Companion Planting is a concept that involves planting certain species of plants within close proximity to achieve reciprocally beneficial results and dates back to Roman times. Various forms of Companion Planting include Chemical Interaction, which produces odors that deter or confuse pests, and Spacial Interaction, which involves planting shorter and/or shade-requiring plants at the base of taller, more sun-thirsty plants.
While Spacial Interaction is mostly self-explanatory, Chemical Interaction involves planting two or more plants near each other to create an aroma that bugs hate. For instance, bugs love the smell of tomato plants, and they love the smell of basil plants. The inviting aroma of juicy fruit and fresh leaves proves to be a temptation the bugs cannot resist, leaving your fruit and leaves riddled with holes and unusable for human consumption.
With companion planting, this problem is solved! While the bugs love the aromas individually, the odor produced by mingling the scents of the tomato and basil plants sends bugs running -- well, flying -- in the opposite direction. The chemicals in the mixed aroma are intolerable to the bugs. So plant your basils at the foot of the tomato plants, and most of your bug problems will be solved.
Take advantage of the bug-proof tomato-basil combo by planting other culinary herbs with them or nearby. A basic culinary herb garden would include basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley, among others.
Marigolds (calendulas) are another plant whose scent sends the bugs scurrying away. Calendulas are natural citronella, with the darker colors (orange and red) being more intense. Rue is also a wonderful plant to deter pests (but touching it can cause skin irritations in some people). Planting marigolds and rue around the border of your garden will be another line of defense against the flying foe.
A word of caution, however; do not plant fennel and dill too close together. To look at a baby fennel and a baby dill plant, they are practically indistinguishable. But if you smell them, the fennel will smell like licorice, and the dill will smell like pickles. Planting them too close together will cause cross-pollination, and a strange plant will result.
Planting legumes, such as peas, beans, lentils, or peanuts, by your larger plants infuses the soil with healthy nitrogen. Vine-type vegetables planted around corn or other sweet vegetable or fruit plants will keep out foragers like raccoons. The roots of some plants emit scents underground deterring or even killing grubworms and milkworms.
Most butterflies and bees are not affected by the scent combinations the way the smaller, more annoying bugs are. In fact, planting butterfly bushes or other flowering plants near your garden will encourage the butterflies and bees to stop by your garden and help out with pollination.
With the sun, shade, water, and flowers in your garden, you will also be creating an environment suitable for other beneficial creatures, such as birds, lizards, frogs, snakes, and GOOD insects! Birds and snakes will catch rodents. Lizards and frogs eat bad insects like gnats and mosquitoes. The good insects, like butterflies and bees, help out with pollination.
Interesting fact: Bees never fly further out than 4 miles from their hive. So if you have a local bee farmer, you are actually helping him or her out by planting flowering plants that will attract the bees. Why is this good to know? Because if you ingest honey from your local bee farmer, you will build up a resistance to the local allergens (i.e., pollen!) in your area. Can you imagine NOT taking allergy meds just to breathe??? Honey is also a natural antibiotic and is great for soothing sore throats and killing bad bacteria that can lead to inflammation of infection.
If you find that even with all the planning and planting, you still have a bug problem, you can create a natural pesticide by diluting garlic juice with water to spray in your garden. The garlic spray will deter pests from your plants the way garlic soup deters a close conversation.
For more information about which plants to put together, go to http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html, where they have a chart right on the webpage. Also check out this gorgeous page: http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_55/companion_planting.asp
I hope you are inspired to plant your own herb garden as soon as the last frost has passed. You do not need synthetic pesticides or other harmful chemicals to be a successful gardener. Work WITH Nature, don't fight her.
You will be amazed at the amount of healthy, low-calorie foods you can grow for your family! And don't forget to get the kids involved!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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