Companion Planting
Certain plants fair well together. They aid one another by distracting pests, improving the soil, reducing fungal attack, acting as a wind break/support or helping the soil retain moisture. Here are some
examples:
Carrot fly can smell carrots over a mile away. Plants in the onion family help to hide the smell.
Onions/garlic/leaks/chives also help to deter slugs. They are particularly handy around your Lettuces. They are also helpful around strawberries as they help reduce fungal infections such as strawberry mould.
Basil and Marigolds are natural insect repellents and work well with tomatoes.
Nasturtiums attract aphids. They therefore distract aphids from your vegetables. They are particularly good when planted around beans.
Nettles attract cabbage whites. Leave a patch close to your brassicas and they will detract the pests away from your crop.
Lavender and sage are exceptionally good pest repellent, so plant lots close to your vegetable patch.
Chervil, garlic, chives and coriander also all repel aphids
The above are methods of confusing pests. We can further protect our crops by encouraging natural predators such as Lady Birds and Lace Wings to lay their eggs. These can eat up to 150 Aphids per day. Hoverflies and Wasps are also useful natural predators.
Some particularly good plants for encouraging the above predators are: Yarrow and dill.
Flowering plants generally encourage bees. Bees pollinate. Encouraging pollination will lead to greater yields.
Coriander, sunflower, lavender and echinacea are particularly good pollinating plants.
Combinations Of Plants
Whether you plant in raised beds, dug out beds or in your borders, large plants can be used to protect smaller plants or act as a wind break. One example is: sweet corn, beans and pumpkins. The large leaves of the pumpkin shade the soils and the Sweet Corn roots, thus keeping in moisture. The tall sweet Corn provides a posts for the Beans to climb and the Beans add Nitrogen to the soil.
It is worth spending a little time researching good combinations.
Vegetables, Fruit and Herbs can look attractive.
Many show gardens are now incorporating chard, beetroot and salad leaves into their borders because they look colourful. Strawberries and runner beans work well into many cottage borders without looking out of place.
Some Perennial Plants Can Provide An Annual Harvest
Don’t forget to include things like Asparagus, Globe artichokes, cardoons, Horseradish, Good King Henry, Jerusalem artichokes, sorrel, welsh onions, wild garlic, rhubarb and fruit bushes. Most of these only need planting once along with most of your essential Herbs.
More Grow Your Own Reading:
More Grow Your Own Reading:
