Companion Planting Information and Chart - Cape Town, South Africa

Companion Planting Information and Chart - Cape Town, South Africa

• 1.
  Companion Planting Before syntheticfertilisers and pesticides, gardeners and farmers had to rely on natural growing methods to produce healthy plants. In natural conditions, plants grow in close communities with a number of different species existing side by side. Planting different crops/plants near each other provides specific benefits, assuming the plants assist each other in nutrient uptake, pest control, pollination and overall enhanced productivity. When used together with their organic gardening methods, companion planting can eradicate pests and diseases as well as making a marked difference in the soil. Many plants have natural substances in their roots, flowers or leaves that repel or attract insects. They are also able to enhance or inhibit the growth of plants situated nearby. By using the companion planting philosophy, one can chase away harmful insects while encouraging the beneficial ones to stay. There are no firm rules to companion planting and gardeners are encouraged to experiment with combinations to discover what works for their gardens. Companion planting may mean your garden does not look as tidy as it “ought” to, but the advantages far outweigh what may be seen as the “chaos” of a cottage-style garden. Here are a few examples to get you started …  Nasturtiums attract caterpillars. Plant them close to cabbages and lettuces and they will act as a trap-crop and protect the cabbage and lettuce.  Marigolds deter aphids and their roots cleanse the soil by deterring nematodes.  Comfrey benefits all plants and when the leaves are added to compost heaps the breaking down process is speeded up.  Marjoram scent confuses pests.  Mint controls aphids around tomatoes.  Parsley attracts bees to tomatoes.  Lettuce planted between corn plants gets shade in the hot afternoons.  Marigolds and Petunias help to repel beetles on bean plants. Summer savoury helps beans grow sturdy and strong.  Rosemary and sage repel cabbage butterfly. Celery helps to control grubs on cabbage.
• 2.
   The chemical secreted by dill improves the health of carrots. Sage and onions help to repel carrot fly.  Bush beans and celery help each other to grow better.  Leeks grow better when planted near celery and onions.  Radishes and beans help each other to grow better. Lettuce makes radishes more tasty.  Basil improves growth and flavour of tomatoes. It repels thrips, flies and mosquitoes.  Beans enrich the soil with nitrogen drawn from the air. They are great with carrots, cabbage, beetroot and cucumber. They are not good with onions and garlic.  Beetroot adds minerals to the soil, especially magnesium. They grow well with lettuce, onions and cabbage.  Chives improve the growth of carrots and tomatoes and help keep aphids away from tomatoes and sunflowers.  Mexican marigolds deter nematodes found in the soil, as well as chasing away whitefly from tomatoes. However, beans and cabbage don’t do well around marigolds.  Peppermint repels white cabbage moth and aphids. Bees love the flowers.  Besides being pretty when in flower and attracting good bugs, sage is good around broccoli, cauliflower, rosemary and carrots, chasing away white cabbage moth. It does well with cucumbers or onions.  Yarrow leaves added to compost heaps speed up decomposition. There are also certain plants that will inhibit the growth of one or both types of plant. Below is a more extensive list of good and bad combinations. Beans: Good with Corn, Carrots, Strawberries Bad with Tomatoes, Onions, Broccoli Broccoli: Good with Geraniums, Borage, Rosemary Bad with Tomatoes, Mustard Lettuce: Good with Beans, Carrots. Bad with Celery, Parsley, Cabbage
• 3.
  The mint family(Sage, Hyssop, etc.) repels slugs that are attracted to lettuce Potato: Good with Horseradish Bad with Sunflowers, Tomatoes Horseradish increases disease resistance of Potatoes Tomatoes: Good with Roses, Peppers, Asparagus Bad with Potatoes, Cabbage, Rosemary, Peas Basil: Good with Tomato, Peppers, Oregano, Petunias Bad with Rue, Sage Borage: Good with almost everything - it is the magic bullet of companion plants Coriander: Good with Spinach It repels Aphids Rosemary: Good with Sage, Carrots, Beans It deters Cabbage flies and repels many bean parasites Spearmint: Controls Ants, Aphids Marigolds: Repels nematodes
• 4.
  If this allseems a bit intense, just refer to the following general combinations. General GOOD combinations: Leek and celery Lettuce and carrots Sage and cabbage Parsley and tomato Beans and potatoes General BAD combinations: Beans and garlic Mint and parsley Wormwood with anything Fennel with beans or tomatoes Sunflower with any vegetable except squash Plant Companions Function Foes Apple Nasturtium Climbs tree and repels codling moth. Asparagus Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil Balm Tomatoes Improves growth and flavour - attracts bees Basil Tomatoes helps repel flies and mosquitoes Rue Beans Potatoes Carrots, Cucumber, cauliflower, summer savoury, most other Onions Garlic Gladiolus vegetables and herbs. Beetroot Onions, Lettuce, Cabbage, Silver beet, Kohlrabi Birch dead leaves encourage compost fermentation. Borage Tomatoes, squash and strawberries Deters tomato worm, improves growth and flavour and in the strawberry patch will increase the yield. Brassica’s Aromatic plants, sage, dill, camomile, beets, peppermint, rosemary, Dill attracts a wasp to control cabbage moth. Zinnias attract lady strawberries, Tomatoes (Cabbage, Beans, Celery, Onions, Potatoes, dwarf zinnias. bugs to protect plants. Cauliflower, Broccoli Broad beans Potatoes, Peas, Beans Caraway helps breakdown heavy soils. Carrots Lettuce, Peas, Leeks, Chives, Onions, Cucumbers, Beans, tomatoes, Dill in flower and being wormwood, sage, rosemary stored with apples Catnip repels fleas, ants and rodents.
• 5.
  Cauliflower Celery Celery & Chives, Leeks, Tomatoes, Dwarf Beans, Brassica’s Celeriac Celery & Chives, Leeks, Tomatoes, Dwarf Beans Celeriac Chamomile Cabbages and onions deters flies and mosquitoes and gives strength to any plant growing nearby. Chives Carrots grown beneath apple trees will help to prevent apple scab; beneath Peas, beans roses will keep away aphids and blackspot. Deters aphids on lettuce and peas. Spray will deter downy and powdery mildew on gooseberries and cucumbers. Citrus Bracken Fern grape vines Repels stink beetles Comfrey Avocados and most fruit trees Garden edging, compost activator, medicinal, foliage spray, nutrient miner, essential to all gardens. Cucumbers Beans, corn, peas, radish, sunflowers Potatoes, aromatic herbs Dill Brassica’s Dill attracts predator wasp for cabbage moth. Elderberry a general insecticide, the leaves encourage compost fermentation, the flowers and berries make lovely wine! Fennel. (not F. vulgare or F.officionale) repels flies, fleas and ants Most plants dislike it French Tomatoes most vegetables. root secretions kill nematodes in the soil. Will repel white fly Marigold amongst tomatoes. Fruit trees nettles, garlic, chives, tansy, southernwood and horseradish Garlic. Roses, raspberry helps keep aphids away from roses and raspberries, repels Peas and beans cabbage butterfly Geranium Strong aroma - deters insects and encourages bees Grapes Hyssop, tansy and sage Hyssop Cabbage, grapes attracts cabbage white moth keeping Brassica’s free from Radishes infestation. Leek Onion, celery, carrot Lettuce tall flowers, carrots, radish, onion family Flowers offer light shade for lettuce Marigolds Tomatoes, most vegetables Kills couch, nematodes and eel worm Melon Radish
• 6.
  Mint Cabbage, tomatoes Deters white cabbage moth, deters ants and fleas (especially spearmint), will deter clothes moths. Nasturtium Radishes, cabbages, zucchini cucurbits, fruit trees secrete a mustard oil, which many insects find attractive and will seek out, particularly the cabbage white moth. The flowers repel aphids and the cucumber beetle. The climbing variety grown up apple trees will repel codling moth. Nettle Beneficial anywhere, increases aroma and pungency of other herbs Onion and Beets, summer savoury, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, camomile garlic Parsley Tomato, asparagus, roses Deters rose beetle, improves tomato and asparagus. Peas Carrots, turnips, corn, beans, radishes, cucumbers, most vegetables Onions, garlic gladiolas, and herbs potatoes Potato Beans, cabbage, marigold, horseradish (plant at corners of patch) Alyssum attracts beneficial wasps and acts as a living ground cover Pumpkin, squash, eggplant, sweet alyssum. cucumber, sunflower, tomato, raspberry Pumpkin Corn Potato Pyrethrum will repel bugs if grown around the vegetable garden. Radish Peas, nasturtium, lettuce, cucumbers, spinach Radish attracts leaf minor away from spinach Raspberry Most vegetables Blackberries, tomatoes, potato Rosemary Cabbage, beans, carrots, sage Deters cabbage moth, bean beetles and carrot fly Roses Garlic, chives, parsley, mignonette lettuce. Rue (Rutus, keeps cats and dogs off garden beds if planted round the borders. not Peganum) Sage Rosemary, cabbage and carrots Deters cabbage moth and carrot fly Cucumbers
• 7.
  Spinach Strawberries Squash Nasturtium Corn Strawberries Bush bean, spinach, borage, lettuce Cabbage Sunflower Cucumbers Potato Sweet Corn Potatoes, Peas, Beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, squash Corn acts as a trellis for beans and beans attract predators of corn pests. Tansy Fruit trees, roses and raspberries repels moths, flies and ants. Plant beneath peach trees to repel harmful flying insects. Tansy leaves assist compost fermentation. Thyme Here and there in the garden Protects cabbages, improves growth and flavour of vegetables, general insect repellent. Tomatoes Asparagus, Parsley, Chives, onion, Broccoli, Sweet Basil, marigold, Kohlrabi, potato, fennel, carrots, parsley. cabbage Turnip Peas, nasturtium, lettuce, cucumbers Wormwood although it can inhibit the growth of plants near it, wormwood does (Artemesia, repel moths, flies and fleas and keeps animals off the garden. not Ambrosia) Yarrow Near aromatic herbs and vegetables Plant along borders and paths. Enhances essential oil production and flavour