Advantages of Companion Planting

Companion planting will boost growth, repel pests and improve the flavor for each other. It is also good for pollinators and soil health and uses your space more efficiently which will let you harvest more.

• Shelter - Larger plants protect other plants from the wind or too much sun.

• Attract Beneficial Insects - Pollinators like bees and ladybugs can use a little encouragement to visit vegetable gardens and pollinate the plants.

• Repel Insect Pests - Many companion plants (like marigold flowers, catnip, and rue) repel specific pests and should be planted near certain plants to keep them pest-free.

• Soil Improvement - When crops grow, they take up valuable nutrients from the soil. Some vegetable plants improve soil conditions for other plants. For example, members of the legume family draw nitrogen from the atmosphere and add it to the ground around them.

• Encourage Faster Growth - Many companion plants release specific chemicals that encourage faster growth.

• Ground Cover - Plants that spread low across the ground (like oregano) serve as a blanket over the soil, protecting it from the sun and keeping it cooler for plants that benefit from lower temperatures.

One of the best known companion plants are known as the Three Sisters. The three sisters include corn, beans and squash.

Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines. Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds. Beans are nitrogen-fixers meaning they host rhizobia on their roots that can take nitrogen, a much needed plant nutrient, from the air and convert it into forms that can be absorbed by plant roots. The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground which helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.

A diet of corn, beans, and squash is complete and balanced. Corn provides carbohydrates and the dried beans are rich in protein and have amino acids absent from corn. Squash provides different vitamins and minerals than corn and beans.