Tips from Olle Garden Bed: Companion Planting Ideas for Vegetables & Herbs

Many factors contribute to plant growth, including light, soil, water and nutrients. Many gardeners ignore the beneficial relationship between plants, which is a planting method called companion planting. This planting method can help your garden thrive by encouraging insects that eat harmful bugs and support healthy plants. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.

For example, one plant can prevent garden pests that harm another species, and in return, other species may enhance soil nutrients. Especially when vegetables are located next to good neighbors, their yield, flavor and resistance to diseases and pests are better. Conversely, some combinations may result in poor performance.

Companion planting is not an exact science. Some combinations are better than others; Factors such as weather and regional differences will affect the effectiveness. Understanding how plants, insects, and organisms work together can reduce or eliminate the need for inorganic therapies, improve your gardening success rate, and affect your plant choices.

Here are some key vegetables and herbs to consider, as well as their beneficial helpers and plants to avoid. These are general recommendations; The results may vary.

Garden companion plants

Beans (shrubs)

Companions: beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, catmint, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, kale, marigold, trollius, pea, potato, radish, rosemary, pumpkin, strawberry, tomato.
Cat mint repels flea beetles, which are common vegetable pests. Marigold and potatoes stopped the Mexican bean beetle. Trollius and rosemary repel bean beetles.
Keep away from leek, garlic, onion, onion and other onion relatives will hinder the growth of beans (such as beans).

Asparagus

Companion: basil, coriander, dill, marigold, parsley, tomato
Basil, marigold, parsley and tomatoes can prevent asparagus beetles. Coriander and dill can repel pests such as aphids and spider mites.
Keep away from: garlic, onions, potatoes

Broccoli

Companions: basil, beet, celery, cucumber, dill, garlic, lettuce, marigold, mint, trollius, onion, potato, radish, rosemary, spinach, thyme
Dill attracts predatory wasps that control pests. Rosemary repels cabbage flies. Celery, potatoes and onions can improve the flavor of broccoli.
Keep away from: asparagus, beans (stems), corn, melon, pepper, pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin, strawberry

Chinese cabbage

Companions: beans (shrubs), beets, celery, chamomile, dill, mint, onion, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme
Marigold and aromatic herbs, such as mint, rosemary and thyme, can repel cabbage moths. Dill, celery, garlic, mint and onions enhance the taste of cabbage.
Keep away from: beans (stems), mustard, strawberries, tomatoes.

Garli

Companion: beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, dill, eggplant, turnip, pepper, potato, spinach, tomato
Chamomile improves garlic flavor. Rue repels maggots. Summer saltiness and yarrow are also good for garlic.
Keep away from: garlic will hinder the growth of asparagus, beans, parsley, peas and sage.

Benefits of planting garlic: garlic can drive away a variety of pests, including ants, aphids, cabbage, fungus black flies, Japanese beetles, onion flies, snails and spider mites.

Romaine lettuce

Companions: asparagus, basil, beans, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, chives, corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, mint, onions, peas, radishes, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes
Basil improves lettuce flavor and repels mosquitoes. Beets provide the soil with the minerals that lettuce needs to thrive. Chives and garlic can stop aphids. Mint repels cabbage moths and slugs, which are lettuce pests.
Keep away from: Some sources say you should avoid growing lettuce near broccoli and cabbage, while others say it's good. The results may vary. Cabbage, celery and parsley may inhibit the growth of lettuce

Potato

Companions: basil, beans, cabbage, chamomile, corn, horseradish, lettuce, marigold, parsley, peas, radish, spinach, thyme
Beans drive away Colorado potato beetles. Horseradish increases the resistance to disease. Many herbs such as basil, chamomile, parsley and thyme can enhance the flavor of potatoes and attract beneficial insects.
Keep away from: Cucumbers, raspberries and tomatoes attract harmful insects. Avoid planting near eggplant, pepper, tomato and other solanaceous vegetables to prevent the spread of soil pathogens. Asparagus, carrot, fennel, onion and radish will hinder the growth of potatoes.

The concept of planting can be traced back to hundreds of years ago. Aboriginal people plant corn, beans and pumpkins together. This symbiotic combination is called the three sisters.

Corn provides a natural scaffold for climbing beans, while the bean vines are fixed with corn stalks, making it difficult to be blown. Beans attract beneficial insects, while increasing the nitrogen content in the soil and helping corn and pumpkin grow. The large leaves of pumpkin inhibit weeds, provide coolness to the soil, and slow down the evaporation of water. Small thorns on pumpkin stems and leaves can prevent predators and pests.

At the end of the growth season, the abandoned plants were re -planted into the soil to provide nutrients for the next year.