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Questions tagged [companion-planting]

The concept of planting different crops in proximity.

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28 votes
3 answers
5k views

Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions?

It's common knowledge that legumes (clover, beans, etc) can (with the help of Rhizobium bacteria) fix nitrogen from the air and hold it in the soil. Much is made of this fact -- advice that we should ...
bstpierre's user avatar
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28 votes
2 answers
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What are the criteria for picking out vegetables to grow together in "Three Sisters" garden?

A "Three Sisters" garden is a garden grown consisting of three different crops which help each other grow in some fashion. Such as Corn, Squash and Beans. I read about it in Roots Shoots Buckets and ...
Peter Turner's user avatar
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17 votes
3 answers
452 views

What are some good companion veggies/flowers/herbs to scare off beetles?

I've had the biggest problems with Asian Stink Bugs (an invasive species that is terrorizing the Midatlantic USA region) and Asparagus Beetles. Oddly enough the asparagus beetles (right pic) are ...
nicholas a. evans's user avatar
16 votes
4 answers
6k views

What are some good plants to put in a guild built around plums/stone fruit?

I'm starting a small orchard of stone fruit trees -- just a few hundred square feet. I will be putting in plums next spring, and I'm thinking about what to plant between/around them. In the lingo of ...
bstpierre's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
7k views

What are some good herbs to grow (pair) with tomatoes?

I have 3 tomato plants in pots right now. One of them is in a large pot and I recently planted some basil in the pot, partly for some extra basil, and partly because I have heard that basil and ...
wax eagle's user avatar
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13 votes
2 answers
578 views

What is a good companion for asparagus?

I am considering planting about 4 asparagus plants in a 5'x7' patch. The asparagus will take up most of the space in the patch. What companion plants would work well in such a space? Wikipedia ...
Om Patange's user avatar
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12 votes
2 answers
303 views

Where can I find credible information about companion planting/intercropping

If you do a search for "companion planting", you get millions of hits. However, it's hard to separate out the real legitimate information from the muck. There's a lot of misinformation based on ...
Kenneth Cochran's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can sunflower be used in Three Sisters planting instead of corn?

The Native American Three Sisters technique traditionally uses corn, beans, and squash as companion plants. The corn provides a trellis for the beans, the beans fix nitrogen for the corn, and the ...
Drake P's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
3k views

What to guild with Asparagus

I have been working on applying permacultural techniques of layering in space and time, and most of my gardens work well on this principle but I am having trouble applying it to asparagus. What should ...
Chris Travers's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
120 views

What is the effectiveness of using companion plants for pest control?

How effective is basil as a companion plant for pest control? Would the benefits outweigh the ease of mono-cropping, such as being able to use cat's cradle trellis for tomatoes?
Soo's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
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What herbaceous plants like acid soil, blueberries and white pine mulch?

Looking for herbs to fill out a blueberry bed. The soil is somewhat sandy and acidic, lots of coffee grounds mixed in, and its topped with white pine chips and needles. What herbs would be happy here?...
Daniel Bingham's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
8k views

Placing nitrogen fixers around established trees?

I have several young (1-4 years old) fruit trees and am considering planting nitrogen fixers around/underneath: white clover (ground cover) lupine (herb layer) siberian pea shrub (shrub layer) It ...
bstpierre's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
3k views

Are there any plants I should not grow near my rhododendrons?

The author of this answer to this question mentioned that toxins in rhododendron leaves can prohibit growth in nearby plants. (This is a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) I have six huge rhododendron ...
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
140 views

How should flowers be used as a companion in a vegetable plot?

I noticed our neighbours have a row of flowers / flowering shrubs going through their vegetable plot. I think they are carnations. I know I could just ask my neighbours, but I would like to get a ...
going's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
307 views

What combination of herbs are good to plant in the same window box?

My brother-in-law gave me basil, rosemary and mint. I planted it in my window box and the basil and rosemary seem to be doing well. The mint dried up right away. I removed most of the dried leaves. ...
milesmeow's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
123 views

Is there a model out there for companion planting

I've been looking at companion planting and it's very confusing. People say "plant cucumber with beans, peas, lettuce or corn", but then somewhere else they say "don't plant beans and peas together". ...
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5 votes
1 answer
63 views

Different plant compatibility and care

I've recently bought a few seeds: including that of Endive ( Endivia Ruffec ), lettuce, chicory, chard, cactus, and a flowering plant with the scientific name of Viola Tricolor. Which plants have ...
user37026's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
233 views

Is maral root useful as a companion plant?

I was looking at rarer plants to grow for natural pesticide purposes and I was wondering how maral root fares. What conditions does this plant need to grow? At what temperature, water amounts, soil ...
tox123's user avatar
  • 274
5 votes
1 answer
110 views

Companion gardening - I only have one bed

In my garden, I currently have one bed divided into sections, but the division is informal. I have alliums planted on the far left, in the middle are peppers and tomatoes, and on the right I have ...
ariadnep's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
878 views

What exactly term 'companion plants' means?

I would like to find out what exactly means that two or more plants (more specifically vegetables) are good companions and could/should be planted together? Does that mean plants just tolerate each ...
False Identity's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
392 views

Hydrangea's allelopathic effects on crops?

I was wondering if hydrangea had any effects on the growth of other plants. Doing a google search only told me that hydrangeas are immune to juglone. However I'm more interested in the effects of ...
tox123's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are there any plants that shouldn't be planted near garlic?

I recall reading something on companion planting and crop rotation that mentioned some crops shouldn't be planted near or where garlic or other alliums were planted. The reason was that those plants ...
Brian Surowiec's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Succession planting for bluebells

I have a small semi-shaded patch of garden, where I have sown common bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) seed over several years; they are now growing well, possibly going to flower for the first ...
Vince Bowdren's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
294 views

Can I grow basil in my avocado plant pot

I have a small avocado tree in a pot, & basil I've rooted in water. Both are in a sunny window & seem to be thriving. Can I plant the basil on with the avocado?
Linda Richard's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
230 views

What companion plants will help the growth of young pines?

I recently planted a 2m (6.5ft) high relatively young Pinus pinea in zone 8a (−12.2 °C, 10 °F). It is going well so far. I tried to find out what plants I should grow in its vicinity that would help ...
VividD's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Dill, cilantro, and fennel cross pollinating

I've read several conflicting pieces of information on the growing of dill, cilantro, and fennel near one another. I've read that fennel and dill will grow well together and make good companion plants,...
tox123's user avatar
  • 274
3 votes
2 answers
121 views

What is the proper way to plant a bush under an established fruit tree?

Established Tree: Apple Planting Bush: Blueberries Goal: not damage apple tree root system Question: How do I plant a blueberry bush under an apple tree without damaging the roots of the apple tree?
black thumb's user avatar
  • 9,046
3 votes
4 answers
305 views

Which plant can co-exist with the other plant?

I have picked up the following list of plants and have only 4 decent size pots. Which plants can be grown together in the same pot? pepper tomato super fantastic tomato sweet 100 basil oregano thumb ...
user1296153's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
869 views

Should comfrey be a companion of blueberries?

I have access to a lot of free comfrey, and was wondering if it would be a bad idea to plant comfrey around the blueberry bushes to get them more nutrients easily.
black thumb's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
339 views

A single large sunflower among herbs - a good or a bad idea?

My idea is to start no less than a giant sunflower ('Titan', I plan just a single plant) on the northern border of my small herb garden with thyme, salvia, arugula, parsley and such. The reason is to ...
VividD's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why should I not grow 2 different types of raspberries in the same bed?

I've often been given advice (in blogs, books and verbally) that if you have planted a particular type of raspberry in a bed to not plant a different type. I've always been disappointed that it's not ...
DaveRGP's user avatar
  • 226
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why shouldn't squash, and potatoes be planted together?

I did a little research on growing squash with potatoes, and was wondering why they're not good for growing together. Is this because they take up the same nutrients? Or is because the squash will ...
black thumb's user avatar
  • 9,046
2 votes
2 answers
623 views

What edible perennials would be good companions to a dogwood tree?

I'd like to plant some edible perennials around my dogwood. I'm guessing the biggest limitation is partial sunlight. What would work best?
flickerfly's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
33 views

Is there a guild between tomitillo, and purple orach?

I noticed my green Tomitillo and Purple Orach took off well together after I planted the tomitillo next to it. Is that a well known guild?
black thumb's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
97 views

Growing smaller plants between larger ones

Some plants, such as cauliflower and pumpkin, grow large and thus we plant them far apart. Is it a good idea to grow other, smaller plants between them though? An obvious example are most herbs, but ...
moinudin's user avatar
  • 181
1 vote
1 answer
109 views

How important are companion plants in community gardens

My partner and I will be getting involved with our first community garden this year (with a number of policies to ensure safe social distancing, of course). Having never really done gardening before, ...
Dan Oberlam's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
257 views

Do kiwi berry guild well with with elderberry? [closed]

I've heard a lot about planting trees together, and was wondering if Kiwiberry will guild well with John/Adams elderberry.
black thumb's user avatar
  • 9,046
0 votes
1 answer
433 views

Companion Planting Ivy/Something Creeping with Mounding Plants?

Is it a good or bad (or indifferent) idea to mix mounding plants like mondo grass or liriope with something like Asian jasmine or blue star creeper in the same bed, such that the spreading plant fills ...
AA040371's user avatar
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