Companion Planting - Simplified!
I first learned of companion planting 7 or 8 years ago. I thought it meant that I had to cram 6-8 different plants together in a bed. I was at a loss as to how I was supposed to find this information and coordinate all of the different plants, so I didn’t try. I have since given it another look and have developed an ease at planning my garden with companion planting.
We could dig up a really complex and scientific definition of companion planting but it’s really just when two or more different crops are planted in the same vicinity in order to benefit at least one of the plants. There are a lot of benefits that companion planting can provide, which is what can make it a little overwhelming. The following chart shows some of the different types of companions and real-life examples of how it is used.
It helped me to think about companions by grouping them by function. Does it attract pollinators? Does it have a tall spindly stem that can support a vine or climbing plant? Will it grow tall and large to provide shade for plants closer to the ground?
These questions allowed me to stop memorizing and start understanding. I still turn to my gardening books for obscure or advanced information, but the pause to learn the types of companion plants allowed me to apply my knowledge of plants and basic science to pair plants intuitively.
Here’s where you should start…
Choose a main crop for each bed or section of your garden. A main crop could be one that takes up the most space or one that will be in the ground the longest. It could also be one that is the most important to you. Some examples from our garden include:
sweet potatoes
peas
tomatoes
cucumbers
corn
Choose companions for each main crop…
The following charts show garden plants and common friends or foes. Friends are plants that benefit the main plant (in the left column) if planted together. Foes are known to have negative effects and should not be planted together.
If you are choosing more than one companion for your main crop do a quick cross-reference to make sure that none of your companions are foes with each other.
Fail-proof companions
Luckily for us gardeners, there are a handful of herbs that are just generally good for your garden.
lemon balm - attracts pollinators
marjoram
oregano
stinging nettle - this is a wonder plant. Stinging nettle promotes soil health, companions grow more disease resistant, and can be used in compost tea to add potassium, calcium, sulfur, and iron to your garden
valerian
chamomile (uh, yes please!)
dandelion
Here’s a few examples of how we are implementing companion planting…
Tomatoes serve as the overstory in this bed, providing shade for understory crops like lettuce and carrots. Marigolds will discourage pests.
Tomatoes are the main crop in this bed, paired with smaller plants of lettuce and celery. Marigolds and basil are paired to deter pests. Basil is also known to improve growth and flavor of tomatoes.
Beans are the main crop in this bed, paired with cauliflower, spinach, and kale that will be lower to the ground.
Peas are the overstory crop in this bed, interplanted with leeks and radishes. Radishes are a great companion that allows a contrast beetween fast and slow growth. Staggering maturity of plants in a bed can help make the most out of a small growing space.
If you’re not convinced yet…
I get it…it’s easy to complicate. The game changer for me was the realization that I didn’t have memorize a bunch of charts or spend hours cross-referencing my garden plan draft with every chart I could find in books. Companion planting is about letting nature work for you to improve health of your garden and yield. It’s a slight shift in the way of thinking for many gardeners and instead of seeing each garden bed or area individually it’s about looking at your garden as a whole ecosystem. Now I can intuitively plan my garden with the help of a few glances at my favorite charts.
To recap, companion planting:
improves soil health
improves growth of plants
increases efficiency of growing area
provides a long term improvement of growth and health (with use of crop rotation)
reduces weed pressure
reduces insect/pest pressure
reduces watering
Once you’re comfortable with the companion planting methods listed in this post you can apply more advanced methods like crop rotations, shallow/deep root companions, and adding more perennials to your annual vegetable garden.
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