companion planting

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by ruralpeasant, Jul 14, 2004.

  1. ruralpeasant

    ruralpeasant Junior Member

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    I did a search on the net recently for companion planting charts and found that the good companions in some charts were listed as bad companions in others.So which charts are correct?Anyone have any tried and true charts?
    Kurt
     
  2. makehumusnotwar

    makehumusnotwar Junior Member

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    hi. after looking at various companion planting charts myself, the general rule seems to be that 'there is no general rule.' many different sources do contradict each other. i recommend jackie french's book on companion planting, as she explains not to rely too heavily on the whole concept. most listings are generally of a european origin, with different climatic conditions but more importantly, completely different pests and predators. the companion listings i am more concerned about are the plants that inhibit the growth of other plants nearby eg sunflowers

    i am trying a few of the common companionships - eg basil/tomato - but moreso i am trying to confuse the pests by diversity. i have herbs and vegetables not in rows or neat groups, but scattered all over the place with many different heights, shapes, colours and scents to confuse the pests. it may make harvesting a little more difficult, but it looks a lot more interesting, most plants are thriving, and i don't seem to have a problem with pests (yet - fingers crossed!)

    as far as plants promoting the growth of others, i've heard that everything loves yarrow planted near it.
     
  3. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    i think that with companion planting it is going to come down to what works for you in your area, i tend to grow basil when i have tomatoes on the go can't say as how the tom's are any better some gardeners swear that they are, but for me usually when you are using tom's in the cooking it's good to have some basil around to use as well. and i grow all my garlic chives and onion family around the edges of the gardens, i've never had aphids or nematode but can't say for sure that, that is because of what i do, i also find it more convenient with those plants especially the perennial ones for cooking to be planted around the edge.

    also with what works in the northern hemisphere may not necessarily work down here, so might pay to go with suggestions from southern hemi' gardeners, also contact your local organic growers club talk to those gardeners see what they are doing.

    len
     
  4. ruralpeasant

    ruralpeasant Junior Member

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    Thanks for the replies.I haven't really worried about companion planting in the past,although I did grow a lot of garlic between cabbages once.Didn't notice any real difference,still got the same amount of white butterfly caterpillars but it was pretty inconvienient not watering the garlic as it matured while trying to keep the water up to the cabbages.
    I only looked at companions because I wanted to grow something around my asparagus.I have strawberries there at present but they make it difficult to topdress the asparagus with compost.I was thinking of planting some tomatoes,basil and parsley with the asparagus,these would be finished by the time the asparagus had to be cleaned up and mulched again.
    Kurt
     
  5. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day kurt,

    yeh mate don't alter your lifestyle to do it if it feels right then hey do it, like i try to encourage all the mustards, pak choy and lettuce etc.,. to self seed and also encourage dandelion and milk thistle as well the dandelion because they bring bees in when tom's are in flower and the milk thistle around brassica time because i reckon the bugs would rather them than the brassicas. in the end it's not about erradication it's about management ok?

    like i say you do what you gotta do hey? right now we have a meece plague eating our brassicas they come from a next door property where animal husbandry just doesn't exist so we need to use baits! traps for mice just aren't efficient enough in these conditions, and simply can't afford those wire rat traps, and because farmers have clear felled and left no habitat for owls etc.,. what more can we do in the situation presented 2 us if we had the habitat then the meece n rats wooden be a prob simple as! hey?

    i also go along with what was mentioned earlier about not grouping plants spread them about hide them among other things the bugs look for aroma and silloette, and if tghe bugs find 1 or 2 of your plants and leave the rest then let them have those couple i call it "paying the piper".

    like and organic grower once said "if it's good enough for a bug to eat then it's good enough for him to eat" hey too true.

    len
     
  6. ruralpeasant

    ruralpeasant Junior Member

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    G'day Len,yeh much the same here just let things selfseed and only move plants that come up in the wrong places.I haven't sewn or planted a lettuce for about 4 yrs now we've got about half a dozen non heading varieties they just come up every year.I don't bother to save their seed any more unless I know somebody wants some.
    We don't use any sprays either commercial or homemade and always just grow more than we need so the locals get the extras if the bugs don't eat them.We do set some earwig traps in spring and any snails etc that are found just go to the ducks or chooks.
    Constantly have a mouse and rat problem though because we live 300 mtrs from wheat silos so we have to bait them in our roof and trap them in the house.
    Kurt
     
  7. Chook Nut

    Chook Nut Junior Member

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    Will definitely vouch for the yarrow.... not sure how or why it works though?!

    I got the self seeding method as well and after only being here 8 months am already getting my 2nd lot of Good Bug Mix coming up in the centre of my large vegie patch and the non-hearting lettuce, amaranth, basil, fennel, coriander and dill are all coming up as seedlings at the moment... (thats what i call super low maintenance gardening!)

    Like some of the other posters, i work on things that flower and will attract the predatory insects like the dandelions, milk thistle etc. The chooks will love them if they get too rampant and you need to cull some. It will come down to your specific climate and what you grow.... there will always be greeblies.... but hopefully i will always have the predators too... when you consider how much you gain from your vegie patch compared to the minimal losses.... its soo worthwhile finding out what does work...

    Cheers... Dave
     
  8. junglerikki

    junglerikki Junior Member

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    On a way cool book i read on companion planting, the 4 modes of companion are,
    1. Confusing pest- varying shapes & smells. Lures. Plants that attract pests to them to protect prize plants.
    2. Support - Plants that become a climbing pole or shade for or ground cover for. Plants that simply just live in harmony of one another due to their physical characteristics. Plants that take up different sections of space. eg. pumpkins & corn
    3. Secretion - Plants that secrete substances that deter pests for the others, attract beneficials for the others. Also lures, plants that attract pests to them to protect prize plants.
    4. Food, food for other plants, eg. legumes with rhizobium to fix nitrogen for the entire system, including other plants.
    (P.S. I cannot presently find the proper headings & descriptions in my books but am using my memory as it is late at night & I have had too many red wines, gerneral gist is totally correct though!)
     

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