It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – January 2020
by Angela Lassam

Companion planting is an age-old, time-honoured way of gardening by enhancing productivity naturally without the aid of chemicals. Plants grown together can be improved in both flavour and quality if you know their characteristics. Many years ago a vegetable garden was not only vegetables but a combination of flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Gardeners were wise enough to learn the benefits of placing different plants together. 

The theory behind companion planting has many factors – shade, support, plant health, improved soil and weed suppression. Shade can be natural by planting tall among smaller plants and planting shade loving small vegetables (i.e. radishes) between them. Support is an obvious method by growing climbers with tall vegetables (corn will support cucumbers). This is also known as The Three Sisters where corn supports beans and squash covers the soil. Plant health may sound strange but by growing different types of vegetables near one another they will yield more as they will use different nutrients from the soil. Beans and peas are a good example of fixation of nitrogen in the soil.

Vegetables do better when surrounded by certain herbs. Basil will increase the flavour of both tomatoes and peppers and repel tomato hornworm. Mint (in pots for containment) will prevent slugs and the scent will repel many destructive insects especially the cabbage moth. Garlic grown by beets will improve them. A tea of garlic as a spray may deter Japanese beetles as they do not like the sulphur smell. Cilantro and chives work well against aphids. 

 By using certain seeds grown between vegetables you can encourage pollinators and beneficial insects besides creating a ground cover to suppress weeds. Clover is a good one to grow as it will fill in quickly and as it is a legume will fixate nitrogen in the soil. Farmers know that fall rye sown as a ground cover gives off a chemical which supresses weed germination and when worked in acts as ‘green’ manure.

Buckwheat has been known to cover well and smother weeds with its quick germination. Hoverfly larvae especially like it which eat aphids and other soft bodied insects. It is best sown regularly and discarded to the composter before going to seed. It has the property of making phosphorous more readily available in the soil. Bees are plentiful around it as they are on all the open flowers and help all pollination in the garden. It is a good idea to let some of your garden “go to seed” as the flower heads attract many predatory insects.

Fruit benefits from companion garden practice. All soft fruit will benefit from growing with chives and garlic as the aroma repels many pests and the chive flowers are nectar for many pollinators. Apple trees are pestered by codling moth so plant strong scented lavender near trees. 

Flowers used for specific benefits and to aid pollination are most of the open head type. Cosmos, Zinnias and Calendula are common ones. They are easy to grow and will self seed. Nasturtium are very good as bait for aphids especially under roses but almost anywhere in the garden. Daffodils when grown around the bark of young trees will help stop mice and voles from munching.  Tansy, some may call it an herb, is great for cutworm and is good for pollination. The blue/purple one has a large open interesting flower.  

Companion planting is not new but as we strive to help our environment and try not to use chemicals the knowledge needs to be available to all gardeners new and seasoned. I hope this has given you a thought to grow certain seeds between your regular vegetables. Nature will help all gardeners if we know how to help it in its process.

 The next monthly meeting for the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society is on Tuesday, February 4th @ 7:30 p.m. in the Senior Centre Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Complex (north side of Complex by the Skate Park).  The speaker will be Denise Hodgins who is a garden coach and designer. Topic is “Succulents and Unusual Houseplants”. Everyone welcome, join us for a meeting for $4, or become a member for only $20 per year for added benefits. For further information look us up on the website www.tillsonburghortictural.ca  and check out Facebook – tillsonburghorticultural.