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Companion Planting- The symbiotic nature of plants

© Tracy Nagy

Companion Planting - Natures Pest Control August has come and gone and here we are at the height of harvest time in Michigan- where I garden. All spring I have built up visions of a bountiful harvest, bushels filled with zuchinni, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I have spent long nights dreaming up recipes for the amount of green beans I am likely to get, and against my better judgement I hope for a decent crop from my corn stalks. With all this hopefulness and build-up a little disappointment is inevitable. Couple that with an unusually wet and relatively cool summer and some voracious rabbits and you can easily see how my hopes are likely to be dashed.

So as I gather my produce in, chastened by their , to my eyes, small amount, I start to plan for next season. Disheartened by my inability to coax the most from the soil I look into my library to discover ways to improve my harvest. One of the ways to improve the harvest is by companion planting. Companion planting is the process of planting different plants near each other so as to effect a beneficial effect on its neighbor. This effect can be to repel or deter pests that would harm the plant, or to enhance the neighbor plant's own natural qualities, or to draw minerals from the plant's surroundings and provide them to the neighboring plant, or to improve the harvest by attracting pollinators.

To guide me in my endeavor to plan my garden with companion planting in mind I look to Louise Riotte's book "Carrots Love Tomatoes." , which you will find in my recommended readings section of my topic. (All references within this article refer to pages from this book.) In "Carrots Love Tomatoes" you will find a wealth of information about what does and does not do well together. It is organized into several sections - Vegetables being the largest section, followed by Herbs, Wild Plants, Grasses, Fruits and Nuts, and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. I carry this book around with my at all times when planning my garden- checking to see if what I envision will have any adverse effects on my hoped for crop. In this article I will endeavor to introduce my readers to the basics of companion plantings.

Let us start with those plants which are a benefit to their neighbors by attracting pollinating insects. These plants are usually ones with small flower heads and include the likes of Dill, Coriander(Cilantro), Borage and Chamomille. (p. 30, 31, 36) These flowers, and especially Borage are very attractive to bees and other small insects that like to feast on the nectar and can benefit from their small size. Planting these plants near tomatoes, cucumbers, and other fruiting vegetables increases their harvest by increasing the chances that the flowers will be pollinated and bear fruit.