Upload
dodung
View
216
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Certain plants know how to help their neighbors
part 14: Companion planting
Companion planting is a
method of arranging your
plantings according to which
types of plants are potentially
beneficial to one another.
Companion planting may
reduce competition for water
and nutrients, decrease pest
and disease problems, and
possibly increase vegetable
production.
Companion planting is
thought to work, in part,
because it increases plant
diversity. Imagine a hungry
insect population finding its
way into your garden. If it
encounters an entire row of
its preferred food, you can
bet that the entire row will be
decimated before you even
notice. However, what if that
insect population found one
plant of its favorite food, only
to be halted from moving
onto the next one because
there’s a plant it doesn’t like in
its way? You would probably
notice the damage and might
be able to control the problem
before losing your entire crop.
And, the insects may move
on to “greener pastures” if
undesirable plants are mixed
in with desirable ones.
In its simplest form,
companion planting is
alternating two types of
vegetables in a single row.
This is sometimes called
intercropping, and alternating
garlic or basil with tomato
plants is a popular example.
You can also intercrop more
than two varieties. A classic
multispecies intercropping
example is growing onions,
lettuce and carrots together.
Each of these plants grows its
Increasing the diversity of your garden can save your plants from pests and competition
By Leslie Allen n Horticulture Program Coordinator
INTERCROPPING: Fancy terms are used these days, but Native Americans had an example called the Three Sisters garden.
The University of Nevada, Reno is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, creed, national origin, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation in any program or activity it conducts. The University of Nevada employs only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States.
Copyright © 2009 University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Continued on back
About this seriesThis article is the 14th in a University of Nevada Cooperative Extension series on starting your own vegetable garden. Articles explore such topics as site selection, ordering seeds and preparing your soil. To find the complete series of articles, go to our “Grow Your Own” page at www.unce.unr.edu
In a Three Sisters Garden (above), the corn provides a living trellis for the pole beans, the pole beans provide nitrogen for use by the corn, and the squash provides living mulch. (Jim Sloan photo)
roots at different levels in the
soil, so they don’t compete
with each other for nutrients.
Aboveground, these plants
have such distinct growth
habits and foliage shapes that
they don’t crowd each other
for sunlight or space.
Bush beans and peas
are popular vegetables to
intercrop with plants that are
heavy nitrogen feeders. This
is because beans and peas
are nitrogen fixers, meaning
they can utilize atmospheric
nitrogen for their growth
and reproduction. They have
symbiotic bacteria that live on
their roots and form nodules
rich in nitrogen. Plants growing
near them will be able to
intertwine their roots with the
beans’ roots and utilize the
nitrogen stored there.
An ancient and popular
companion planting is the
Three Sisters garden. The
Three Sisters method is a
unique Native American way
of growing corn, pole bean,
and squash. These three
plants mutually benefit each
other as they grow. The corn
provides a living trellis for the
pole beans, the
pole beans provide
nitrogen for use by
the corn, and the
squash provides
living mulch. The
three plants create
a synergy that
produces a greater
yield, increased
nutrition and
more food calories
than if only one
of the crops was
grown alone in the
same space. The
Anasazi added another sister,
bee plant, Cleome serrulata,
to the plant mix to improve
pollination of the beans and
squash and provide pollen to
the bees.
The Anasazi knew that
flowering plants are great
additions to vegetable
gardens, as many of them
attract beneficial insects.
For example, cosmos attract
syrphid flies, lacewings
and tiny parasitic wasps.
All of these insects help
control pests such as aphids,
leafhoppers, spider mites and
cutworms.
Our farming forefathers also
knew the value of planting
flowers near their vegetables.
They planted “insectary”
gardens to attract beneficial
insects to the farm. You, too,
can plant an insectary garden
within your vegetable garden.
Try edging your garden with
annual or perennial herbs and
flowers. You can harvest the
herbs as needed, but their
real value is in the flower. Dill,
parsley and cilantro flowers
attract many beneficial insects.
When you’re designing
your garden this year, mimic
how Mother Nature designs
gardens. Think of hiking
through a beautiful meadow
in the Sierra Nevada at the
height of wildflower season.
You don’t see row upon row
of one type of flower. Rather,
you see a multicolored carpet
of many different types of
flowers. Many of the flowers
bloom at different times and
grow to different heights; and
when they die, they open up
new spaces for another plant
species to grow. You can follow
these same principles when
designing your garden.
About the author
Leslie Allen is the
former commercial
horticulture program
coordinator for the
western area of
University of Nevada
Cooperative Extension.
She is also a 2008
Nevada EcoNet Golden
Pine Cone award
recipient.
Companions
Try edging your garden with annual or perennial herbs and flowers. (Jim Sloan photo)
Popular companions Companion planting has its roots in both science and folklore. Some people swear by planting basil with their tomatoes, and others won’t plant basil without garlic.
Here are some suggestions for popular homegrown vegetables. If you would like to read more about companion planting, “Carrots Love Tomatoes,” by Louise Riotte, and “Gaia’s Garden,” by Toby Hemenway, are a couple of books that have comprehensive plant lists and design suggestions.
Of course, you can also always call us, (775) 784-4848, or visit us at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension for recommendations and more information.
Vegetable Companion
Tomatoes and peppers Asparagus, carrots, chives, cucumbers, garlic, marigold, nasturtium, onions, parsley, peppers, basil
Potatoes Watermelon, beans, broccoli, cabbage, corn, peas
Strawberries Spinach, lettuce, bush beans, borage, and apple, pear and peach trees
Cucumbers Corn, beans, peas, radishes, sunflowers