Companion Planting 101

[HOMEGROWN.org]

The following 101, on companion planting, comes from Karin, a self-described tree-hugging dirt worshipper and an awesome (and active) addition to the HOMEGROWN flock. Thanks so much, Karin. Please keep the good ideas germinating!

 

Companion planting is sort of like making table assignments for a dinner party: The whole idea is to put people—or, in this case, plants—next to each other that will get along. Do tomatoes like basil? Will arugula play nicely with broccoli? Your goal is to create a harmonious environment and avoid food fights. The key to companion planting is knowing which families your plants belong to. Essentially, you want to plant Hatfields next to Hatfield allies and not next to McCoys. Bonus: Good companion planting will not only help your garden thrive but will help repel pests, too.

 

I learned these things from my father, a contractor by trade but an amateur horticulturist and botanist who used to give lectures at a local college. He could read, write, and speak Latin and even has a few trees and shrubs named after him: a rhododendron, a layered maple. As a kid, I would watch him mix soil and natural pesticides while listening to him talk about companion planting. Back then, the turf-war analogy was rich for me. I especially liked thinking of the garden in terms of The Godfather. (Whadoya want from a teenager trying to learn all of the family secrets?)

 

Sadly, I lost my father this past October to cancer, but I have a copy of his (green) thumbprint that I wear on a dog tag whenever I garden. This way, I always have him with me to help me tend my plants, a dear reminder that I owe most of my knowledge of plants, soil, and gardening to him. You could say we were companionably planted. To get started companion planting in your own garden, keep reading.

 

KNOW YOUR FAMILIES

There are essentially 13 vegetable families that the average gardener should know. A quick-and-dirty breakdown:

 

1. Amaryllidaceae Family, better known as the allium genus, derives from the Latin word meaning garlic and includes onionlike vegetables with grassy foliage, bulb roots, and strong flavors. Examples: garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives. Members of this family appreciate sandy, loamy soils with plenty of organic matter, a neutral pH, good drainage, and full sun.

 

2. Brassicaceae Family is better known as mustards or cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, cress, bok choy, arugula, nasturtiums or watercress, collards, kale, and mustard greens. Members of this family tend to favor cool weather, and many improve in flavor after a touch of frost.

 

3. Chenopodiaceae Family is also known as the goosefoot family because the leaves of the flowering plants bear a slight resemblance to a foot. Examples: beets, Swiss chard, lamb’s quarters, quinoa, and spinach. Like the mustard family, goosefoots tend to favor cool weather.

 

4. Compositae Family is part of the larger group of angiosperms, or flowering plants. These include endive, escarole, cardoon, artichoke, sunflower, lettuce, dandelion, and marigold. These crops favor cooler weather but can be grown in warmer climates with sufficient shade or either morning or late afternoon sun.

 

5. Cucurbitaceae Family, also known as the gourd family, includes gourds; cantaloupe; acorn, crookneck, and spaghetti squash; zucchini; cucumber; pumpkins; and watermelons. Members of this family are warm-climate annuals that benefit from sunny locations and fertile soil.

 

6. Gramineae Family is one of the largest families, consisting mostly of herbaceous, grasslike staple crops such as wheat, rice, maize or corn, barley, oats, and millet.

 

7. Leguminosae Family, also known as the pea family, includes shrubs, vines, and herbs bearing bean pods: peas, beans (runner, Lima, common, fava, mung, and adzuki), peanuts, chickpeas, lentils, and soybeans. This family likes sunny locations with well-drained soil at neutral pH levels.

 

8. Solanaceae Family contains plants in the genus Solanum. These vegetables are often referred to as nightshade vegetables because they developed a means of defending themselves against predators, such as insects, that wish to consume them. This family includes: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, tobacco, goji berries and peppers, and cayenne. Despite the nightshade moniker, these plants need full sun, in addition to well-drained soil packed with lots of organic matter.

 

9. Umbelliferae Family consists mostly of aromatic plants with hollow stems: celery, celeriac, dill, chervil, coriander, parsley, carrot, fennel, and parsnips. Because the edible part of many of these plants grows underground, a loose, deep, stone-free soil with constant moisture is best.

 

10. Convolvulaceae Family, commonly known as the morning glory family, makes showy garden plants. This family contains sweet potatoes and yams, as well as water spinach, AKA Chinese watercress. Yams and sweet potatoes appreciate warmer and tropical climates (or a greenhouse) and need full sun, although sweet potatoes can tolerate poor soil and are somewhat drought-tolerant.

 

11. Labiateae, or Lamiaceae, Family is a mostly herbaceous group of plants known for its aromatic qualities and uses as spices, essential oils, and medicinal remedies. These include: mint, basil, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, thyme, lavender, and chia.

 

12. Polygonaceae Family, also known as the buckwheat family, includes buckwheat grain, rhubarb, and sorrel.

 

13. Malvaceae Family, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants that includes okra, cotton, and cacao.

 

Now that we have all of the families sorted out, we’re ready to cover what grows well together and what combos help repel pests. Two charts—the first on companion planting and the second on repelling pests—are included below, but you can also download them as print-friendly PDFs:

» Companion Planting

» Companion Planting for Pest Control

 

COMPANION PLANTING

COMPANION PLANTING FOR PEST CONTROL

SPEAK UP!

Got a question for Karin or your own companionable tip to share? Post it below and keep the conversation rolling! You might also be interested in 101s on container gardening, raised beds, edible gardens for kids, homemade natural pesticide sprays, and natural pest control. And you can always find more things to plant, grow, cook, preserve, make, craft, and tend—including lots of how-tos on specific crops—in the HOMEGROWN 101 library.

PHOTOS: (LETTUCE AND BEETS) HUGO; (FLOWER CLOSE-UP) JESS; (WATERING CAN AND BED) COLLEEN LYON

[Lisa Rising]

Thank you for this fantastically informative 101, Karin!

[Yvonne]

Brilliant - thanks for this.

[Mary Horscroft]

Thanks for this information. I do have a question, though.  I  planted marigold plants in the spring  around the edges of my vegetable garden like I have done in all my previous gardens. But this year (live in AZ where the temperature reaches the triple diggits)  none of my marigolds grew. Somoe have even died.  Is it the temps or what?

[Yvonne]

Same here. My marigolds usually self seed but so far no sign of them. We had a drought down here in the southern Caribbean at the start of the year, followed by endless rain these past 6 weeks or so, and the ground is saturated.

[Karin Bosela]

Hi Mary:

I am sorry to hear that your Marigolds failed,  the marigold flower originated in the Americas where it's native from Argentina all the way north to Arizona; so I don't think it was the temperature. Marigolds generally like full sun and require a minimum of 6 hours of it. Just like a vegetable garden, marigolds like soil that has composted organic matter, a little phosphorus, and some soil sulfur if you have highly alkaline soil. Nitrogen should be applied sparingly. Too much nitrogen will produce lots of foliage and few flowers. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they got too much water - the soil needs to dry somewhat between watering.

Mary Horscroft said:

Thanks for this information. I do have a question, though.  I  planted marigold plants in the spring  around the edges of my vegetable garden like I have done in all my previous gardens. But this year (live in AZ where the temperature reaches the triple diggits)  none of my marigolds grew. Somoe have even died.  Is it the temps or what?

[Karin Bosela]

Hi Yvonne:

I am sure you probably watered them during the drought and marigolds tolerate heat pretty well - but they seriously do not like to be over watered. The soil needs to dry somewhat between watering, so that may have been the problem.

Yvonne said:

Same here. My marigolds usually self seed but so far no sign of them. We had a drought down here in the southern Caribbean at the start of the year, followed by endless rain these past 6 weeks or so, and the ground is saturated.

[Karin Bosela]

My pleasure!

Lisa Rising said:

Thank you for this fantastically informative 101, Karin!

[Yvonne]

The watering was not my doing Karin - it was down to Mother Nature, who is still insisting that we need more. I've had to add a whole network of new drainage channels, but it's still like walking on a wet sponge. From what you say, too much rain sounds like the possible cause. Thanks for the feedback. :)

Karin Bosela said:

Hi Yvonne:

I am sure you probably watered them during the drought and marigolds tolerate heat pretty well - but they seriously do not like to be over watered. The soil needs to dry somewhat between watering, so that may have been the problem.

Yvonne said:

Same here. My marigolds usually self seed but so far no sign of them. We had a drought down here in the southern Caribbean at the start of the year, followed by endless rain these past 6 weeks or so, and the ground is saturated.

[Karin Bosela]

Sorry Yvonne, I didn't mean that you watered them too much - I meant you watered during the drought. Mother Nature is having her hissy fit and we all know what havoc we women can cause when riled up.

Yvonne said:

The watering was not my doing Karin - it was down to Mother Nature, who is still insisting that we need more. I've had to add a whole network of new drainage channels, but it's still like walking on a wet sponge. From what you say, too much rain sounds like the possible cause. Thanks for the feedback. :)

Karin Bosela said:

Hi Yvonne:

I am sure you probably watered them during the drought and marigolds tolerate heat pretty well - but they seriously do not like to be over watered. The soil needs to dry somewhat between watering, so that may have been the problem.

Yvonne said:

Same here. My marigolds usually self seed but so far no sign of them. We had a drought down here in the southern Caribbean at the start of the year, followed by endless rain these past 6 weeks or so, and the ground is saturated.

[Emily Landseidel]

The Hatfields and McCoys. Oh boy, this lesson is planning itself! 

In Southern West Virginia, I taught companion planting to middle school students this year but they didn't seem to get it. They understood the friends next to friends deal but weren't fully able to transfer it to how plants would interact with other plants. I'm so grateful you tied in some Appalachia culture - I hope it makes this lesson more accessible and full of "ah-ha" moments that my students will be able to latch onto. 

Maybe I'll get a chance to reteach Companion Planting during the summer-time Critical Skills Sessions - the Hatfield-McCoy bit will help intertwine History/Social Studies. 

[Karin Bosela]

Hi Emily - 

How wonderful to be able to educate young people about companion planting. Sometimes with all of the fast and prepared foods available I think gardening for the young has become a lost art. Learning these things may sadly have to be a means to save not only their but their families food supply one day.

I hope you are able to continue teaching this valuable and sustainable information.  Feel free to contact me with any questions or if I can provide any assistance.  Having them start a seed library at the school may be an idea to keep the class alive.

[Brenda Elwell]

Karin, this is an amazing post and I will for sure be referring back to this! Love your writing style keeping it simple for a beginning digger to understand.