Companion Planting
We all love to live amongst friends, are particular about the company we keep and can be quite sensitive towards the neighbour across the street. Plants are no exception. If you are into gardening it is but natural that you would want to keep it beautiful. It is important to know your garden more than just having a garden. Placing the flowers or fruits or vegetables to grow in your garden is of utmost importance. There is a place for everything.
Companion planting is the grouping and placing of certain plants together, or away from each other, according to their compatibility, and for their mutual benefit and protection. Companion planting, accompanied with basic principle of good management, such as crop rotation and hygiene, will go a long way in making a beautiful garden.
There are a few simple guidelines for his type of planting but nothing can replace observation and experiment. Keep a detailed account of your cropping patterns and refer to it when you start planning for the current season. This way you will know your garden well.
Companionship will only work if there is togetherness. So divide your patch of land into plots of beds and then cultivate alternate rows of companions. The plan for your kitchen garden must take the following into consideration which is mainly the location of the plots, the crops to be grown and their varieties, planting dates, succession planting and so on.
Some plants are shallow rooted and others are deep rooted. Plant alternate rows of shallow and deep rooted plants. They make good companions because they will not compete for nutrition in the same soil strata. Celery, lettuce and onions are shallow rooted and beetroot, cucumber, cabbage and carrots are moderately deep whereas sweet potato, tomatoes and water melons are deep rooted. Do not grow the members of the same family together. For example take the solanaceous crops like tomato, capsicum, brinjal and potato. Though they have similar cultural requirements planting them together will only re in force each other’s vulnerabilities.
Keeping all this in mind you are sure to understand your garden better and care for it accordingly.
