Plant Companions

When choosing which plants you want to grow in the garden, you may also want to consider what plants  grow well together. Plants that grow well together are called “companion plants”. Companion plants may improve the soil, provide shelter (taller plants shading plants which require less direct sunlight) and  growth and flavor of the fruit of other plants or may act as a natural insect repellant. For example, we planted basil and tomatoes together because basil improves the flavor and growth of tomatoes. We also planted celery near the cabbage because they grow well together and Celery helps to repel cabbage worms.

When companion planting, you may also want to consider the location of where you are planting plants as some areas of the garden may be better suited for certain plants (factors such as how much shade certain areas of the garden receive for example).

Location of plants can also be important in how some plants affect the soil. For example, one may not want to plant strawberries in the same location that tomatoes were planted the previous season as the two do not grow well together (Verticillium susceptible species such as tomatoes are more likely to infect and kill Strawberries if the two plants are planted in the same spot or near the same spot within 5 years).

Extensive and comprehensible lists of plant companions:

http://www.vegetablegardeninglife.com/companion-planting-charts.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/companion-planting-guide-zmaz81mjzraw