Companion Planting

We have been spending most of our days outside trying to keep the garden weed free and enjoying the sunshine. Not only does the sunshine feed the plants, but it feeds our souls too. As I water the garden I always mean to come here and talk about companion planting but I rarely have a chance to get on here and do so but I am here now.

I learned about companion planting back when I was working retail nursery selling plants and helping people figure

out their landscapes. It started with beneficial flowers and then I learned more about putting certain plants together that complimented each other either with growing habits or the fact that they just like each other.

For example, we have our strawberry bed dotted with heads of lettuce. And our melon mound is edged in lettuce also. Since lettuce doesn’t have a sprawling growth habit like strawberries and melons do they work great together. Cilantro is planted in between the climbing cucumber plants and basil is planted beneath the tomato vines. Companion planting is a wonderful way to add more variety to your garden and fill in spots where another of the same variety may not have room all while giving your organic plants a better chance at producing more and staying insect free. (okay, well….at least you won’t have to share all of your produce with the insects.)

Rather than making a list of companion plants I am simply going to direct you to a site that I think has the best list of companion plants and beneficial insects.

If you have any questions about companion planting or beneficial insects go ahead and post your question here. Happy planting.