Garden Folklore: Plants Thrive in Good Company
Farmers and gardeners of long -gone past
were aware of the importance of keeping some
form of order in their farming or gardening to
keep the plants healthy, repel insects and pests
with no other tool but the plants and how they
are grouped together. Plants that are not
“friendly” together are planted separately.
There were no supportive scientific data to
back up their findings. They conducted their
experiments, with their lands as the laboratory
using the trial and error method year after year.
This method of gardening helps to keep this
earth healthy, minimize if not eliminate the
use of chemicals for growth or pest and disease
control. It keeps the soil balanced.
Plants can be good companions to one another.
They provide pest and insect control to their
neighbors. It can be the scent, hormones and oils
coming from their roots, flowers or leaves that
help to discourage disease and harmful pests
without losing their beneficial assets.
Taller sun-loving plants provide shade for the shorter
plants that prefer the shade.
Some plants provide extra nutrients, such as
deep- rooted plants that bring out sulfur, potassium
and calcium to the surface, for the benefit of the
shallow-rooted ones to share.
Some plants act as fungicide, insect and pest
repellants. Some plants accumulate sulfur well
and this gives an odor that many pests avoid.
Flowers and leaves with strong scent are known
to repel flying insects.
Secretions from the roots inhibit weeds and kill
parasitic worms and nematodes.
Some gardeners provide a “trap” plant to absorb
the disease or attract harmful pests without causing
harm to itself
These plants can be used as borders, ground covers,
backdrops or interplant to keep the plants happy and
healthy and in good company.
Some good neighbors and partners
Marigolds top the list. The strong scent from
the flowers and foliage repel pests and the roots
inhibit nematodes. Plant with vegetables and
other flowering plants.
CAUTION: Marigolds are not friendly with
herbaceous plants. The root secretions can
inhibit the growth of the herbs. If you must
plant marigolds with herbs, don’t plant them
too close, keep them around the edges.
Foxglove ( Digitalis) have beautiful flowers
and it is known to stimulate the growth of plants
near it. It makes the neigboring plants disease
resistant. It improves the storage qualities of
fruits and vegetables and root vegetables.
probably due to gaseous secretions and minute
hormones.
Insect repellants :
Many flowers used as border plants repel flying
insects, such as: coreopsis, coriander, cosmos,
geranium, marigolds, chrysanthemum, marjoram,
oregano
Most vegetables are friendly to one another.
Peas and beans make good companions
for other plants because the roots fix the
nitrogen supply for the other plants,
Onions and garlic and other plants from the
alium family are beneficial to plants around
them. These plants are known as good fungicides
and insecticides. They accumulate sulfur
very efficiently and the odor they emit repels
many pest and other pesky four-legged critters.
Plant with cabbage, tomatoes, peas, corn.
Good for roses too.
Unfriendly neighbors:
Avoid planting these together for they are
unfriendly and definitely not good companions:
rue and basil
runner beans and potatoes
beets and beans
beans and onions or garlic
strawberries and cabbage
dill and carrots
cucumber and potato, no strong herbs
potato - no cucumber, pumpkin, raspberry, squash, sunflower, tomato
Fennel prefers to be by itself.
This is just a short list.
Herbs are good companions to most plants.
The strong scent repels most pests. Some
herbs are also known to bring out potassium,
sulfur and calcium to the soil surface for the
plants around it to benefit from. Chamomile is
especially favored for these qualities.
This can be a topic by itself for herb gardeners.
Reference: Garden Folklore that Works by Charlie Ryrie
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Bonnie Moss writes to inspire and to motivate |
