Companion Plants

I'm sure there was probably an extensive discussion of this topic on the old forum, but alas those messages seem to be gone. Soooooo... There's a lot of info out there - in books and online - about companion planting. Some of it seems to be true and some not so much. What have you - my fellow SFGers - found to work?

To start off I'll ask a question. My ex mother in law insist that cucumbers and cantaloupe cannot be grown together as they'll cross pollinate each other and neither will do well. True or nonsense? I had mine planted at opposite ends of the same 5' wide trellis last year but the dreaded and evil squash vine borer attacked and killed both before I could harvest any cantaloupe. I did get about a dozen cucumbers and no one complained about the taste, nor did they look like unholy cantaloupe spawn.

cucumbers and cantaloupes can not cross you friend repeating an old wives tail.

WardinWake wrote:Tim:

From what I have read even closely related plants are fine together. The cross pollination problem arises in the seed of the harvested fruit. If you were to plant seeds that the parents had cross pollinated you would get a hybrid of the two. Sometimes this is done on purpose with the gardener hopping to get the best traits from each parent plant.

God Bless, Ward.

I knew I wasn't crazy but as every married man knows dealing with a mother-in-law is a delicate matter. Doubly so if she's an EX mother-in-law.

Ive been told by my mother who is an avid gardener that basil planted close to tomatoe plants helps them thrive and wards off certain insects nt sure how valid it is but so far it has worked for me.

I almost got that Carrots Love Tomatoes book, but I found this very comprehensive list online.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1992-02-01/Carrots-Love-Tomatoes.aspx

It really makes choosing what to plant in each square for optimal growth a critical thinking prolem. Don't know if there's any truth to it, but it's interesting. I also like this list because it provides a "control of insects by companion planting" section at the end.

Thanks you kg! I ALMOST bought that book too. I read just this AM that carrots and lettuce are good together. While the lettuce grows it protects the carrot sprouts, then the lettuce is fully harvested just in time for the carrots to take off. Who knew?

Deborah ....ok, someone knew or I couldn't have read about it.

well, bless your little hearts! Add me to the "almost bought carrots love tomatoes" club! See you guys later - I'm off to peruse the link kghouston05 provided!

I'm part of the "I bought the book" club

An excerpt from Carrots love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte


"Cucumbers apparently are offensive to raccoons, so they are a good plant with corn. And corn seemingly protects the cucumber against the virus that causes wilt. Thin strips of cucumber will repel ants.

Cucumbers also like beans, peas, radishes and sunflower, and preferring some shade, they will grow ell in young orchards.

Sow two or three radish seeds in cucumber hills to protect against cucumber beetles. Do not pull the radishes, but let them grow as long as they will, even blossoming and going to seed. Cucumber beetles also ma be trapped by filling shallow container about three-fourths full of water into which some cooking oil has been poured.

If cucumbers are attacked by nematodes, try a sugar spray. ..[recipe for sugar spray...lmk if you want it]...
Strange as it seems, sugar kills nematodes by drying them out. This will also attract honeybees, ensuring pollination and resulting in a bumper crop of cucumbers, so the spray is worth trying even if you don't suspect the presence of nematodes...
[then she talks about beneficial fungi in the fight against nematodes and a chive spray for mildew]
...
Cucumbers dislike potatoes, while potatoes grown near cucumbers are more likely to be affected by phytophthora blight, so keep the two apart. Cucumbers also have a dislike for aromatic herbs."

And here is about melons:
"Crop rotation can be one of your best weapons against garden pest, but do not rotate melon, squash, and cucumber with each other, since all are cucurbits.

Times is another weapon. Most cucurbits are not very susceptible to borers once they are past the seedling stage, so try either earlier or later plantings. I find that fall-planted cucumbers and squash are almost entirely insect-free.

Do not plant melons near potatoes, though they will grow ell with corn and sunflowers. Morning glory is thought to stimulate the germination of melon seeds.

Heavy waxed paper placed under melons helps keep worms from entering, while sabadilla dust is effective too. [LMK if you want that recipe] Melon leaves, rice in calcium, are good to place on the compost pile."

I vote Dayna queen of the next 15 minutes!
Thanks D!

Do I get to wear a crown?

Here is another excerpt I find fascinating...

"Scientists have done a great deal of research, also, on why certain other plants are attractive to insects. They have come up with something that organic gardeners knew all along: Insects prefer to eat plants having high concentrations of free amino acids, such concentrations being enhanced if the plants are improperly nourished. Organically grown vegetables produced on balanced, healthy soils have significantly lower levels of free amino acids in their tissues than plants grown where chemical fertilizer have destroyed the balance. Such "organic" vegetables are less tasty to insects."


I looked up borers and can only find info on fruit tree borers and I don't know if they are the same. If they are Nasturtiums, garlic, onions and chive repel them.

Lavender Debs wrote:I have a few dandelions I can weave up a crown from ....will that work?

Dandelions already? I'm jealous. I actually really like dandelions, so yeah that'll do.

I owned and read Carrots Love Tomatoes a few years back. For the life of me i can't find my copy. I have found my page of notes but not the book. Thanks for the link. It helps.

I had this bookmarked, thought I would share it too.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

dixie wrote:I had this bookmarked, thought I would share it too.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

Good Find Dixie !

Thanks!

dixie wrote:I had this bookmarked, thought I would share it too.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

I agree. Great find! I've added it to my bookmarks!

oops- in my eagerness to get plants out of the grow light area and into the beds I have not minded the "companion planting" rules. broccoli are with strawberries. If it is in the same 4x4 bed but not the same square will they be okay??
Should I dig up the newly transplanted strawberries and move to another bed?

Thanks for the link! So now I'm reviewing my plan (yet again!) i found out that i have broccoli next to hot peppers, which is a big no no according to that link. So, how far exactly do i need to move them away? Ex: I have a 4 x 6 box. Can I move them so that there are 2 squares inbetween them or do they have to be in completely different boxes? Also says corn & toms shouldn't be close. I have 2 seperate boxes for them but the boxes are about 18" apart. Not sure if I can move them at this point, but its not too late to save my peppers! What do you guys with companion planting experience think?

dixie wrote:I had this bookmarked, thought I would share it too. http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

I found this last year also, it is by far my favorite companion reference.

one night while trying to find a companion planting guide that didn't make my mind hurt I stumbled across this site

http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/

I really like the companion planting tool/chart, it was easy enough my feeble mind could understand it (putting it to action has yet to be proven yet). Hope it helps.

dixie wrote:I had this bookmarked, thought I would share it too.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

THIS ...

is the one that I have used a lot. Very good info.

Uh oh! Completely missed this thread! Back to the drawing board with my plant plan. I can see I have some bad neighbors together!

Wouldn't you know it, there's an app for companion planting:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/igarden-usa-gardening-helper/id319276700?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D6

and this one:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garden-guide-pro/id306875911?mt=8

and another one:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garden-tracker/id345197950?mt=8

I really need to get an iphone, but I guess I need one of those job things first. Come on economy, turn around!