The Year-Round Food Gardensonomamg.ucanr.edu/files/248079.pdfplanting practices provide benefits to...
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The Year-Round Food Garden Growing Food with the Food Gardening Specialists Companion Planting The Oxford Dictionary describes companion planting as “(t)he close planting of different plants that enhance each other’s growth or protect each other from pests.” In the food garden, we are purposely planting vegetables, herbs and flowers in close proximity so that they can benefit from each other. Companion planting practices provide benefits to food gardeners and to the environment: increased food safety and quality, aesthetically beautiful food gardens, better use of space, bountiful harvests, improved soil health and additional habitats for pollinators and beneficial insects that lead to elimination of pesticides. Companion planting is not new. The idea has been around for over 1,000 years—used in China and Egypt. In the United States, the northeastern Iroquois Indian tribe used companion planting for their food staples— corn, beans and squash. The corn acts as a trellis for the pole beans, the beans add nitrogen to the soil for the corn and squash and the squash spreads out, holding in moisture and preventing weeds. This method is still used today and is called the “three sisters”—each vegetable purposefully planted to enhance each other’s growth or to provide protection from pests (weeds). Earlier considered as just folklore, companion planting is now being taken more seriously, and scientific studies are being conducted at universities across the country with positive outcomes. Take, for example, the companion planting practice of diversity for crop security: a University of California study determined that varietal diversity while growing broccoli reduced the number of cabbage aphids. Research has shown that when African and French marigolds are grown as a cover crop before planting, the biochemical that they release are toxic to root nematodes. Evidence of companion planting can be found in university food gardens: the UC Davis Good Life Garden effectively uses companion plants to increase the numbers of beneficial insects.
Transcript of The Year-Round Food Gardensonomamg.ucanr.edu/files/248079.pdfplanting practices provide benefits to...
The Year-Round Food Garden
Growing Food with the Food Gardening Specialists
Companion Planting
TheOxfordDictionarydescribescompanionplantingas“(t)hecloseplantingofdifferentplantsthatenhanceeachother’sgrowthorprotecteachotherfrompests.”Inthefoodgarden,wearepurposelyplantingvegetables,herbsandflowersincloseproximitysothattheycanbenefitfromeachother.Companionplantingpracticesprovidebenefitstofoodgardenersandtotheenvironment:increasedfoodsafetyandquality,aestheticallybeautifulfoodgardens,betteruseofspace,bountifulharvests,improvedsoilhealthandadditionalhabitatsforpollinatorsandbeneficialinsectsthatleadtoeliminationofpesticides.Companionplantingisnotnew.Theideahasbeenaroundforover1,000years—usedinChinaandEgypt.IntheUnitedStates,thenortheasternIroquoisIndiantribeusedcompanionplantingfortheirfoodstaples—corn,beansandsquash.Thecornactsasatrellisforthepolebeans,thebeansaddnitrogentothesoilforthecornandsquashandthesquashspreadsout,holdinginmoistureandpreventingweeds.Thismethodisstillusedtodayandiscalledthe“threesisters”—eachvegetablepurposefullyplantedtoenhanceeachother’sgrowthortoprovideprotectionfrompests(weeds).Earlierconsideredasjustfolklore,companionplantingisnowbeingtakenmoreseriously,andscientificstudiesarebeingconductedatuniversitiesacrossthecountrywithpositiveoutcomes.Take,forexample,thecompanionplantingpracticeofdiversityforcropsecurity:aUniversityofCaliforniastudydeterminedthatvarietaldiversitywhilegrowingbroccolireducedthenumberofcabbageaphids.ResearchhasshownthatwhenAfricanandFrenchmarigoldsaregrownasacovercropbeforeplanting,thebiochemicalthattheyreleasearetoxictorootnematodes.Evidenceofcompanionplantingcanbefoundinuniversityfoodgardens:theUCDavisGoodLifeGardeneffectivelyusescompanionplantstoincreasethenumbersofbeneficialinsects.
Companionplantinginvolves:
Plantingclosertogetherusingspacemoreefficiently;plantingintensivelyresultsinfewerweeds Basedonpurposefulcombinations,mixingherbs,flowersandveggiesratherthanplantingthemseparately
Fightingpestsandattractingbeneficialsnaturally;notusingchemicals Creatingagardenpolyculture(notmonoculture)—enrichingratherthandepletingthesoilofitsnutrients
Creatingagardenthatishealthy,beautifulandpesticidefreeOfcourse,gardenerswhopracticecompanionplantingcontinuetousebestgardeningpractices:buildingandmaintaininghealthysoilandwateringwisely.Whenplanningyourfoodgarden,rememberthatplantswillcompetefornutrientsandspacewhengiventhechance.So…
Thinkabout:deepvs.shallowroots,slowvs.fastgrowthrates,andheavyvs.lightfeederswhenchoosingwhattocombine.Forexample,donotplanttwoheavyfeederstogether(suchascornandtomatoes).Theywillcompeteforthesamenutrients.
Oneofthemajorbenefitsofcompanionplantinginanorganicfoodgardenistheabilitytoavoidpesticidestocontrolpests.Thebeepopulationandotherbeneficialsthrivewhenweattempttocontrolpestsnaturally.
Examplesofnaturalpestcontrolandhowitworks: REPELLERS.Someplantscanactasrepellersof“badbugs.”TheyincludeCalendula,chives,garlic,onionsandrosemary.
TRAPPLANTS.Aneighboringplantmaybemoreattractivetopests.Forexample,Nasturtiumisaflowerpreferredbyaphidswhilesquashbeetlesareattractedtocorn.
CONFUSERES/DISTRACTORS.Thescentofplantsmayconfuseordistract“badbugs.”Theyincludelavender,marigold(African),sage,thyme,lemonbalm,rosemaryandspearmint.
ATTRACTORS.Purposefulplantingmeansaddingherbsandflowersthatattractbeesandbeneficials(“goodbugs”).Herbsincludebasil,borage(forswallowtailbutterfly),lavender,parsley(whenflowering)andthyme.Flowersincludeanisehyssop,beebalm,Alyssum,Calendula,Coreopsis,cosmos,marigolds(Tagetes)andZinnia.
SOILENRICHERS.Thesearecropsthatfixnitrogenandotherwiseimprovethesoil.Forexample,legumes(peasandbeans)takenitrogenfromtheairandaddittothesoilfortheuseofotherplants.
SUPPORTERS/PROTECTORS.Examplesincludecornthatactsasatrellisforpolebeans,aswellastallerplantsthatshadeshorterplantsandcanactasawindbreak.
Whoarethesebeneficials(“goodbugs”)?
PREDATORS(thosewhoconsumeorotherwisepreyon“badbugs”)includespiders,hoverflies,mantids,lacewings,ladybeetles,soldierbeetlesandassassinbugs.
POLLINATORSincludebees(bothnativeandEuropean),butterfliesandparasiticwasps.Justastherearegoodcompanions,therealsoarebadcompanions.Examplesinclude:
Dilltogetherwithcarrots Parsleytogetherwithmint Fenneltogetherwithtomatoesorpeppers Alliums(onions,shallots,garlic,leeks)togetherwithlegumes(beans,peas)
Examplesofafallcompaniongarden:
Cabbage,carrots,lettuce,onions,borageandthyme Spinach,mâche,Tatsoi,thymeandparsley Artichokes,lettuce,onionsandchives Beets,mint(inacontainer),Calendulaandsaladgreens(likemustardandarugula) Broccoli,cauliflower,kale,collards,parsleyanddill Lettuce,onions,carrotsandgarlic
Examplesofasummercompaniongarden:
Tomatoes,bushbeans,marigolds,basil,borage,cosmosandchives Squash,nasturtiumsanddill ”ThreeSisters”—corn,polebeansandsquash
Tolearnmoreaboutcompanionplanting,refertooneofmanybooksonthesubject.Afewinclude:
• Greer,Allison,CompanionPlantingfortheKitchenGardener(SkyhorsePublishing,2014)• Cunningham,SallyJean,GreatGardenCompanions(RodalePress,Inc.,1998)• Flowerdew,Bob,CompanionPlanting(SkyhorsePublishing,2012)• Walliser,Jessica,AttractingBeneficialBugstoYourGarden(TimberPress,2014)
Additionalresources:
• “CompanionPlantingChart,”UCMasterGardenerProgramofSonomaCounty(June2014)• “MeettheBeneficials:NaturalEnemiesofGardenPests,”UniversityofCalifornia,Agricultureand
NaturalResources,IntegratedPestManagementProgram(rev.June2016)• Karbousky,Maureen,“BookReview:CompanionPlantingfortheKitchenGardener,”UCMaster
GardenerProgramofSonomaCounty(2015)• “PlantsforBeneficialInsects,”UCMasterGardenerProgramofSonomaCounty(note:doesnot
addresscompanionplantingwithedibles)• “ButterflyLarvalPlants,”UCMasterGardenerProgramofSonomaCounty(1999)(note:asabove)• Lovelace,Sue,etal,“EdibleLandscaping:2014Bloomin’BackyardsGardenTourandMarket,”Food
GardeningSpecialistProject,UCMasterGardenerProgramofSonomaCounty(June2014)
PreparedbyBryceSumner,FoodGardeningSpecialist,
UCMasterGardenerProgramofSonomaCounty,Sep,2016PhotosbyCieCary
