A Beginners Guide to Companion

Planting: Companion Gardening with

Flowers, Herbs & Vegetables
By Mel Jeffreys

©2013 Mel Jeffreys

Table of Contents
Copyright

Introduction

History of Companion Planting

Reasons For Companion Planting

Types of Companion Planting

Benefits of Companion Planting

Allelopathy

Soil Management

Chemical Versus Organic Fertilisers

Ideal Garden Soil Mix

Making Your Own Compost

Building a Raised Garden Bed With Cinder Blocks

Garden Planning

DIY Self Watering Container Gardens

Guide to Beneficial Companion Herbs And Plants

Other Beneficial Companion Plants – Flowers

Trees and Beneficial Plants in Companion Gardening

 Planting Combinations to Use/Avoid – Fruit and Vegetables

Companion Planting Table

Companion Plants to Encourage Beneficial Bugs Into Your

Garden

Companion Planting Ven Diagrams

Conclusion
 Copyright

All rights reserved.

This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without
written permission from the author.
 Introduction

You may also want to visit us at our blog

SimpleLivingBlog.net or at https://www.facebook.com/Simple-Living

Other books you may enjoy by the Author Include:

A Beginners Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens

A Beginners Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening: Introduction to

Composting, Worm Farming, No Dig Raised & Wicking Gardens Plus
More…

A Beginners Guide to Home Canning & Food Preserving: Recipes, Jams,

Marmalades, Jellies, Chutneys, Relishes Plus More… (Simple Living)
 Companion planting of tomatoes & marigolds.

Fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden are a treat. Once you have
tasted a truly fresh heirloom tomato, it is hard to go back and pick up the
hybrid choices in the local supermarket. The trouble is that getting that
tomato or that strawberry to grow isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be.
Disease, pests, and other animals take their toll on the home grower’s
garden. Plus, in a limited space, it’s difficult to grow all the vegetables you
love if your idea of gardening is the traditional one or two rows per species
of plant.

There are solutions to these and other problems. One of them is companion
planting. Companion planting involves strategic location of the veggies and
fruit that you plant to maximize space available, deter or distract pests and
to take advantage of the nutrients available in the soil where you live.

While there are a few different types of strategies, there are no hard and fast
rules for which strategy you should choose. Keep in mind the space you
have available, the amount of time you have to put towards growing a
successful garden and your favorite vegetables. Obviously, a successful
crop of wax beans is great, unless you hate wax beans. We are going to look
at the history of, reasons for, and the strategies of using polyculture, or
more than one crop per row.
 History of Companion Planting

China

History shows that Chinese farmers have used companion gardening for
over a thousand years. Specifically, they use a plant called the Mosquito
Fern to help their rice crops. The mosquito fern takes nitrogen from the air
and puts it into the ground water where the rice is grown. The height of the
Mosquito Fern also helps block light from getting to any plant other than
the rice plants. They wait until the rice plants are taller than the fern.

Native Americans

Corn was a crop that was vital to the diet of Native Americans. The early
Americans learned from the Native Americans to plant corn, beans and
squash in the same hole with the disposed parts of a fish.

The corn grew tall and strong, the beans grew using the corn stalk for
support while providing nitrogen for the corn and the squash grew under the
cover of the shade providing a ground cover that prevented weeds from
taking over while the prickly spines on the squash frustrated raccoons and
other predators from getting to the corn.

All three plants benefited the other and increased the harvest. Some call this
the “Three Sisters Method” where the crops are grown from the same hole.
But these three are not the only combinations that can benefit your garden!
In some combinations, you could actually do more harm than good. We will
discuss the interaction between some species of plants so that you don’t
make a mistake in planning your garden.
 Reasons For Companion Planting

Organic Gardening

With growing concern at the levels of pesticides on vegetables, and the

increasing use of hybrids and chemicals to rapidly accelerate the growth of
some vegetables, more attention has been given to organic gardening.

Organic gardening is growing without the use of chemicals of any kind. If

you can keep the pests that decimate your crops away using a non-chemical
organic solution that is a good thing. If you can help your garden grow
naturally, without the use of chemical fertilizers it means you can achieve
the organic garden results you want.

One more negative of using pesticides is that the same spray that kills
destructive insects also kills the beneficial insects that help keep the
destructive ones under control. There are insects that pollinate your
vegetable plants, without pollination, the fruit doesn’t grow. Bees and
wasps may frighten you, but without them, your garden is doomed from the
outset.

Alleviate Crowded Gardens

With the use of companion planting, regardless of which method you

choose you can opt to grow more than one crop in the same location. In
using the Square Foot Gardening method of companion planting alone you
can grow an estimated eight times more vegetables than the traditional row
method.

A well built raised garden can make weeds in your garden almost non-
existent. Weeds grow everywhere, and the sole purpose of a weed is to
grow, propagate and starve the nutrients from the soil your desired plants
need.
Low Maintenance

With ground cover veggies keeping weeds under control, other companion
plants keeping insects off the products of your labor and other plants
serving as supports for your vine vegetables a lot of the work that goes into
the typical garden is substantially reduced. Less time working in the garden
and producing the same or more impressive results is a worthy goal. More
importantly, it is attainable given the right amount of planning and attention
to detail.

Increased Yield of Harvest

The right combination of soil management, proper planning and strategy

can decrease the number of vegetable lost to pests and disease. A small
garden yielding a modest amount of veggies can begin yielding increased
harvests. Producing enough heirloom fruit and vegetables can multiply
exponentially when you harvest a small percentage of them exclusively for
the seeds they generate. This is something you can’t do with the seeds of
the hybrids you purchase from the grocer.

Nutrient Management

The concept of allowing a plot of land to grow ‘fallow’ for a season comes
from ancient times. It is when a field that has been used to grow the same
type of vegetable for several seasons consecutively, that field is allowed to
‘rest’ during one season. While the technical details may have eluded the
ancient people, they knew that crops were better when they practiced this
technique.

The reason this worked is because of the nutrients found in the soil. These
nutrients are used up by the vegetables each year. Tomato plants for
example require a substantial amount of nitrogen in the soil. The problem is
that the plants use up the present nitrogen at a rapid rate. Once these levels
drop due to use, subsequent tomato plants grow slower and produce less
fruit.

The fact is that some plants take nitrogen from the soil, while others help in
creating nitrogen in the soil. Pairing two of these together in the same field
can increase the harvest and keep the nutrient levels balanced in your favor.
By the same token, there are some plants whose use of nutrients in the soil
can be detrimental to other plants.

If your garden failed to produce last year, it may be a simple matter of what
you are planting and not a lack of skill in gardening. A little knowledge goes
a long way towards making you a successful gardener we will discuss the
interactions of vegetable plants with other vegetable plants, with herbs and
with flowering plants to help you plan your garden, so don’t start planting
yet.
 Types of Companion Planting

Spatial Interaction

Spatial interactions involve placing certain plants that affect other plants in
the same vicinity. These interactions can be chemical in nature, benefiting
the growth of the other plant or they could attract beneficial insects to your
garden. More of this is discussed later.

Nurse Cropping

Methods of nurse cropping include the Seven Layer System, where some
larger plants shield the smaller ones.

Three Sisters Method

This is the method discussed earlier with the planting of three different
veggies together with each plant benefitting the others. Corn, beans and
squash are the typical combination used in the Three Sisters Method, but
there are others as well.

Container Gardens

Container gardens consist of simple plastic five gallon buckets with or

without an automated watering system built in. These container gardens
minimize weeds, help you eliminate problems with poor soil with the added
benefit of being able to rearrange certain plants after they begin growing.

Square Foot Gardening

The square foot gardening method, popularized by Master Gardener Mel

Bartholomew, protects plants from the typical problems through a
combination of soil management, spacing and using companion planting to
enhance the harvest of a garden in cramped quarters.
Seven Layer System

The seven layer system utilizes the size and type of plants in what is called
a ‘forest garden’. These plants and trees grow together with each benefiting
the others.

1. The Canopy Layer: is made up of large fruit or nut trees (not walnut
trees). These trees provide the shade or canopy that protects the sixth
layer plants (the ground cover) from too much sun exposure and from
excess winds. These trees also provide support for the seventh layer of
plants which are the climbers or vine plants.
2. Low Tree Layer: includes the dwarf fruit trees that sit under the canopy
of the larger trees.
3. Shrub Layer: consists of the bushes that grow berries and other types
of fruits. These are protected by both the larger trees and the low tree
layer.
4. Herbaceous Layer: are the beets or herbs that grow in the shade of the
shrubbery.
5. Rhizosphere Layer: Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes and more are
the Rhizosphere Layer. They benefit from the shade and the water that
the larger trees bring up from the water table.
6. Soil Surface: These are the ground cover discussed in the first layer.
These include strawberries. The ground cover prevents weeds from
infiltrating the ecosystem and provides yet another beneficial fruit in
your garden.
7. Vertical Layer: Also discussed in the first layer, the Vertical Layer
includes cucumbers, grapes and other vine fruits and vegetables.
 Benefits of Companion Planting

Host Finding Disruption

This type of companion planting seeks to confuse or ‘disrupt’ the insects

from locating the host or your vegetable plants. Scientists studied the
pattern that insects use to find the host on which they wish to feed.

They are attracted to the scent of the host plant. If you have ever stepped
into a greenhouse with thriving tomato plants you have experienced the
sensation that these insects do. The insect avoids landing on bare soil, there
are predators there that can kill them. So they land on the first ‘green’ thing
they can locate.

From there, the insect begins hopping from leaf to leaf searching for the
perfect perch on which to feast. According to studies done, if the insect
cannot find a suitable location on something ‘green’ they will give up and
fly away. What the scientists did was add clover to the equation, giving
multiple ‘green’ targets for the insect to land on.

Clover as ground cover around cabbage gives the cabbage root fly more
‘green’ to plant eggs near. The emerging larvae crawl around to find only
clover. The study showed that thirty six percent of the insects laid eggs next
to the cabbage when bare soil was used, versus seven percent when clover
was planted next to the cabbages.

The scientists also made decoys of green cardboard that also disrupted the
insects patterns of landing and discouraged them from staying and
feasting.

Pest Suppression

Some plants give off a natural pesticide that repels insects, some repel
weeds, while others repel nematodes and fungi. These natural solutions to
pest suppression can help keep the man made chemicals from touching your
garden while still keeping them healthy. You just have to know which plants
to place where.

Pollinator Recruitment

Without bees, it is said that the Earth would begin to slowly die out. Bees
pollinate the fruit and vegetables we eat, without fruit and vegetables, large
animal populations would die off. Without large animal populations, herds
of cattle and pigs would starve. Eventually that would work into the food
chain leading to humans.

Since bees, as well as other beneficial pollinators are so essential to the

survival of the Earth itself, think of the impact they will have in your
garden.

The chemical means to keep the tomato beetle and aphids from your harvest
will kill those insects that are helping your garden thrive! Chemical
pesticides do not discriminate. There are plants, though sometimes these
plants are not vegetables or fruits that will attract these busy garden workers
to your garden. Planting a few of these nearby will allow them to do their
work.

Predator Recruitment

While some insects help your garden through pollination, others will help
by preying on the pests that wreck your garden. Some of these ‘predatory
insects’ eat pests, others lay eggs on the bodies of pests, while still others
lay eggs near the plant where their larvae will hatch and feast on the nasty
bugs. We will discuss a few of these so you can plan your garden in detail
before ever planting a seed or turning the soil.

Aphids are the bane of the rose garden. But they can also do substantial
damage to vegetable plants and fruits as well. Planting marigolds near the
plants that may attract aphids will help keep them away for two reasons.

First, the scent of marigolds is said to deter aphids from landing

nearby.
Second, marigolds attract hover flies which produce larvae that feed on
aphids that are on the same plants they are on. Marigolds are
inexpensive annual flowers that can be purchased from many garden
or farm stores.

Companion planting can also help with obtaining at least a part of a crop
despite catastrophic damage to a crop nearby. If the borer worms destroy
your lettuce, corn or cabbage plants, the other veggies in the same location
may escape total destruction and still provide some fruit for you. The more
plants in the same space there are, the greater the odds of harvesting at least
one of those crops.

While some insects prefer one type of vegetation over another, some are
voracious enough to devour whatever they find. So while the hedged
investment gives you maximum use per square foot of garden space, other
methods are needed to keep these pests at bay.
 Ladybug beetle hunting aphids.

Increased Level Interaction

Also called protective shelter, this is an example of the seven layer forest
garden discussed earlier with large trees providing shade and wind
buffering for the smaller more susceptible plants. Or the larger plants or
trees act as a trellis for vine plants to grow on keeping the fruit or vegetable
high off of the ground where it remains vulnerable to many pests.

Nitrogen Fixation

Just as some plants thrive by using the nitrogen in the soil around them,
others thrive by giving off nitrogen in the soil around them. When you
know which veggie is which, you can pair them together and anticipate a
rich harvest of both. The effects of plants on other plants and the effects of
plants on weeds is a study called Allelopathy.
Some walnut trees, like the Black Walnut produces an allelochemical
known as juglone. There are many crops that are affected detrimentally by
this particular naturally occurring chemical. This observation was made
thousands of years ago and farmers were urged to avoid planting in fields
where large walnut trees grew. See section on Allelopathy for more
information.

Positive Hosting

Positive hosting involves planting specific plants that attract the beneficial
insects so that they can spread to your garden plants and eliminate the
problem pests. These plants serve as a “host” that will eventually be
consumed by the beneficial insects. If you have a colony of beneficial
insects growing near your garden, you won’t have a need for the chemicals.
We will look at a few of these positive hosting plants.

Trap Cropping

Trap cropping involves planting a decoy plant near susceptible vegetables

to draw away the destructive insects. These ‘decoy plants’ are then netted
and removed when they become infested and are discarded. More decoy
plants will be used to replace the ones discarded. One example of this is the
use of Nasturtium. These are smaller flowering plants sometimes referred to
as ‘watercress’.

Nasturtium attract caterpillars that will also attack lettuce and cabbage
plants. The nasturtium plants are located near the patches of lettuces and
cabbages thereby reducing the pest damage to the desired plants.

Pattern Disruption

Once one tomato plant has been infested, the monoculture planting method
leaves an entire row of plants vulnerable to the infestation of the same bugs.
Pattern disruption spaces out the similar plants from each other making a
total loss of vegetables or fruits less likely. The key is in what plants to use
to disrupt the predator insects typical pattern of infestation.
 Allelopathy

The chemical interaction of a tree and its’ components on the surrounding

soil, on other plants and on your garden is called Allelopathy. In this way,
trees are no different than the plants and herbs in your garden. Your garden
may be failing, not because of the soil or your efforts, it may be the nearby
trees leaching that chemical in the ground.

One chief source of the most problems agriculturally is the Black Walnut
(Juglans nigra) tree. The Black Walnut tree secretes a chemical called
hydrojuglone. Ordinarily, hydrojuglone is nontoxic, but once oxidized
becomes a highly toxic chemical called juglone to the surrounding plants.
With drainage and root growth, plants as far as 5 meters away can suffer
from juglone poisoning.

The leaves, husks and bark of the Black Walnut also release the toxic levels
of juglone. But the Black Walnut is not the only tree with this chemical.
Most walnut trees, pecan trees and even hickory trees produce it to varying
degrees. Other trees with a similar effect on the soil include sugar maple,
waxmyrtle, cottonwood, black cherry, red oak and the American elm and
sycamore trees.

Be sure to locate your garden far from these trees or you will be facing an
uphill battle in keeping your plants healthy. If your garden is already
planted there are steps you can take to reduce the impact of these trees.

First, clean up the leaves and fruit that falls from the tree and keep the
debris far from the garden.
Second, plant shrubs, grasses and other trees with minimal effects on
the soil as a buffer zone between the garden and the toxic trees.
Planting fescue or Kentucky bluegrass in the immediate area will
ensure that the grass is kept healthy and is harmlessly absorbing the
 dangerous toxins. (Make sure to keep the grass well watered and they
may actually grow better under Black Walnut trees than in bare soil.)

Trees that aid in absorbing the juglone include:

White Ash
Beech
Birch
Buckeye
Dogwood
Pine
Crabapple trees

Although dangerous to many fruit plants some may actually do quite well in
this type of soil including grapes and berries.

Just as the Black Walnut affects some plants negatively, the Leucaena
trees, dubbed the Miracle Tree, have positive effects on staple crops
planted near them.

The Miracle trees planted nearby have been shown to actually increase the
crop yields of both corn and rice. For wheat crops, however, the Miracle
trees reduce the crop yield through the chemicals they release into the soil.
So these interactions between tree and soil and other plants can be positive
for some plants and negative for others.

A raised garden however, with a substantial weed shield can help reduce
the impact of allelopathy of the surrounding trees on your garden.
 Soil Management

Plowing up the area and beginning to plant right away may betray a certain
enthusiasm you have for starting your garden. Unfortunately, doing so will
ultimately doom any attempts you make at having your garden produce a
single vegetable, much less thriving to the point of giving you enough
veggies to brag about.

You need to put a little bit of planning into it before taking spade to soil.
One of the first things you have to know before starting is the quality of
your soil. You need to know if there are any nutrients there to begin with,
what nutrients are missing and what you need to do before you start
planting.

You can have your soil tested at a lab, and that is the best way to do it. If
you don’t have the funds to pay for such a test, call around to the local feed
stores and garden centers. There is a soil testing kit available for sale for
less than five dollars.

There are also electric soil testers you can purchase that will help you keep
a close eye on changing soil conditions. If you cannot find any of these,
contact a few of the local farmers and ask them about the soil. You may
need to begin with creating the soil-mix you need to ensure success.

If your soil is more sand than soil, (i.e. Florida, Arizona) you may want to
consider a raised garden and starting completely over in regards to soil. If
you have a lot of clay, rock, or just poor soil condition in general, a raised
garden or a container garden may be the answer for you. If you live in a
place where anything grows, consider yourself lucky.

Ideal soil for most garden plants includes nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium,
calcium, magnesium and sulfur. To a lesser degree other nutrients that
garden plants need include boron chlorine, copper, iron, manganese,
molybdenum and zinc. If any one of these nutrients is out of balance, it will
have an effect on the yield and growth of your garden. Many of these can be
supplied with properly blended compost.

In addition to soil nutrients, the pH levels are important. Vegetable plants

prefer a pH level of 6.0 to 6.8. If the pH is too low, you can blend in a little
limestone. If it is too high you can add sulfur to bring it down.
 Chemical Versus Organic Fertilisers

Your companion garden will need to have a steady supply of nutrients

available as the plants continue to grow. This means regularly replacing
soil or adding fertilizers to the soil at all times of the year. There are
generally two options when it comes to fertilizing your garden, using
chemicals or organic means.

Using organic fertilizers means either purchasing or composting the

material yourself. Organic fertilizers take time for the existing vegetable
plants to break them down into usable components. The advantage is that
the organic fertilizers will last for a longer period of time than the chemical.
The disadvantages include the time it takes to prepare good organic
compost and the fact that it is generally more expensive to purchase.

Chemical fertilizers are available for the plants’ use right away, they are
cheaper than organic and they are easy to use. They come in liquid, pellet
and mulch form so it depends on your needs.

One disadvantage to using chemical fertilizers is like using chemical

pesticides, it negates the “organic” label for your veggies that you may be
striving for.

Another disadvantage to chemical fertilizer is that since the plant isn’t able
to break down the fertilizer as it needs, often the chemical fertilizer can end
up ‘burning’ the plants with the immediate influx of nitrogen at their roots.

If you choose to purchase fertilizer for your companion garden, there will
be three numbers on the front of the container. Each of these numbers
represents a percentage of one nutrient available in the mix. One common
ratio mix is the 8-16-16. In this blend, there is 8% nitrogen, 16%
phosphorus and 16% potassium. (Potassium is often identified by its
chemical symbol ‘K’) The remaining 60% of the mix is inert matter. Check
with the ingredients list to ensure that this inert matter doesn’t also include
pesticides.

A complete fertilizer will have a number for each of the three main
nutrients and a number for the minor nutrients as well. What nutrients your
soil needs will of course depend on the results of the soil testing you
performed earlier. If you do not have access to a soil testing kit, apply the
fertilizer and/or compost and let the garden sit for a week or two before
planting. This will give the fertilizer time to break up naturally in the soil.

Most leafy green vegetables prefer a high nitrogen count fertilizer such as
12-12-12 or 15-15-15 mixes. Others that are bulb veggies, (onions,
radishes, carrots, etc) prefer lower nitrogen to higher potassium and
phosphorus count like 6-24-24.

One last note about fertilizers, these fertilizers that are giving your veggies
and fruits a vital leg up in growth rate and productivity will do the same for
the grass and weeds that surround the garden too. This will give the
invasive species of weed opportunity to filter in and choke the life out of
your garden plants. With a properly constructed raised garden, the chances
of this happening are reduced.

Although we have given you the information needed to choose a chemical

fertilzer if you want to go down that path we always advocate and use
organic fertilisers. An option you may want to choose is a seaweed nutrient
solution or a complete organic fertilizer like: Jobe’s 09526 Organic All
Purpose Granular Fertilizer 4-Pound Bag or Neptune’s Harvest SW136
Organic Seaweed Plant Food, 32-Ounce
 Ideal Garden Soil Mix

While there are many companies that sell garden soil and pre-made soil
mixes for your garden, the best blend is always the one you make yourself.
The ideal garden soil mix is made up of three main components compost,
peat moss and vermiculite.

The Master Gardener who popularized the Square Foot Gardening method,
Mel Bartholomew recommends a ratio of one-third of each ingredient
mixed well. He calls this mixture, “Mel’s Mix” and it is truly an excellent
blend of soil for vegetables of all types. You can get Mel’s book at
amazon.com: All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition: The
Revolutionary Way to Grow More In Less Space

Peat moss aids in helping your garden soil become lighter allowing for
greater root function and aids in water retention as well. One of the first
things you should know about peat moss is that it is sold in compressed
bales that double in size when opened and mixed. So if your calculations
for your garden size requires four cubic feet of peat moss in the mix, one
3.9 will give you close to eight cubic feet.

Calculate your measurements based on the amount of material in the bags,

not on the number of bags used. Be careful in pouring it as peat moss is
dusty and can easily blow away in the slightest breeze.

Vermiculite is a white almost Styrofoam like material that will help your soil
in the same way the peat moss does in keeping it light and airy. Vermiculite
will also aid in water retention. Some people use Perlite instead of
vermiculite. The drawback to perlite is that it will float to the surface of the
mix when it rains or when you water your garden. When it does dry up, it
will blow away. Vermiculite stays in the mixture. And, like peat moss, it is
dusty and will easily blow away.
Compost is the foundation of all soil mixtures. It is from compost that your
vegetables will get 100% of their nutrients. The peat moss and vermiculite,
though helpful in the blend, have no nutritional value. You have to be aware
of what components make up the compost in the bags you are purchasing.
Ideally, there should be five different types of composting materials in the
bag. Many stores will sell compost made up of two or three components.

You want compost from five (or more) different sources so that your
vegetables have the greatest chance at getting the combination of nutrients
they need. Note, these are from five different sources, not five different
companies making compost from the same sources. Check the side of the
bag for a description of the contents or make you own compost.

Excellent sources of compost include:

Fish
Mushroom
Earthworm castings
Chicken manure (fully composted, not raw)
Rabbit manure
Decaying vegetable matter.
Other sources of compost material include: bat guano, kelp, pulverized
oyster shell, and lime.

One rule of thumb for using animal manure for compost is that if the
animals eat meat, do not use their manure. All five (or more) of these
compost blends should be mixed together to come up with the one-third
part of your garden soil mix.

A word of caution about using local municipality compost: There are many
cities that take your land waste and compost it, then sell it back to you dirt
cheap. (Pardon the pun.) While the cost is reasonable you never know what
kinds of weed seeds or chemicals from treated lawns have leached into that
compost. Avoid it if you can. Mix the three components together on the
ground, use a tarp to keep it all, with a rake or a hoe and fill your garden
with it.
 Making Your Own Compost

The initial investment in constructing your companion planted garden is

significant the good news is that you can reuse the same mix for more than
one season. Invariably though you will lose some soil mix through erosion,
or whatever means and you will have to replace some of that compost. The
most affordable solution is to make your own compost.

The old way to make your own compost involved building a structure that
would retain the materials and getting in with a shovel once a week or so to
‘turn’ the compost. Today, there is another option in making compost the
modern way.

There are spinning compost containers that rest on an axle and require just a
few spins every week to speed up the composting process. You can create
one of these with a fifty gallon plastic drum or purchase one from the
garden store or Amazon.com: Achla Designs CMP-05 Spinning Composter
Horizontal. We have our own DIY plans available in the following kindle
book, also available at amazon.com: A Beginners Guide to Keeping
Backyard Chickens – Breeds Guide, Chicken Tractors & Coops, Hatching
& Raising Chicks Plus More… (Simple Living)

Homemade compost can be made with a lot of different items you throw
away anyway:

Grass and lawn clippings (unless you use chemicals in your yard that
is)
Egg shells
Fruit and vegetable peelings
Newspapers
Chicken or rabbit manure and their bedding materials
and more all break down into a luscious loamy soil.
Don’t ever attempt to compost scraps of meat, fat or bone. These can
contaminate your compost and don’t break down into usable components
for a garden. There are organic compost liquids that you can add to the
compost pile or spinning drum to speed up the process. As the process can
take close to six months to produce usable compost, it is a good idea to get
your composting organized and started before you get ready for your
planting.

Great compost bins, made from recycled wooden shipping pallets.

 Building a Raised Garden Bed With
Cinder Blocks

There are several different types of a raised garden. For low growing
plants, a water table is another type of raised garden that takes the bending
out of garden work. We will look at those later. A typical raised garden is
built with borders using treated wood or cinder blocks. While treated wood
borders may last for a few years, and are a bit more attractive than cinder
blocks, the blocks will be more or less a permanent structure with helpful
square spaces.

First, measure off the space you want your garden area located in. The
number of blocks you will need is determined by the total area of your
garden. You will need two cinder blocks stacked on top of each other all the
way around the garden.

Second, clear off any rocks or sharp sticks from the area these will rip
through the weed prevention layer and leave space for weeds to infiltrate
the garden.

Next, spread the weed screen over the entire area. Hold in place with a few
cinder blocks, but don’t build the structure yet. The weed screen should be
twelve inches larger than the border of the garden area on all sides. Weed
screens are made of a breathable fabric, which allows water to drain from
the garden that prevents weeds and grasses from growing up into the garden
area.

Weed screen can be purchased from garden centers for a reasonable cost.
Another option you have for a weed screen material is placing several
layers of newspaper around the garden. The drawback to using newspaper
is that it breaks down rapidly often only preventing weeds for one season.
On the flip side of this, the newspaper can be plowed underneath after
harvest and makes a good composting material for the following seasons. If
you do use newspaper, make sure to soak it well so it doesn’t blow away.

Build the first layer of the cinder block border. Make sure to leave a one
inch gap in between the cinder blocks located in the corner of the garden
that is closest to the outdoor faucet. Attach a regular garden hose from the
faucet to the garden border and then attach a soaker hose to the end of the
garden hose.

Insert the soaker hose into the gap between blocks and pull it over the weed
screen. Unfurl it inside the garden border so that the entirety of the garden
in a spiral pattern toward the center. Close the gap between blocks as much
as you can without pinching either hose.

Build the second layer of cinder blocks. Tuck the extra four inches of weed
screen in between the two block layers. This will create a ‘cup’ which will
hold both the soil and plants. It will also keep the screen from blowing
away or shifting.

Fill the garden with the pre-mixed soil discussed earlier. The soil represents
what will likely be the largest investment financially in the garden, but with
proper soil maintenance can be used over and over again. Remember those
nice spaces inside the cinder blocks? Fill those with soil as well, right up to
the top.

This wall that serves as a border that separates your garden area from your
lawn area can also serve as a barrier to insects as well. Plant a single bulb of
garlic or an onion in each square. The scent will surround the garden
keeping pests away and produce a vegetable as well. Make sure to keep
plants sensitive to onions and garlic toward the center of the garden. You
could also use these handy squares to create an herb garden for planting
beneficial herbs near your vegetables.

These herbs include:

Mint
 Bay
Anise
Catnip
Chamomile
Chives
Basil
Lemon balm

Each herb should get one square per plant for maximum effect. The scent of
the herbs, garlic and onions should sufficiently discourage many of the
garden pests from even hovering over your yard.

Below is the beginnings of a raised garden bed, just fill the blocks and get
started.

Follow your garden plan and begin to create your raised garden. What’s
that? You don’t have a garden plan? No problem! We cover that next.
 Garden Planning

As mentioned previously the key to a successful companion garden is in the

planning. You will want to include in your garden your favorite veggies and
fruit so your garden may be different from the sample we discuss in both
size and selection. There are a few simple steps in planning your garden.

First, write a list of the vegetables you definitely want to have in the
garden. Keep it to the top ten you would prefer. Then make a list of
vegetables you wouldn’t mind having in your garden, but that aren’t
essential. Keep that one to a limit of five.

Next, determine the interactions that would be detrimental to each one of

the first ten you want to plant in the garden. Use the information at the end
of this book for a list of common vegetables and fruit and the detrimental
effects when combined with another vegetable.

Next, think about the height of each full grown vegetable plant and the
effect that the taller plants will have on smaller ones.

Tomato and corn plants will cast long shadows into the garden so plants
that need full sun exposure will suffer if placed in between them.

Lettuces, Cabbages and more delicate plants benefit from some shade time.
But don’t forget the rules of companion planting!

Corn and tomato plants don’t grow well together and neither do lettuce and
cabbage.

Finally, read through the list of non-vegetable plants that can benefit the
vegetables in your garden and decide whether to plant marigolds along the
borders with garlic and onions to help keep the pest population to a
minimum.
There is a lot of information to piece together based of course on the
vegetables you choose to include in your garden and the various
interactions these vegetables will have with the surrounding plants. No one
starts building a house without a plan, you shouldn’t build a garden without
one either.

As just one example of a planned companion garden, we will use the 4’ X 4’

square foot area discussed in the building the raised garden section.

There will be sixteen ‘cells’ or squares in this garden. You can plant one
row or four squares of each vegetable or a different vegetable in each
square.

Don’t forget your garlic and onions should already be growing in the cinder
blocks!

In some cells or squares there will only be enough growth room for one
vegetable. This depends on the size of a full grown plant of that species.
The garden example below will produce eleven different types of
vegetables.

The corn and tomatoes are separated by two rows because they don’t grow
together well.

The carrots are in a row away from the tomatoes although they could grow
in the same square to avoid stunting their growth.

The summer squash will provide good ground cover for the tomatoes
without interfering in the growth process. All these elements work together
well.

The garlic and onion borders are safely sequestered in the cinderblocks and
won’t affect the growth or development of any of the veggies. The addition
of herbs or flowers can aid in the growth of some of these vegetables.
Planned Cinder Block Garden Bed
 DIY Self Watering Container Gardens

If you are companion planting using container gardens because you don’t
have room for a large garden they give you the ability to move them around
if one or two plants are not doing well. The five gallon buckets are most of
the time, free from local businesses and they are more than happy to give
them away.

Make sure the bucket you choose has not had chemicals, paint or tar in it.
Use only food grade plastic buckets. Creating a self watering container
garden doesn’t take a whole lot of work and can yield good results.

First, take the lid of the five gallon bucket and drill about twenty evenly
spaced holes into it over its surface. It’s usually safer to secure the lid to the
bucket during the drilling process. Next, cut the edges of the lid so that it
fits neatly into the bucket.

Next, drill a 1/2 inch hole into one side of the bucket two inches up from
the bottom. Cut a six inch piece of plastic tubing and fit into the hole in the
bucket. If need be, use electrical tape wrapped around the tube to ensure a
snug fit. Insert a screw or nail through the tube on the inside of the bucket
to keep it inside the bucket.

Add a two inch layer of clay pebbles into the bottom of the bucket. This
layer of clay pebbles will both serve as a wick to pull water into the soil,
and will keep the roots out of standing water. Set the cut lid on top of the
pebbles.

Set the bucket on top of a cinder block and place a milk jug next to the
bucket where the small hose comes out.

Cut a hole in the side of the jug and insert the hose.

Fill the milk jug with water.

When the clay pebbles dry out, the wicking action will pull water from the
milk jug through the tube and into the planter.

If you don’t have clay pebbles or can’t find them you can use three pieces
of PVC pipe cut into two inch high sections.

Plant your chosen vegetable or fruit and check on the water levels in the
milk jug every three to four days.

Below is an example of a DIY great self watering pot from:

http://growit.umd.edu/YouthGardening/ContainerGardening/SelfWateringC
ontainers.cfm They have other great images available and is well worth a
look.

Image source: http://growit.umd.edu/YouthGardening/ContainerGardening/SelfWateringContainers.cfm

 Guide to Beneficial Companion Herbs
And Plants

The herbs listed below make excellent companion plants for your garden,
keep in mind you will have to consult the guide following to determine the
appropriate planning as these same plants that benefit one species may be
detrimental to another.

• Alfalfa – For thousands of years alfalfa has been used in fields that have
been allowed to grow fallow to help replace the nitrogen depleted by years
of tomato, corn or other crops. The field is planted with alfalfa, allowed to
grow wild and plowed under the following season. In addition to supplying
the soil with nitrogen, alfalfa also increases the levels of iron, phosphorous
and potassium. It makes great ground cover to distract pests looking for the
“green” they need to see to land on.

• Anise – This herb, popular with chefs worldwide, gives off a scent that
attracts the species of wasp that preys on the aphid. Aphids, with the same
senses as their natural enemy the wasp, can smell the anise and will
generally stay clear of areas where the herb is prevalent. The scent will also
“mask” the scent of nearby veggies which will effectively hide them from
other predatory insects.

• Basil – The scent repels many insects bent on feasting in your garden like
thrips. It is also used to repel insects that feast on you, the mosquito and
even flies avoid basil.

• Bay – Bay leafs are used to flavor meats, but will also repel weevils and
moths that plant eggs in your veggies. Crushed, dried bay leafs can be
mixed into the soil to keep these bugs at bay.

• Borage – At the same time that borage plants are attracting the pollinating
bees and wasps that prey on destructive insects, it is also deterring tomato
hornworms and cabbage worms. In addition to attracting the right bugs and
repelling the wrong ones, the borage also helps increase the disease
resistance of your plants. Even after the borage plant has died, it can be cut
up for mulch and still retains much of its pest fighting properties.

• Buckwheat – Acts as fantastic fertilizer even while growing. Some call it

“green manure”. Buckwheat attracts hover flies, wasps, lady beetles and
more. A field planted with both alfalfa and buckwheat will break up the
tough top layers and make it more tillable.

• Caraway – Attracts the same insects that alfalfa and buckwheat attract and
can be used to flavor foods.

• Catnip – Although not a herb that humans eat (some people like catnip
tea), catnip repels aphids, squash bugs, ants and weevils. It may attract
neighborhood cats though, so keep that in mind.

• Chamomile – Another tea plant that acts as a positive host plant for hover
flies and wasps that prey on aphids.

• Chervil – Chervil deters another type of garden pest that can and does
devastate crops of lettuce, cabbage and other leafy vegetables, the slug.
Slugs leave slime trails that act as a beacon to other slugs toward your
garden.

• Chives – Chives repel aphids, Japanese beetles and others. They can also
help reduce diseases in the garden, but they take as many as three years to
grow to the point of being able to do that.

• Coriander – Break off a leaf from the coriander plant and you have one of
the prime ingredients in many Italian dishes, cilantro. The seeds of the plant
are also used in cooking. Coriander repels aphids, spider mites and the
potato beetle.

• Dill – The same herb used in pickling can repel squash bugs and aphids at
the same time it is attracting hover flies and wasps that prey on aphids. One
caution, dill is a favorite food of the enemy of tomato plants, the tomato
horn worm. Make sure you keep the dill away from the tomato plants!
• Fennel – This is one herb to keep out of your garden soil. It has
detrimental allelopathic properties that can kill some vegetable plants. It
does however attract those beneficial insects that keep your garden safe
from predatory bugs. As a plus, fennel makes a good flea repellent as well.

• Horseradish – For help in increasing the disease resistance of your plants,

horseradish may be the answer. The root of the horseradish plant is crushed
and placed in spray bottles as an effective insect deterrent and prevention of
detrimental fungi.

• Kelp – Kelp is actually a herb! It repels aphids, slugs and Japanese beetles.
Kelp can also be used as mulch or as a spray directly on the affected plants.

• Lemon Balm – the scent of the lemon balm will successfully repel
mosquitoes and squash bugs. The lemon scent is what is used to keep mice
away from homes as well. Plant enough of this and you won’t have to
worry about a rodent infestation.

• Marjoram – Planting marjoram near your vegetables doesn’t deter insects,

disease or fungus, it will aid in improving the flavor of those vegetables and
herbs, though.

• Mint – Many forms of mint will attract predatory wasps. They also help in
the fruiting for tomatoes and peppers. The menthol in the leaves and stems
is an effective repellent for moths, ants, flea beetles, and aphids. If you want
to attract earthworms to help improve the vermiculture nature of your
garden, they are attracted to the mint and will spend a lot of time there.
Mint is also a good scent used to repel rodents. The drawback to mint is that
it can take over a garden given enough time.

• Mustard Plants – Is often used as a cover crop to help reduce erosion and
add nitrogen to the soil. They also help to control nematodes. They are used
in regularly used in vineyards as a cover crop

• Oregano – This herb repels the cabbage butterflies and cucumber beetles.
The beneficial aspects of oregano aid in the growth of many vegetables
including cabbage and cauliflower.
• Parsley – When steeped in hot water, parsley can help discourage the
asparagus beetles from attacking your crop of asparagus. The scent attracts
hover flies and wasps.

• Rosemary – Rosemary repels moths, beetles and flies. They also aid in the
growth of beans and carrots.

• Sage – When sage flowers, the good insects find it irresistible and will
continue to visit your garden. Before it flowers it is a good repellent of
cabbage moths, beetles, and more.

• Summer Savory – An herb that attracts honey bees to the flowers and
repels moths, beetles, weevils and aphids. It can also improve the flavor of
beans and onions.

• Tarragon – Tarragon repels almost every bad insect there is and has no ill
effect on vegetable plants. It improves the flavor of most vegetables and
helps them grow as well.

• Thyme – Thyme can either be used as a ground cover or on trellises

surrounding the garden. Cabbage worms do not like the scent of any variety
of thyme.

• Yarrow – The pungent odor of the yarrow herb attracts ladybugs and
predatory wasps and helps enhance the flavor of many fruit and vegetables
when planted near them.
 Other Beneficial Companion Plants –
Flowers

• Alyssum – Alyssum attracts hoverflies and bees.

• Chrysanthemum – Flowers in the chrysanthemum family have been used

as natural insecticides for years. Growing close to vegetables, the living
blooms repel moths.

• Clover – Another plant used as ground cover to keep weeds under control
and to distract cabbage worms from reaching the cabbage when they lay
eggs. The clover also provides a good environment for a predatory bug
known as the ground beetle.

• Comfrey – Acts as a good trap crop for slugs.

• Four O’Clocks – See Larkspur and White Geraniums

• Hyssop – Hyssop is a favorite attractant for bees while deterring moths

and beetles.

• Larkspur – The larkspur is in the same family as the White Geranium and
has the same effect.

• Lavender – Beautiful purple flowers repel fleas, white flies and moths.

• Marigolds – As discussed previously, marigolds deter most pests, they

also help deter nematodes in the soil.

• Morning Glories – The blooms are beautiful and attract hover flies.

• Nasturtium – Many professional gardeners consider the nasturtium the

best natural remedy for pests acting as a trap crop for aphids and repelling
cucumber beetles, whiteflies and more. The same scent that repels these
insects also attracts the beneficial insects for your garden.

• Petunia – Petunias repel beetles, aphids, tomato worms as well as other

harmful insects.

• Purslane – Although technically a weed, purslane leaves, stems and seeds

are all edible. Some farmers use purslane as a ground cover to prevent
weeds in corn fields.

• Rue – Rue is another multipurpose plant. It deters aphids, moths, onion

maggots, slugs and snails and even small animals.

• Southernwood – The lemon scent of the southernwood plants makes for a

delightful addition to your garden.

• Sunflowers – Sunflowers make great trap crops as the aphids that infest
your garden love them. Since these flowers are very hearty, the damage that
aphids can do to a sunflower is minimal. They also attract hummingbirds
which feast on whiteflies.

• Tansy – The tansy plants repel certain kinds of ants, Japanese beetles,
squash bugs and mice. These plants are also helpful in replacing the
potassium that other vegetables and fruits take from the soil. The leaves of
the tansy plant can be dried and used indoors to keep flies out of your
home.

• White Geraniums – Japanese beetles love the scent of white geraniums

and flock to it to feast on the leaves. Unfortunately for them, the white
geranium is toxic and kills them.

• Wormwood – Although the wormwood plant has beautiful flowers, the

poisonous nature of the leaves discourages many from using it in their
gardens. Nevertheless, the wormwood plant repels cabbage moths, slugs
and snails and small animals as well. Since the wormwood is highly
poisonous to humans as well as animals, this plant needs to be kept well
away from the fruit and veggies. Use as a hedge around gardens.
• Zinnia – The Zinnia is helpful in attracting hummingbirds that prey on
white flies that feast on fruit and vegetables. These plants also serve as
excellent trap crops for beetles as they are easily discarded once they are
infested.
 Trees and Beneficial Plants in
Companion Gardening

• Apple Trees – Planting garlic at the base of the apple tree helps to repel
the insects that would eat the leaves and fruit. Garlic also helps protect the
tree from apple scab a condition that causes the fruit to deteriorate. Chives
will also aid in protecting apple trees from beetles, mites, nematodes and
aphids. They will also help protect the tree from apple scab.

Leeks and Onions will also help the apple tree by repelling pests and
attracting predator insects.

• Avocado Trees – Planting comfrey nnearby serves as a trap crop for the
slugs that invade avocado trees. Comfrey will also replenish the supply of
calcium, phosphorus and potassium used by the avocado trees.

• Peach Trees – Garlic helps peach trees in much the same way it helps
apple trees and your garden. Borers that could destroy the peach tree are
repelled by the scent of the garlic. It will also help prevent a condition
known to affect peach trees known as leaf curl.

Basil planted at the base will also help keep the pests away, too.

Asparagus and strawberries can also keep peach tree pests at bay, if you
can only keep the pests off of the asparagus and strawberries.

• Citrus Trees – Whether it is lemon, orange or grapefruit all of them

absorb a lot of nitrogen from the ground. Beans and peas growing around
citrus trees will help replenish some of the nitrogen.

Planting clover and other flowering plants around the trees will attract
those busy bees.
Borage, yarrow, dill, lemon balm, mint, and thyme will work for the
pollinating. To attract the predatory insects, you can plant fennel, parsley,
coriander, carrots and other ground cover flowers.
 Planting Combinations to Use/Avoid –
Fruit and Vegetables

• Asparagus – Asparagus takes a long time to propagate and grow to edible

size from seeds. You want to make sure you give its development all the
advantages it can use.

Planting asparagus with carrots, tomatoes, and parsley can help improve the
flavor and increase production.

Avoid planting near onions, garlic and potatoes.

• Beans – Beans grow fast and will continue to produce as long as you
harvest them prior to their maturity.

Beans grow well with many veggies and fruit including carrots, celery, corn,
eggplant and peas. Like asparagus, beans with onions, garlic and potatoes is
not a good idea.

Any allium planted near beans will suffer and will affect both the growth
rate and productivity of the bean plant.

• Beets – The beet is one of the few vegetables that benefit from a direct
planting with garlic. In addition to garlic, beets also thrive when in the
general vicinity of lettuces, onions and kohlrabi.

• Broccoli – Broccoli plants require a lot of calcium. Vegetable companion

plants that are good for broccoli include beans, cucumbers, garlic, lettuces,
onions and potatoes.

Grapes, berries,and mustards of all types introduce chemicals into the soil
that broccoli plants just can’t handle.
• Cabbage – Cabbage is almost like the “O Positive” of companion plants
as it improves the growth and flavors of many plants.

The only vegetables that cannot tolerate the presence of cabbage include
tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, lettuce and pole beans.

Strawberries and grapes also have a negative effect on cabbage growth.

The herb, dill, planted together with cabbage can attract the wasps that prey
on cabbage worms.

• Carrots – Carrots and lettuces, onions and tomatoes go perfect together in

the garden. Although some species of tomato plants can stunt the growth of
the carrots, the flavor will still be good.

• Celery – Celery can be most successful when planted with beans,

cabbages, onions, spinach and tomatoes. Unfortunately, the high nitrogen
levels required by corn and some potatoes make them a bad companion for
celery.

• Chard – Chards are those leafy lettuce-like plants that end up in many a
southern cooking dish.

The chard can be planted near beans, cabbages, tomatoes, and onions.

The effect that Chards have on melons and corn though can affect both
plants negatively.

• Collard Greens – These vegetables seem to favor others that grow

underground. Garlic, Onions, potatoes and radishes will do well with
collard greens as neighbors.

Beans, cucumbers, and lettuces also do well.

The collard green plant cannot do too well planted near grapevines.

• Corn – The second in the pairing of the Three Sisters method.

Corn does well with just about any other vegetable with the exception of
celery and tomato plants. The nitrogen levels tomato plants demand will
starve the corn.

Corn can act as a trellis for more than just beans, so keep that in mind when
planning your garden.

• Cucumbers – The spiny vines of most cucumber plants do well with both
corn and bean plants.

Potatoes however don’t do well with cucumber plants nearby.

• Eggplant – An eggplant and pepper combination is a win-win for both

plants. Beans, peas and spinach also help eggplant growth and taste.

• Garlic – Garlic is nature’s antibiotic and a valuable addition to your

garden. Many gardeners use garlic as a border plant to repel aphids and
other insects including moths, Japanese beetles, snails and more.

• Grapes – To produce healthy and delicious grapes, the vines need a trellis
of some sort to keep the fruit off of the ground. Beans, peas and
blackberries all do well near grapes. Mustard plant is also beneficial to
grow with grapes to help control nematodes.

Radish and cabbage however should be planted well away from the
grapevines.

• Leeks – Leeks are a little like onions and while they help improve the
growth of carrots, celery and onions, they do not like potatoes of any kind.

• Lettuce – Lettuce grows well in almost any combination of vegetables and

fruits with the exception of cabbage. Planting tall flowers like sunflowers or
nicotiana can help shade the lettuce from the harsh rays of the sun.

Cabbage will affect both the growth and flavor of lettuces.

• Melons – Melons get along with everyone in the garden. Ideal

companions are corn, radish and the different types of squash.
• Okra – Okra serves a multi-function purpose in gardens. It can be used as
a shield from high winds for peppers and eggplants.

It grows well with cucumbers, melons and peas.

Okra also repels aphids.

• Onions – Other than peas and asparagus, onions can help the other
veggies in the garden in growth and flavor.

They are also planted with strawberries to help fight diseases.

• Peas – Like beans, peas contribute nitrogen to the soil which is a real
benefit to corn and tomatoes.

Beans, carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and turnips all enjoy
the company of pea plants. Onions and potatoes do not grow well with peas.

For fruit, keep grapes away from peas.

• Peppers – Most species of peppers do well in locations with tomatoes,

onions and carrots. One curious combination of peppers and apricot trees
can lead to a common fungus that afflicts many pepper plants killing the
entire apricot tree.

• Potato – Potatoes appear to be the most picky of all vegetables when it

comes to companion planting.

Asparagus, cucumbers, pumpkins, rutabaga, squashes, tomatoes and turnips

all have a devastating effect on potato plants.

Corn, peas, onions, celery and carrots are just fine.

Use a border plant to keep the potato bugs away, like garlic or
horseradishh.

• Pumpkins – Pumpkins are hardy squashes. They do best companion wise

with corn, melons, and other members of the squash family.
• Radishes – Another multi-function veggie! Radishes planted around leafy
vegetables draw away insects from those veggies. The insects infest the
leaves of the radish plant leaving a healthy bulb safely tucked underground.
They keep bugs away from broccoli, spinach and more. Cauliflower and
Cabbage plants do not like radishes. Even if you eat them, they make a
great addition to the compost pile as a good supply of calcium for your
gardens of the future!

• Rhubarb – Rhubarb acts as a deterrent to mites and aphids.

Cabbage, beans and broccoli all benefit from rhubarb in their area.

• Spinach – Spinach plants benefit from the shade that pea and bean plants
give. Spinach also grows well with cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant,
onions and Hannibal Lecter’s favorite, the fava bean.

Radishes planted amongst spinach plants can help draw away the leafminer
insect that can devastate a spinach crop.

• Soybeans – The crop that is planted in the fallow years in corn fields is
soybeans. They replace the nitrogen levels that the corn has depleted.

They can also be planted with the corn if you are harvesting manually.

• Squash – There are just as many bugs that love squash as there are people.
Other than the potato, most other vegetable plants do just fine with squash.

It is after all the third member of the three sisters grouping.

Cucumbers, melons, onions and pumpkin all provide excellent companion

skills for the lowly squash.

• Tomatoes – Other than potatoes, kohlrabi, cabbage and cauliflower, the

tomato plant is every vegetable’s best friend.

• Turnip – Turnips do not like other root growing vegetables near them.
That includes potatoes, radishes and more. Peas replace some of the
nitrogen turnips use and make a good companion plant for turnips.
Companion Planting Table
 Companion Plants to Encourage
Beneficial Bugs Into Your Garden

Planting a diversity and variety of different plants in your garden can not
only add colour and life to your garden, it can also encourage useful and
beneficial bugs. These bugs can help to pollinate and also control unwanted
insects.

Bumblebees: are the most effective and natural pollinator in your garden.
To encourage bees into your garden you need to plants species that are high
in nectar and pollen. the following is a very small example, choose a wide
variety of plants in different vivd colours:

Local native plants

Borage
Hollyhock
Cornflower
Bellflower
Cosmos
Globe artichoke
Geranium

Ladybug Beetles: will eat up to 5 000 aphids in it’s lifetime, they also help
to control asparagus beetles. Encourage ladybug beetles into your garden,
by planting:

Fennel
Dill
Coriander (cilantro)
Caraway
Tansy
 Yarrow

Green Lacewings: Adult lacewings and their larvae eat aphids, caterpillars,
mealybugs, scales, thrips and whiteflies. To encourage these pretty little
bugs into the garden plant:

Coreopsis
Angelica
Cosmos
Sweet alyssum

Trichogramma Parasitic Wasp: help to control asparagus beetles, and

cabbage worms. These wasps don’t sting and won’t bother you while
having your a BBQ. Plants to encourage these helpful wasps into your
garden:

Queen Anne’s lace

Carrots
Jerusalem artichokes
Dill
Lemon balm
Masterwort
Orange
Parsley
Pennyroyal

Damsel Bugs: feed on aphids, small caterpillars, leafhoppers and thrips.

Plant alfalfa over the winter to encourage them come back year after year.
Plants that will help to bring them into your garden include:

Caraway
Cosmos
Fennel
Spearmint
Goldenrod
 Marigold

Ground Beetles: The nocturnal ground beetle is a voracious predator of

slugs, snails, cutworms and cabbage worms. Plant perennials like:

White clover is also useful as ground cover in orchards

Minute Pirate Bugs (Orius): these black-and-white bugs will attack almost
any insect. Plant:

Daisies
Goldenrods,
Alfalfa
Yarrow

Soldier Beetles: feed on aphids, caterpillars and other insects. A little word
of warning though they may also feed on including harmless and beneficial
species. Attract them by planting:

Catnip
Goldenrod
Hydrangea
Milkweed
Wild lettuce
Companion Planting Ven Diagrams

COMPANION PLANTING VEN DIAGRAM FOR GARDEN

PLANTS WITHIN THE SAME CIRCLES CAN BE PLANTED

TOGETHER AS COMPANIONS.
 COMPANION PLANTING VEN DIAGRAM FOR FRUIT TREES

TREES AND PLANTS IN THE SAME CIRCLE CAN BE PLANTED

TOGETHER AS COMPANIONS.
 Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read A Beginners Guide to Companion
Planting: Companion Gardening with Flowers, Herbs & Vegetables. We
value you honest feedback so we would be grateful if you could take the
time to leave a review on Amazon.com

You may also want to visit us at our blog

SimpleLivingBlog.net or at https://www.facebook.com/Simple-Living

Other books you may enjoy by the Author Include:

A Beginners Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens

A Beginners Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening: Introduction to

Composting, Worm Farming, No Dig Raised & Wicking Gardens Plus
More…
 Table of Contents
A Beginners Guide to Companion Planting: Companion Gardening with
Flowers, Herbs & Vegetables
Table of Contents
Copyright
Introduction
History of Companion Planting
Reasons For Companion Planting
Types of Companion Planting
Benefits of Companion Planting
Allelopathy
Soil Management
Chemical Versus Organic Fertilisers
Ideal Garden Soil Mix
Making Your Own Compost
Building a Raised Garden Bed With Cinder Blocks
Garden Planning
DIY Self Watering Container Gardens
Guide to Beneficial Companion Herbs And Plants
Other Beneficial Companion Plants – Flowers
Trees and Beneficial Plants in Companion Gardening
Planting Combinations to Use/Avoid – Fruit and Vegetables
Companion Planting Table
Companion Plants to Encourage Beneficial Bugs Into Your Garden
Companion Planting Ven Diagrams
Conclusion