Graphic created by Brittany McKenney.
There are plenty more good reasons to plant certain crops together:
- Deterring pests: Certain plants act as insect repellents or deter critters. For example, garlic’s smell is unappealing to many pests.
- Attracting beneficials: Some plants also attract beneficial insects. For example, borage attracts pollinating bees and tiny pest-eating wasps.
- Shade regulation: Large plants provide shade for smaller plants needing sun protection. For example, corn shades lettuce.
- Natural supports: Tall plants, like corn and sunflowers, can support lower-growing, sprawling crops such as cucumbers and peas.
- Improved plant health: When one plant absorbs certain substances from the soil, it may change the soil biochemistry in favor of nearby plants.
- Improving soil fertility: Some crops, like beans, peas, and other legumes, help to make nitrogen more available in the soil. Similarly, plants with long taproots, like burdock, bring up nutrients from deep in the soil, enriching the topsoil to the benefit of shallow-rooted plants.
- Weed suppression: Planting sprawling crops like potatoes with tall, upright plants minimizes open areas, where weeds typically take hold.
For novice gardeners, we’ve created a “333” companion garden plan: 3 flowers, 3 herbs and 3 veggies.
The spring planting calendar starts with the very first dates that you can plant (based on the last spring frost). But if you’ve missed these dates, no worries! This is why we’ve added “last planting dates” to the spring calendar; this is meant to help new gardeners understand that if they missed the first spring planting window, they can still get crops in the ground.
- Start Seeds Indoors: When to sow seeds indoors to get an early start on the season.
- Plant Seedlings Outdoors: When to put small seedlings that you grew indoors (OR starter plants that you bought at a garden nursery) in the outdoor soil.
- Start Seeds Outdoors: When to plant seeds directly into the outdoor soil.
- Last Date to Plant: You may plant any time from the “start seeds” dates until this “last date.” Don’t wait any longer, or the crop won’t have time to get to harvest before fall/winter frosts.
The content in this article was reproduced courtesy of the Farmer’s Almanac, almanac.com.