Mother Earth's Garden

Companion planting is based on the idea that some plants grow better when they’re planted together. One plant has something the other one needs, or one plant helps camouflage the other plant from pests.

There have been entire books written on the subject of companion planting, and I just may write a review or two of some of my favorite resources in the upcoming days. In the mean time here are some of my favorite companion planting ideas.

One of my favorites comes from the Iroquois Indians and it’s called The Three Sisters. The Three Sisters are corn, beans, and squash or pumpkins planted together. The beans help affix nitrogen in the soil, which is needed for the growth of the corn. The corn helps provide a little shade for the broad leaves of the squash and pumpkins. The corn gives the beans a tower to climb on, and the large squash leaves form a living mulch to help shade out weeds.

I always plant marigolds, or dill with my squash, melons, and cukes. Other herbs may work too, but dill has always been the winner at my house. The stronger scent of the herbs helps mask the scent of the melon, or squash plant from squash beetles, and other pests. It seems to work fairly well in my garden, I also try to rotate my crops and not plant cukes, melons, or squash where they were planted the year before.

African marigolds are great companions for many plants because they secrete a nematode repellant. I try to plant them in amongst the other plants all through my garden.

I do the same thing with herbs, many herbs have a strong scent, and will mask the scent of the plants beside them. My method of garden camouflage.

This is only scratching the surface of companion planting, like I said there are whole books on the subject. What are some of your favorite companion plantings?

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