How To Use These 5 Common Companion Plants To Help Your Organic Garden Thrive

Garden pests are the ultimate enemy in organic gardening

. Many organic garden enthusiasts are accepting of the natural order of life and simply plant extra seedlings, giving some to the pests, knowing theres likely to still be plenty left for our share.

But what can we do to help increase our odds of claiming plenty for the table?

Companion planting can help in several different ways. Companion plants may reduce pests by excreting chemicals which are disliked by insect pests or diseases. Companion plants may also attract beneficial insects such as ladybirds which feast on pests which attack their companions. They may even provide added nutrients, a shady area in which to grow or a sturdy stem in which to climb up.

Whichever their method of aid, companion planting is a definite savior for all organic gardens.

Five garden must have companion plants are listed below:

1. Alliums. These include garlic, onions, shallots and chives. Known to repel slugs, aphids, carrot fly and cabbage worm, these little wonders of the organic world are best planted with nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, capsicums, potatoes), as well as with cabbages, carrots and fruit trees. But beware! Dont plant with beans, peas or parsley.

2. Marigolds. The superhero of the companion plant world, marigolds secrete powerful chemicals from their roots that may last for months after theyre removed. They repel nematodes and beet leaf hoppers and have even been shown to be effective against some perennial weeds, such as couch grass. Plant them all over the garden, especially with tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, broccoli, cabbage and kale.

3. Nasturtiums. This herb acts as a trap crop which rids many plants of predatory insects such as aphids, cabbage looper, squash bug, white fly and cucumber beetles. It acts in a similar way to geraniums and petunias. All three plants are wonderful when planted around your melons, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, apple trees, broccoli and cabbage.

4. Basil. A wonderful, aromatic herb, basil has been shown to repel many insects such as mosquitoes, asparagus beetle, thrips and flies. Plant your basil with chamomile and anise to increase basils oil content and youll have more flavoursome tomatoes, as well as healthy peppers, oregano and asparagus.

5. Borage. This herb grows quite large when full grown (allow 1 square meter for its adult size), but what a wonderful herb! It attracts many predatory insects as well as honey bees for improved fertilization. It is also known for deterring many garden pests. Plant nearby your cucurbits (cucumber, gourds), tomatoes and cabbage and watch them bloom!

Companion planting is a wonderful tool for organic gardening. Not only does the mixing of plants help each other to grow and thrive, the spreading out of plants of similar species reduces the concentration of ready food for the pests who are ready to attack them. Try out these simple, wonderful fixes next time you don your gardening gloves and watch your garden thrive!

by: Debra Porter

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