Companion Planting In Your Vegetable Garden.

'Tis the season of fruitfulness and we have just been planting a vegetable garden in a part of our garden that has been out of commission for the last two years. In fact the soil although lying fallow, had become quite hardened due to machinery travelling across the top of it in order to access the back of the house while our bathroom was being refurbished. So after borrowing a cultivator, much digging, judicious use of gypsm to combat the clay, fertilising, and worm juice use I am happy to report that about 75% of the garden is now planted, and planted following the companion planting method discussed in Esther Deans’ gardening book “growing without digging”

So to explain - Companion Planting in a vegetable garden is really just putting plants together that like each other and will grow well in each other’s company rather than just existing or sulking their way through life. By following her recommendations we have planted members of the onion family with carrots; tomatoes with basil; sugar snap peas with corn and potatoes. Lettuce likes carrots so we planted them near the carrots who in turn like onions – thankfully that is one bed organised. Bit like a jigsaw puzzle really.

So for the extension of your gardening knowledge I present a most useful list of vegetable likes and dislikes! The following extract comes from Esther Deans gardening book “growing without digging”, and can be found on page 38.

Asparagus – likes parsley and tomatoes.

Broad Beans – likes carrots, cauliflower, red beet, cucumber, cabbage, potatoes, leeks and celery. They don’t like members of the onion family.

Dwarf and Climbing Peas – like sweet corn and very mush dislike onions, shallots and garlic.

Beet – doesn’t like climbing or dwarf beans.

Cabbage – likes potatoes and herbs. Especially sage which also helps to repel insects.

Carrots – like chives, onions, leeks, sage , peas and lettuce.

Celery – likes dwarf beans, potatoes, peas and dill.

Cucumber – likes chives, beans, peas , potatoes, and cabbage.

Garlic – hates beans and peas.

Kohlrabi – likes onions and beet, but doesn’t like climbing beans.

Leeks – likes celery.

Lettuce – likes carrots and radishes.

Onions – likes the influence of carrots.

Parsley – likes asparagus and tomatoes.

Peas – likes turnips, beans, sweet corn, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, but hates the onion family.

Potato- likes beans, peas, sweet corn, cabbage, but dislikes tomatoes and sunflowers.

Pumpkin – dislikes potatoes, but does enjoy the company of sweet corn.

Radish – likes most of the plants on the garden.

Tomatoes – likes parsley, asparagus and basil but dislikes kohlrabi and potatoes.

Swedes and Turnips – like peas.

Oops - after reading through the list again i have just seen that maybe the potatoes may need to be moved for the third time; possibly a bit close to the tomatoes!

Once all these potentially yummy vegetables start to grow I will take a photograph and post it on this page to show how our attempts at companion planting amiably takes root and flourishes! We optimistically look forward to a giant harvest......

Author: a.a.gallagher

Copyright: November 2009-11-30