rotation

So a typical sample 4 bed rotation might look like this:

Bed 1: Root Crops, onionsBed 2: Legumes (peas, beans), brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts)Bed 3: Tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum (peppers)Bed 4: Sweet corn, curcubits (cucumber, melons, pumpkin)

A 6 bed rotation might look like this:

Bed 1: LegumesBed 2: Brassicas

Bed 3: Root crops, carrots, parsnips, potatoesBed 4: Corn, curcubitsBed 5: Tomatoes, capsicums, eggplantBed 6: Green manure crop

Don't be too rigid in your classifications if you don't have enough room to make clear demarcations. Just make sure you keep it moving season after season or at least every 2-4 years.

Decimating Your Veggie Garden?Has This Happened To You?

You've worked very hard, preparing the soil months in advance so you can nurture your seedlings in a beautiful loamy, moist mix, absolutely brimming with nutrients…

You've hand raised your seedlings, lovingly from seed, or  purchased nice sturdy ones from your local garden centre and gently planted them in rows into their lush new home.

You spend hours mulching, watering, feeding, staking and caring for them with all the love you can muster. 

And then…..

… When you go out there to pick a  beautiful tasty bunch of tomatoes for your lunch, you notice they've got holes in them!  Something has beaten you to them

Or

… Your crisp perfect lettuce leaves are full of holes – they've been enjoyed by the thriving snail population

Or

… You discover your corn is not doing so well – it's well, just not that healthy looking.

What Has Happened To Your Beautiful Veggie Garden?

All your hard work has been in vain!

You can't pick these mangled veggies and serve them up to your family!

You've not only wasted your efforts, but also the money you've shelled out for seeds, seedlings, fertiliser, soil conditioner, stakes, etc.

You feel frustrated….. even angry!

So What Are Your Options?

Snails can quickly chomp through your precious veggies

OPTION 1. Spray them with expensive pest control chemicals which will kill the varmints that have decimated your crops.  Yep, this will work, BUT, the chemicals will be poisoning you and your family too.  Plus chemicals leave poisonous traces in your soil, drift with the wind and can potentially leach into your waterways and affect your neighbours, pets, fish and wildlife.  

OPTION 2. Give up and buy your veggies at the local shop.  Sure, this is the easy way, but not very satisfying nor the best answer either. Most shops sell hybrid varieties which are bred for long shelf life at the expense of flavour, texture and taste, and who know what chemicals they've been sprayed with.

OPTION 3.  Use safe home made pest remedies in conjunction with the age old practice of companion planting to restore your garden's health and the balance of nature.

What is Companion Planting?

Well, it's absolutely fascinating.  You see… some plants love each other, and others can't stand each other.  A bit like humans!

Join us on our fascinating journey of discovery into the secret social lives of your vegetable garden.

You’ll be amazed at what’s going on in your garden!

By paying attention to the plants that do well together, as well as those that don’t like one another, you will find that you are able to grow a much wider variety of plants in your veggie patch.

You will also find that it is a lot easier to control pests and reduce the incidence of disease destroying your beautiful plants.

Discover the Secret Socialising Behaviour of Plants

Here’s just some of the fascinating socializing “behaviours“ or activities that your plants get up to. You can put these into place in your garden straight away….

Trap Cropping: How to use specific plants to attract pests away from your crop Nitrogen Fixing: How to plant special cover crops which put nitrogen into the soil rather than take it out. Biochemical Pest Suppression: Discover which flowering plant oozes a chemical into the soil to repel nasty pests that

attack the roots of your tomatoes, sugar beets and soy beans. Insectary: How to create habitats or environments to attract beneficial predatory insects that eat the nasty pests

which devour your precious garden plants. Nurse Cropping: Discover which tall plants with thick foliage protect more vulnerable species by shading them or

shielding them from the wind.

Find Out Which Plants Love Each Other

Successful companion planting relies on good relationships, often between pairs. Usually one plant has the ability to do one thing, while the other offers something else.

 

But sometimes it seems that certain plants simply do well together – like cheerful children who have special playmates. For example, parsley and asparagus generally both thrive when planted together.

Leeks and carrots protect each other from specific insect pests

Most vegetables have a handful of favourites they love to be near. For example carrots love basil, lettuce, onions, peas, rosemary, sage and tomatoes.

But did you know that cauliflower only has one favourite? And the same with broad beans. They’re pretty fussy too!

Other plants that are generally said to improve the quality of crops in the vegetable garden include elderberry trees (which are really large shrubs), buddleia, privet, golden rod, mustard and wild rose.

What About Plants That Hate Each Other?

Plant the wrong things next to each other and you’ll have all sorts of problems!

….. For example, forget about tomatoes and corn together. They just don’t get on.

And there’s one veggie plant you should never grow near any other veggie plant, and a tree which will poison anything you plant near it.

Discover All the Different Ways You Can Control Pests Naturally

It is in the realm of pest control that many companion plants excel. Some attract insects that would otherwise attack other plants,and some are attracted to trees and bushes that in turn attract birds that catch flying insects.

Sometimes two different plants are able to repel different unwanted insects from each other – so they work in harmony together. See the example at left about how bush beans and potatoes work together.

There are also many natural pesticides that you can make at home.

These range from soapy mixtures to wonderful brews that are made by boiling a range of very specific plants together. They are easy to make at home – in fact you'll probably find you already have most of the ingredients in  your cupboard!

You can also buy natural products that will kill pests that attack your veggies, which is what commercial organic farmers do.

How to Get All the Answers Now

Now it’s easy to get all the answers to companion planting and pest control.

Keen gardener Annette Welsford has done all the hard work for you in her book Companion Planting for Veggies.  (Annette's other high quality gardening books are best sellers in 85 countries. 

This wonderful ebook contains everything you’ll ever need to know to integrate companion planting in your veggie garden.

Take a tour of the contents….

When bush beans are planted with potatoes, they will protect them from the Colorado potato beetle, one of the most destructive bugs that attack potatoes. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, as the potato in turn protects the beans from the Mexican bean beetle.

 

Get Companion Planting for Veggies Now 

A fantastic resource to help you create a garden where your plants grow happily with each other, working in

harmony to support each other and keep away harmful pests.This comprehensive beautifully illustrate guide, valued at $29.95 is available now for instant download to your computer.

By identifying useful plants that play an active role in improving soil and pest control, you can ensure that you always have a ready supply of companion plants to help you get the most out of your gardening.

BOOK:

Companion Planting for Veggies; by Annette Welsford http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com http://www.bing.com

COMPANION PLANTING BOOKS (Intercropping Gardening, Mixed Vegetables Gardening, Polycultures Gardening):

Carrots Love Tomatoes and Roses Love Garlic: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening; by Louise Riottehttp://www.librarything.com/work/141405http://books.google.com/books?id=MtFvQnYDy_sChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37688263

A-Z of Companion Planting; by Pamela Allardicehttp://www.librarything.com/work/10584295http://books.google.com/books?id=OD4iHQAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/29456594

Bob's Basics Companion Planting; by Bob Flowerdewhttp://www.librarything.com/work/12593858http://books.google.com/books?id=LyWr_nVIKNYChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/755704762

Biological Pest Control, including: Bird, Bacillus Thuringiensis, Predation, Companion Planting, Disease Resistance In Fruit And Vegetables, Biocide, Parasitoid, Pyrethrum, Beetle Bank, Scoliidae, Pyrethrin, Fire Ant, Integrated Pest Management, Tansy; by Hephaestus Bookshttp://books.google.com/books?id=OGmQSQAACAAJhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com

Companion Planting; by Jeannine Davidoff - South African Organic Gardenerhttp://www.blurb.com http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com

Companion Planting; by Richard Birdhttp://www.librarything.com/work/729518http://books.google.com/books?id=5xsGAAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/23667555

Companion Planting and Intensive Cultivation; by Nancy Lee Maffiahttp://www.librarything.com/work/4993593http://books.google.com/books?id=cQfatgAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43414392

Companion Planting Boost Your Garden's Health, Secure It From Pests And Grow More Vegetables;

by Ephraim Acrehttp://www.amazon.co.ukhttp://www.amazon.com http://www.dealzilla.co.ukhttp://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com

Companion Planting for Successful Gardening; by Louise Riottehttp://www.librarything.com/work/4821536

Companion Planting for Veggies; by Annette Welsford

http://www.companionplantingguide.com http://www.librarything.com/work/8981096 http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com http://www.bing.com

Companion Planting Guide; by Julie Villani http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com http://www.bing.com

Companion Planting In Australia; by Brenda Littlehttp://www.librarything.com/work/424991http://books.google.com/books?id=WcV0PQAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/154645816

Companion Planting in New Zealand; by Brenda Littlehttp://www.librarything.com/work/4174999http://books.google.com/books?id=y0EtOAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/154585972

Companion Planting Made Easy; by Editors of Organic Gardening Magazinehttp://www.librarything.com/work/3406736

Companion Planting: Successful Gardening the Organic Way; by Gertrud Franckhttp://www.librarything.com/work/4820831http://books.google.com/books?id=C7M4AQAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11197884

Companion Plants and How to Use Them: A Guide to Planting the Right Plants to Ward off Plant Diseases; by Helen Louise Porter Philbrickhttp://www.librarything.com/work/940350http://books.google.com/books?id=GqyMAAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2323470

Complete Guide to Companion Planting: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Garden Successful; by Dale Mayerhttp://www.librarything.com/work/10080769http://books.google.com/books?id=32xpkvpXyvIChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/316834155

Garden Companion to Native Plants. Selecting, Planting and Caring for over 400 Australian Native Plants; by Allan Sealehttp://www.librarything.com/work/4264765http://books.google.com/books?id=mW_gPAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38406971

Good Companions: A Guide to Gardening with Plants that Help Each Other; by Bob Flowerdewhttp://www.librarything.com/work/1177805http://books.google.com/books?id=AnF5qClHJqsChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24246840

Good Neighbors: Companion Planting for Gardeners; by Anna Carrhttp://www.librarything.com/work/819899http://books.google.com/books?id=2yNIAAAAYAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11397323

Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden; by Sally Jean Cunninghamhttp://www.librarything.com/work/392320http://books.google.com/books?id=bYOPlJt6SfAChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37792416

Growing Together: the A to Z of Companion Planting; by Susan Tomnayhttp://www.librarything.com/work/10090519http://books.google.com/books?id=zJafPQAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/219996984

Intercropping: A Step Towards Sustainability; by Haseeb ur Rehmanhttp://books.google.com/books?id=0a8RTwEACAAJ

Jackie French's Guide to Companion Planting in Australia and New Zealand; by Jackie Frenchhttp://www.librarything.com/work/2209675http://books.google.com/books?id=aAvWAAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25753761

List of Companion Plants; by Frederic P Millerhttp://www.alibris.comhttp://books.google.com/books?id=y1EzygAACAAJ

My Garden Companion: A Complete Guide for the Beginner, With a Special Emphasis on Useful Plants and Intensive Planting in the Wayside, Dooryard, Patio, Rooftop, and Vacant Lot; by Jamie Jobbhttp://www.librarything.com/work/1129726http://books.google.com/books?id=MbhFAAAAYAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2681054

Organic Gardening Books, Eco Farming Books and Much Morehttp://www.acresusa.com

Planting The Future: Saving Our Medicinal Herbs; by Rosemary Gladstarhttp://www.librarything.com/work/4402479http://books.google.com/books?id=ndk42wxMBzUChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43894470

Primer of Companion Planting: Herbs and Their Part in Good Gardening; by Richard B. Gregghttp://www.librarything.com/work/10966145http://books.google.com/books?id=ZtXIMAEACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/153273738

Principles And Practice Of Plant Conservation; by David R. Given http://www.librarything.com/work/8843936http://books.google.com/books?id=tHvwAAAAMAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28338097

Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening: Companion Planting; by Susan McClurehttp://www.librarything.com/work/204704http://books.google.com/books?id=nRdVNgAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/29388690

Secrets of Companion Planting: Plants That Help, Plants That Hurt; by Brenda Littlehttp://www.librarything.com/work/2596731http://books.google.com/books?id=byjoAAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/148670035

Soil Mates: Companion Plants for Your Vegetable Garden; by Sara Alwayhttp://www.librarything.com/work/10746015http://books.google.com/books?id=TV_wRQAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/690917742

South African Planting and Companion Planting Guide; by Jeannine Davidoff http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com http://www.bing.com

Sustainable Gardening, including: Raised Bed Gardening, Energy-efficient Landscaping, Permaculture, Masanobu Fukuoka, Companion Planting, Biological Pest Control, Leaf Mold, Spent Mushroom Compost, Green Roof, Agroecology, Wildlife Garden, Mulch; by Hephaestus Bookshttp://books.google.com/books?id=qhaLtgAACAAJ

Tending The Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources; by M. Kat Andersonhttp://www.librarything.com/work/1300650http://books.google.com/books?id=WM--vVFtnvkChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56103978

The A-Z of Companion Planting; by Jayne Nevillehttp://www.librarything.com/work/10584295http://books.google.com/books?id=f80bQwAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/495273643

The Best Gardening Ideas I Know: Foolproof way to start any seed, Compost piles that work, Practical companion planting, More vegetables in less space, Succession planting chart, Natural weed controls, Mulching with weeds, Midsummer feeding; by Robert Rodalehttp://www.librarything.com/work/767913

http://books.google.com/books?id=H3esPwAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/6449670

Climate Change, Intercropping, Pest Control and Beneficial Microorganisms; by Eric Lichtfousehttp://books.google.com/books?id=RNsyKTwTfgY

Intercropping And The Scientific Basis Of Traditional Agriculture; by Donald Quayle Innishttp://books.google.com/books?id=pPk4AQAAIAAJ

The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Cultivating, Drying, and Cooking With More Than 50 Herbs; by Emma Calleryhttp://www.librarything.com/work/1420424http://books.google.com/books?id=GehUsea2PqcChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30264455

The Complete Guide to Companion Planting: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Garden Successful; by Dale Mayerhttp://www.librarything.com/work/10080769http://books.google.com/books?id=32xpkvpXyvIChttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/316834155

The Cook and the Gardener: A Year of Recipes and Writings for the French Countryside; by Amanda Hesserhttp://www.librarything.com/work/150161http://books.google.com/books?id=7mYoAAAACAAJhttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40354856

The Ecology of Intercropping; by John H. Vandermeerhttp://www.librarything.com/work/12183339http://books.google.com/books?id=CvyyTVq_o70Chttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17202869

The Huge Book Of Organic Gardening And Companion Planting; by Billie Rexhttp://books.google.com/books?id=ZuKIZwEACAAJ

Your Backyard Herb Garden: A Gardener's Guide to Growing Over 50 Herbs Plus How to Use Them in Cooking, Crafts, Companion Planting and More; by Miranda Smithhttp://www.librarything.com/work/217099http://books.google.com/books?id=Zxxm0awYC3QChttp://www.worldcat.or/oclc/34722846

DVD: Permaculture Design Certificate Course; DVD Collection with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawtonhttp://www.permaculture-design-courses.comhttp://www.yahoo.comhttp://www.google.com

Please Plant a Row for the Hungry. Thank YOU!

Please use search engines to find "Plant A Row For The Hungry"locations, people, Food Banks and churches near you. Thank you.http://www.yahoo.comhttp://www.google.comhttp://www.bing.com