Companion planting is an interesting system of gardening and agriculture which has gotten quite the rave in recent times. Most farmers use it these days because of how natural and simple it is. If you are a Gardner or a farmer and you haven’t heard about companion planting not to worry I’ll be using the guide from first tunnel to explain what companion planting is, and why you should totally be applying this system of planting to your crops.
What exactly is companion planting?
Companion planting involves planting different crops side by side, the purpose being for the crops to enhance each others growth and protect each other from pests.
When these crops are planted in proximity they could help each other in different ways including pest control, pollination, providing habitat for beneficial creatures and even to maximize the use of space
For example a farmer could plant beans and cabbage side by side in order to prevent the cabbage from being affected by certain pests.
What are the benefits of companion planting?
The benefits of companion planting are numerous, from pest control to improved taste. The benefits cannot be overemphasized. I’ll be listing a few others.
Companion planting saves the Gardner alot of space. Instead of planting each crop separately the Gardner can just easily plant those crops that grow well together like basil tomatoes and lettuce.
Some Plants can also be used to provide support for others.
companion planting provides shelter for some crops. Plants that are larger protect the smaller ones from excess sun. Some plants also provide shade or a wind barrier to other plants.
it also attracts beneficial insects such as bees which help with pollin.
Also some vegetable plants improve soil conditions for other plants. For example, members of the legume family draw nitrogen from the atmosphere and add it to the soil around them.
Here is a guide on plants that can grow together
Strawberries are great fruits and we love them. These red beauties can be planted together with Bush beans, lettuce and spinach.
Basil is good for most garden crops. It improves the flavor of lettuce and tomatoes and it keeps the mosquitos away.
Beans should be planted with marigolds or potatoes, both of which repel the Mexican bean beetle.
Tomatoes make a great partner with carrots, onions, celery and garlic . They provide shade and can help to increase the yield of the tomatoes.
Radishes can be planted with cucumbers, lettuce, melons and peas, they help prevent the cucumber beetle.
Onions, just like garlic deter many pests. They do great with Cole crops, carrots, and lettuce
Zucchini can be planted with garlic, corn spinach, peas and marigold.
Spinach is a great vegetable, in companion planting you could plant them together with beans and peas. The peas provide natural shade for spinach.
Potatoes can be planted with corn, garlic, onions and peas.
Lettuce is a common vegetable that most people grow and love to eat, it can be planted together with
Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Corn, Onions, Peas, Radish, Mint, Strawberries, mints keep away the slugs that feed on the lettuce.
Beans can also be planted with corn, Corn is a natural trellis, and provides shelter for beans. Beans provide nitrogen to soil.
Carrots do great with Beans (Bush and Pole), Chives, Garlic, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Tomato and Parsley. Beans provide the soil with nitrogen and this helps the carrot grow well.
Peppers are one of the most popular spices in the world. They can be grown with okra.
Leeks are not so popular but they have amazing health benefits. They can be grown with peppers.
Beets. Most people grow Beets in their gardens. These can be grown with lettuce, onions, Bush beans and garlic
Cucumber is one vegetable that has so many health benefits. It’s very important to eat cucumbers every once in a while. They can be planted alongside Beans, corn, peas and cabbage.
If you grow melons you may want to try companion planting with melons, Corn, pumpkin, radish and squash.
Corn. This extremely popular vegetable can be grown alongside cucumber, melon, squash, peas, beans and pumpkins.
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