Companion Planting

by Beverly Mettot

The interplanting of vegetables
The following table should act as a guide to help you eliminate certain problems in your garden.
Anise	Coriander	Aids the growth and flavor of Anise.
Asparagus	Parsley or basil	Controls Asparagus beetles.
Basil, Sweet	throughout garden	Enhances the flavor and growth of everything around it.
Carrots	Sage	Deters carrot (rust) flies.
Chamomile	throughout garden	Brings overall health to the garden. Attracts good insects.
Chervil	Radishes	One plant requires heavy nutrients while the other requires very little.
Chives	Carrots, grapes, roses, and tomatoes	Curb Japanese Beetles, and black spot.
Corn	Snap beans or soybeans	Enhances growth of corn.
Cosmos	throughout garden	Bad insects won’t come near it, but it will attract pollinating wasps.
French Marigolds	throughout garden	Strong odor confuses pests looking for their favorite plant.
Garlic	throughout garden	Repels aphids and beetles.
Mustard	Beans	One plant requires heavy nutrients while the other requires very little.
Mints	Cabbage, strawberries	Deters aphids and other aphid pests, as well as ants who invade strawberries.
Nasturtiums	throughout garden	Repels aphids and white flies.
Onions	Carrots	The two combined help to control rust flies and some nematodes.
Peanuts	Corn	Increases yields of both crops.
Peas	Lettuce, spinach, and Chinese cabbage	Benefit from the shade and wind protection peas provide.
Potatoes	Horseradish and/or tansy	Plant plenty for maximum benefits in attempt to ward off Colorado Potato Beetles.
Radishes	Squash, cucumbers, and/or Carrots	Great deterrent against Cucumber Beetles and Rust flies. Also eliminates diseases spread by these plants.
Rue	throughout garden	Disagreeable taste and bad odor sends even persistent pests on their way.
Sage	Strawberries, Cabbage, and/or Tomatoes	Deters unwanted pests and benefits each other in garden.
Savory	throughout garden	Ideal planting crop. Attracts good insects.
Spinach	Beans or tomatoes	Benefits from the shade both plants provide.
Strawberries	Borage or sage	Enhances flavor of fruit and strengthens plant’s resistance to insects and diseases.
Tansy	Cabbage and/or potatoes	Deters Cutworms, Cabbage Worms, and Colorado Potato Beetles.
Thyme	Tomatoes and/or cabbage	All three together control Flea Beetles, Cabbage Maggot, White Cabbage Butterflies, Colorado Potato Beetles, and imported Cabbage Worms.

The Don’ts Of Companion Planting

Don’t plant French marigolds with beans.

Don’t plant tansy with collards.

Don’t plant cucumbers with sage.

Don’t plant chrysanthemums with lettuce.

Don’t plant wormwood with peas or beans (wormwood in other areas of the garden will deter slugs.)

Don’t plant peppers with tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, or where peppers were planted in the last three years.

Don’t plant tomatoes with fennel or potatoes.

Don’t plant families that are closely related, and attract the same pests.

Don’t plant allelopathic plants too close to your garden.

Some detail has dropped off the right edge. For the full article, go to Backwoods Home magazine.