Many small organic gardens, ours included, make use of a principle called companion planting. In its simplest form: some plants complement each other, sometimes by releasing beneficial nutrients into the soil or by helping to repel pests, while others can actually hinder growth or attract undesirable pests. In the harsh summers of the desert southwest we also use companion planting as a means to provide shade for our gardens. I have a 6 foot trellis bordering the east end of my plot and will plant native black-eyed peas along its base. They will grow to cover the trellis, can handle the summer heat, and their blooms will attract bees and moths to the garden. Bees and moths are “pollinators”, spreading pollen from plant to plant and helping them all grow.
This year I am also going to attempt to grow corn. Different types of corn pollen will cross-pollinate, check out this article for more information on cross-pollination, so I’ve made sure that none of my neighboring plots are planning on growing corn. I already have 6 seedlings, and started 6 more today. In two weeks I am going to start pole beans. My idea is to plant the corn along the west edge of the garden, two rows, 6 plants in each row. The height of the corn will shade the squash, and once the ears of corn are harvested I’ll keep the stalks to use as poles for the pole beans to climb. I hope it works…time will tell.
If you want to read more about companion planting, you can download a free .pdf from the ATTRA website, or view it here:
Companion Planting: Basic Concepts & Resources
Classroom learning:
Take a look at the table below and then answer the following questions:
Companion planting chart, it is page 2 of the ATTRA document “Companion Planting: Basic Concepts & Resources”, linked above.
1. Do you see any problems with my planting corn with beans to shade squash?
2. How about my cucumber patch, should I plan to plant it next to my herb garden or my sunflowers?
Seeds, Weeds, and Dirty Deeds 