Companion Vegetable Garden
Companion vegetable planting is another way to fully utilize the garden space by planting various vegetables either together or in succession to boost the harvest. In some cases, specific varieties of plants are grown together for pest control or because one plant will mark the row or furnish support to another. The addition of flowers to a vegetable garden gives the garden an added visual dimension and can help attract beneficial insects to the garden.
List:
Various flower and vegetable seeds and transplants
Plant both radishes and carrots in the same space. The radishes will mature and ready to harvest in less time than the carrots. This will loosen the soil for the carrots and mark the row, as carrots are slow to mature.
Plant pole beans around corn stalks when the corn reaches 2 to 3 inches high. The pole beans will climb the stalks of the corn as both reach maturity.
Plant bush beans next to early growing spring peas. As the peas are harvested, the vines are used as mulch for the developing bush beans. This can also be done with potatoes and tomato plants.
Plant marigolds between vegetable rows in the garden. Marigold flowers attract insects that will feed off the undesirable insects, such as aphids, on the vegetable plants.
Allow the corn stalks to shade squash and potato plants. This can help control both squash bugs and the potato beetle.
Words to the Wise:
The jalapeno or habanera pepper planted in several locations in your garden will help discourage worms and stem borers from any plant they are around.
A simple way to think of companion planting is that you plant both long maturing and short maturing plants at the same time in the same space. Once the early maturing vegetable is harvested, the remaining plants will mature.
Lettuces and other leafy greens can be planted inter-dispersed with any other vegetables. Most leafy greens are cool weather crops that will be harvested before other vegetables.
