Companion Planting Plant Families

Discussion in 'Gardening' started by doinYoda, Jul 2, 2010.

  1. #1 doinYoda, Jul 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 3, 2013
    What is Companion Planting?

    Companion planting is the practice of planting specific vegetables, herbs and flowers together that benefit each other. Some plants support / shelter each other, provide extra nutrients that benefit neighboring plants, repel pests, attract beneficial insects, and may keep diseases away. Plants can be partnered by growth habit, size, scent, oils, plant hormones, and enzymes given off by roots and leaves. Example - plant tomatoes, peppers and basil together.

    The idea of companion planting may be new to you; it is a planting technique that has been used by gardeners for a very long time. There is evidence that this technique dates back to ancient Roman times. A good example of companion planting is the "Three Sisters", the combination of corn, squash, and beans.

    A couple companion planting techniques include:
    Mix up monocrops. Growing a lot of one crop, say tomatoes, planted in several small plots in the garden, mixed with other “friendly” vegetables and/or flowers.

    Interplant herbs and flowers. Planting flowers and herbs with your vegetables, can attract beneficial insects. Beneficial insects are natural predators to various pests that will wreak havoc on your plants. Flowers and herbs can be used to attract pests away from the main crop in your garden.

    Potential benefits include, but are not limited to:
    Repelling / detouring pests
    Attracting beneficial insects that prey on pests
    Healthier plants
    Increased harvest

    Important note: plants that are ‘enemies' should NOT be planted next to each other, or planted directly after one another when rotating crops.

     

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  2. #2 doinYoda, Jul 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 3, 2013
    PLANT FAMILY VEGETABLE
     
    Carrot Family (Apiaceae)
    Carrot, celery, parsley, parsnip, fennel, cilantro/coriander
     
    Bind Weed (Convolvulaceae)
    Sweet potato
     
    Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae)
    Beet, spinach, Swiss chard, Quinoa, Orach
     
    Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae)
    Cucumber, muskmelon, pumpkin, summer squash, 
    watermelon, winter squash, gourd
     
    Grass Family (Poaceae)
    Ornamental corn, popcorn, sweet corn, millet, rice, barley, wheat, rye
     
    Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
    Okra
     
    Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
    Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage,
    collard, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, turnip, mache, arugula
     
    Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
    Eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato, husk tomato
     
    Onion Family (Alliaceae)
    Chives, garlic, leek, onion, shallot, scallions
     
    Pea Family (Fabaceae)
    Bush bean, kidney bean, lima bean, pea, pole bean, soybean, peanuts
     
    Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
    Endive, lettuce, sunflower, salsify, Jerusalem artichoke / sunchokes
     
    References: Iowa State University Extension, University of Wisconsin Extension, groworganic.com
     
     

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  3. looks like your ''stickies'' are stuck all over the gardening section,,,,,:p

    i guess we know who has the green-finger betweed you and MR. SLINGER<------:cool:
     
  4. Here's a simple list of something I found, I can post a PDF of the entire book if anyone is interested.
     

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  5. ok i could post a long post on what i know of companion plants but i will ATTEMPT to keep this fairly short
    to start it is good to plant the widest variety of plants you possibly can, the more the better as they will help each other grow and will lock in and accumulate nutrients and moisture to the area, they will also support each other in other ways, through support structures and micro-climates and such
    also, something that isn't heavily discussed, irrigation is very bad for you soil and plants
    when soil gets wet, it opens up "pores" to let in the moisture and nutrients, after it has finished "raining" the soil stays open for a bit, in a natural rain this allows for further absorption of nutes and water, when irrigating, especially on a hot day, it allows the nute and water to evaporate and means that the soil must be watered AGAIN in a shorter time to compensate, making the soil reliant and dependent on you, essentially addicted to your hard work and labor, forcing you to do even more
    by allowing the soil to only receive water from snow and rain you prevent this addiction and the soil will naturally close its "pores" to trap in moisture, something that you probably noticed digging in the back yard as a child, without even realizing it

    to learn for yourself here are some very good things to look up, for those who haven't noticed i have poseted these in multiple places but i feel they are important when discussing growing organically
    food forests - seven layers
    permaculture
    sepp holzer - farming with nature
    hugelkultur


    good luck to everyone and their organic growing goals:hello:
     
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  6. this has got me interested. i plan on having a good little garden along with my pot plants origianlly it was just to try and hide the plants in the back but now ive seen this. what plants are good to plant with marijuana i was thinking about 7 different fruits/vegatable/flowers. what plants would benefit pot in specific?
     
  7. #7 oceansgreen, Feb 18, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 18, 2012
    ^ i know hemp helps your brassica's out quite a bit
    cabbage, brocolli, kale all that gets benefits from pot

    generally the more variety the better, just avoid plants known to be bad for your main crops( i dont know any specifics for pot but avoid fennel, its a garden bully and no one else likes him:p)
    you want plants to pull minerals out from deep in the ground and some to pull some of the surface nutrients and everything in between, keep the soil active and feed that microbial life as best you can
    all these minerals and nutes provide for not only healthier bud but more flavorful, same goes for food as well, organic tastes better, it just does
    mulch plenty, its really useful as slow release fert, soil protector and habitat for beneficials
    try not to let any soil be exposed to sunlight, its bad for the microbials and stops your benficials from working the surface

    on increased yields, i have a 12 inch pot sitting nxt to my back door, it sould be recommended i only plant about 4 cilantro plants tops and nothing else
    instead i have
    1 butterhead lettuce
    3 sunflowers(not the huge ones)
    3 cilantro plants
    1 flower of some sort that is supposed to produce a tower of flowers, it was originally in the pot all by itself but in like a year almost it still hasnt done anything but vegetate so idk whats up with it, but anyway its there
    2 bean plants
    and wheat scattered throughout for a ground cover

    this is all by just planting a bunch of different seeds together and watering(only cus its inside though) and then seeing what happens

    the flowers would attract pollinaters were they outside, which would increase the yield of anything that fruits or is insect pollinated(beans generally pollinate themselves before bees can get to em so no help in this case, at least not til the cilantro goes to seed)
    the beans are legumes and accumulate nitrogen which will eventually feed the wheat as a grass and heavy N feeder
    the cilantro provide varity and give me somethng to munch on or put in meals:)
    and all of them keep the soil active and feed the microbial life forms, a very important job:)
     
  8. Great info! Awesome links. You guys are awesome:hello:
     
  9. good book on companion planting if your wanting to search that up is carrots love tomatoes
     
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  10. Companion Planting is really excellent. We can achieve many kind of plants & and gain knowledge’s about different kind of plants. Companion planting we can grow in big size plant pot with vegetable, fruits, flowers & other plants. The Gardeners mostly use Companion planting in the Garden. It really good & when the plants stable & growing up they also provide shadow & oxygen to us.
     
  11. to my last post, ive seen a lot of polycultures with fennel in them without any negative effects percievable to the other plants, im sure the allelopathic properties of that particular plant arent too bad unless planted in large quantities...
     
  12. #12 JennaNola, Jan 16, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 16, 2013
    Practical advice, only, here, from a hippie who grows successful fussy things like roses, gardenias, passiflora, and kids. ;)

    Pairing plants is smart! But you want to think in years, not days - think about which are your heavy feeders (ganj, roses!) and which are your N fixers (southern peas, beans).

    Think plants, not temporary things: "teas" of peppers, garlic, compost, whatever... seem to only work in that I'm paying more careful attention to my plants. Hand-watering gives you both the boon of some zen garden goodness, and keeps our eyes out for pests: snails, slugs, aphids and ants seem reliably annoying. But: a good long time in your garden lets you know if something unique like local kitties are into your goods. Or if cold/heat/water are affecting things. The plants will tell you!

    Example: Nasturtium were all the rage to keep bugs away, and all it gave me was a lot of nasturtiums. And the fire ants have happily made hills next to them - but nowhere near my garlic.

    Give your plants a rest/rotate in the soil. Especially nightshade plants: potato, tomato, peppers: Solanaceae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    So really, my experience of 20 years as a plant lady boils down to: patience, patience, patience. You'll lose some plants. Everyone's garden (indoors or out) is different. Learning yours takes time.

    Oh, and talk to the plants you love. I swear!
     
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  13. Do you guys companion plant with indoor grows?
     
  14.  
    Hi bob :wave:
     
    Indoor grows, as in marijuana? 
     
    There is a companion planting thread in organics, not sure if they're discussing 'indoor' specifically or not *New* Companion Planting w/ Cannabis
     
  15. I can't read the pdfs right now, but there is one very important companion plant set up in my garden. Corn, beans, and squash. Plant the corn and once it is established plant the beans then the squash. The corn gives the beans something to grow up. The squash keeps the ground cool with its big leaves. The beans produce nitrogen which the corn needs. I have also successfully used pumpkin instead of squash. I am thinking of switching the pumpkin to cucumber this year. This is called the three sisters and was used by the native americans. The first year I grew like this I only did corn and beans together. There are a few different ways to do it just google it.
     
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  16. My mother's garden usually setup two plant in one season: onion and cabbage / tomato and garlic . I see they grow well
     
  17. good info....
     
  18. I was looking for companion planting from a long time and this thread proves to be very informative.
     
  19. I've had great success with my 3 sisters garden (I also sprinkle sunflowers throughout). I mix my plants up; but also have borage, dill, garlic, nasturtiums & calendula liberally spread around my garden. Trial & error truly are the best gardening teachers.

    Best of luck!
     
  20. Good info. It’s very useful to everyone..
     

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