Companion plant gardening is a natural and organic technique for repelling pests and growing healthier plants.
Companion planting can help you grow healthier and more productive plants without harsh pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Try some of these top companion plant pairings in your garden this year for your best harvest yet.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Denny Schrock
What Is Companion Planting?
It doesnt only matter what plants you grow, it also matters where you plant them.
Companion planting works by pairing the right plants ingarden beds to enhance the growthof one or both plants.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
But what are companion plants exactly?
Companion plants benefit each other in at least one way.
There are many more examples of companion planting.
Over the years, companion plant recommendations were based mostly on folklore and personal experiences.
You’ll find the results of these studies in the tips below.
Use Herbs to Repel Pests
Many pest insects avoidstrongly scented herbs.
Try these aromatic plants tonaturally repel pests:
2.
Flowering herbs, such asdill, sage, andchives, are extremely attractive to bees and other pollinators.
These beneficial insects feed on pests and reduce the need for harsh pesticides.
Interplanting legumes with other vegetables can help your plants grow healthier and faster.
Some other topcompanion plants for legumesinclude:
5.
Try Trap Crops
Trap crops are plants that are moreattractive to pest insectsthan vegetable plants.
Growing trap crops near your garden can direct pests away from the vegetables you actually want to harvest.
Some classic examples of trap crops include:
Marty Baldwin
6.
Since you wont need to invest intrellising systems, these plant pairings can save money.
The natural look of bean vines climbing sunflowers and corn is pretty, too.
Companion planting can help you avoid this.
Control Weeds
Large leaves can shelter plants from the sun, but they do more than that.
Interplanting garden beds with leafy greens and other plants with large leaves can help keep your garden soil covered.
This, in turn, naturally suppresses weed growth andreduces the need for weed killers.
To maximize your garden space, trycompanion planting fast-growing vegetablesamong long-season crops.
Additionally, toprevent the spread of disease and pests, avoid planting similar plant species together.
In addition to reducing pests naturally, companion planting improves pollination, enhances flavors, and increases yields.
