Companion Planting for Organic Gardening

Companion planting is perfect for the organic gardener or someone who is trying to cut down on pesticides, fertilizers and even weeding. Putting particular plants together for their benefit is an idea as old as our country as the Native Americans had the three sisters together: maize (corn), climbing beans and squash. The beans fixed nitrogen into the soil for the nitrogen hungry maize, while the maize provided an avenue for the beans to crawl. The squash shielded the soil from moisture loss and prevented weeds from growing up. Planting all one crop together has only recently become popular and requires a lot more fertilizers, chemical disease and fungal control, along with a lot more insecticide. By mixing your plantings and putting vegetables, herbs, and flowers together creates a garden eco system more similar to nature.

Even if you are only growing a small kitchen herb garden, caring for a few roses, or starting a small vegetable garden for your family, using companion planting ideas can help you manage pests and give you success even in the first year.

Here are a few suggestions as to what plants like each other, what plants fight, and what plants everyone wants to sit next to in the garden.

Plant Friends

• Basil improves the flavor of tomatoes and makes a great Italian garden when planted with peppers and parsley
• Roses love chives which deter fungal diseases, parsley which is said to improve fragrance, and garlic which repel aphids
• Onions battle against strawberry diseases
• Geraniums go great with roses, corn, cabbage, and grapes as they repel Japanese beetles and cabbage worms
• Cabbage goes well with thyme as it deters cabbage worms
• Nasturtiums can help ward off squash bugs when planted among zucchini and cucumbers

Plant Enemies

Most plants that do not get along either share the same pests and diseases or require much different soil and water conditions. Here are a few that do not go well together:

• Corn does not go well with tomatoes, celery, or potatoes
• Carrots should be planted away from dill as they share the same bad bugs
• Cabbage hates strawberries, beans and tomatoes
• Tomatoes and potatoes have the same blight, so keep them far from each other
• Fennel is not liked by most plants so put it away from your garden

Getting starting with companion planting is fun and it is in no way an exact science. The ideas here are based on observations from years of gardening, moving things around, watching bugs, and taking notes.