companion planting

[raine]

Hi all, I'm lazing in my chair thinking of my dream plot at the moment and although i'm still floundering through the basics I thought I'd give companion planting a go. Has anyone got any really tried and tested methods i could try?

thanks

[supersprout]

Yes, sow marigold seeds when you sow tomato seeds, then they're both ready to plant out together!

I use beds for veg, and sow/plant companion plants at each end, where the bed meets the path - so I know where they are, and they suppress annual weeds for the season:



I do try to avoid planting veg together which fight, but pretty flexible around types of companion - very fond of borage, lovely compost, bees love it and very pretty. Cut down after the first flowering and it will stay bushy and not go leggy.

[eidroeg]

Have a look at posts 16 & 17 on this thread.....

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...anion+planting

[raine]

thanks for the photo supersprout- just the sort of thing needed!
also thanks eidroeg for the link, although i think i need to sit down with a strong cuppa to take all that in! Please keep all ideas rolling in - I'm open to any suggestions-well almost!
Raine

[roitelet]

I always plant marigolds and nastrusiams (cant spell that) to keep the aphids off and it seems to work fairly well. Garlic with carrots work up to a point and Fennel kept the aplids off the roses. I shall keep doing it.

Best of luck Happy new year all

[JennieAtkinson]

Raine - do a search on companion planting as it was debated quite a bit last year as I know I asked a number of questions.

[supersprout]

You might find this useful too:
http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsle...n_planting.asp

[Bex]

I've bought both marigold and nastursiam (spelling, sorry!) seeds. I've also bought some borage. I'm certainly giving companion planting a go as I don't want to use chemicals unless absolutely necessary.

[nick the grief]

Poached egg plants are good as well Bex, attract hoverlies & makes a nice edging and Cosmos ( either the taller nes or the shorter bedding type)

[Bex]

Thanks Nick, I'll get some of those next time in garden centre.

[JennieAtkinson]

Watch the borage Bex - its quite aggressive. I really took over some of my plot last year.

[roitelet]

Be careful I think that Borage may be of the potato family and therefore suseptable to bilght. A friend had some growing with her tomatoes and when blight struck them it struck the borage as well

[Poledragon]

There's the usual planting onions, chives, garlic or tomatoes with carrots, marigolds with tomatoes, summery savory with broad beans - all which help fool the various flies and aphids which love those crops.

Then there's the Native American set up of the Three Sisters - growing sweetcorn, with squash trailing around the roots to keep the soil moist and training beans up the growing corn stalks to use all available space and provide nitrogen for the corn. I do this every year at the lottie and it not only looks good, but gives you great yields from a small space. Do not grow giant pumpkins though! Small squash, such as butternut or acorn types, do best. And whilst it's ok to grow climbing French beans around the perimeter of the block (always plant sweetcorn in blocks, never rows), it's better to grow beans for drying in the middle.

I agree with Nick about the poached egg plants - you get so many hoverflies and the flowers themselves are so cheerful.

[raine]

Hi Poledragon, I really like the sound of that but do you grow them at the same time (sorry fairly new to all this!)
Thanks
Raine

[vicki lorraine]

I also grow sweet peas with my runner beans. This is to attract the bees. French beans are wind pollenated so not so important. Any open flower will attract the hoverflies. Garlic chives with carrots also works well. Leaving some of the plot natural will also provide space for the insects and reduces the need for as much companion planting.