Your Guide To Companion Planting

With the spring planting season upon us, it seems the perfect time to talk about companion planting. What is companion planting? It is planting one plant with another plant near to benefit one, or both, of the plants. It's an efficient way to utilize the space in your garden and can help immensely with pest prevention.

 Companion plants can help in several ways:

- Attracting beneficial insects: Beneficial insects can be broken up into two categories. Pollinators such as bees help plants to fruit and thrive. Predatory insects feed on a whole range of pests – such as aphids and scale. Lavender, Thyme, Cleome, Alyssum and Borage are great to plant if you want to attract beneficial insects.

 - Acting as a sacrificial plant: These plants will bear the brunt of the hungry pests, sacrificing themselves in the name of delicious fruit & vegetables. These plants can usually be hacked back when the pests get too out of control. Nasturtiums and Cleome are both very hardy sacrificial plants. 

 - Pest prevention: These plants do exactly what they say, aid in pest prevention. Marigolds, Celery and Lemongrass use their smell to repel bugs. While Alliums (garlic, onions etc) will help prevent pests in the soil.

 - Flavour enhancing: Some plants, such as chamomile, are said to enhance the flavours of the plants around them. 

 - Provide Nitrogen: Clover beds and peas extract nitrogen from the air and store it in their root zone. This improves the fertility of the soil surrounding these plants.

 - Enhance growth: Certain plants like Borage are said to enhance growth and aid in overall plant health.

Many plants can be used for companion planting – each with its particular trait. Below are the most common and their benefits:

- Calendula: Not only do they provide edible flowers, but they also help prevent beetles in the garden – and nematodes.

 - Thyme:  Thyme repels various insects from gardens and can deter worms. It can also attract syrphid flies; these insects love to eat aphids, thrip, scale and more. Thyme apparently enhances the flavour of strawberries, eggplants, and cabbages.  

 - Nasturtiums: These are a prime example of a sacrificial plant. Nasturtiums attract white butterflies so much that the butterflies will ignore your cabbages and other brassicas. Both the leaves and flowers are edible – they have a similar pepperiness to arugula.

 - Tansy: Tansy helps to concentrate the potassium in your soil, which makes it great to place near fruiting plants. It attracts bees and can deter non-nectar-eating insects like ants. Tansy can be toxic to mammals, so make sure to plant it out of reach of children and pets.

 - Chamomile: This pretty plant is believed to aid in the oil production of herbs like basil and mint. It is also known as the plant doctor as it tends to help sick plants recover.

 - Dill: This herbaceous plant is a natural repellent against aphids, caterpillars and even spider mitres. When Dill flowers, it helps to draw in a variety of beneficial insects. 

 - Alliums (Garlic, Onions etc.): Plants in the Allium family help to repel slugs, snails, aphids, and carrot flies. They are good to plant around fruit trees, potatoes, brassicas, and carrots. 

 - Basil: Basil is said to enhance the flavour of tomatoes and help the tomato plant to grow stronger. Basil also repels flies and mosquitoes. 

 - Borage: This is said to be one of the best companion plants. Borage is believed to aid plant growth, particularly in strawberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers. It is also an attractant for predatory insects and pollinators – it's a must-have for any vegetable garden.

 - Comfrey: We wouldn't recommend planting this in your vegetable garden as it can quickly take over. It's better suited to flower beds. Comfrey is excellent planted around fruit trees as they accumulate calcium, phosphorus, and potassium while growing.

 - Celery: This delicious vegetable keeps white butterflies away as they don't like the smell. Celery is a great companion for brassicas and beans.

 - Clover: Clover plants make great cover plants and aid in nitrogen uptake. They have nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots that take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it to a stable form that other plants can absorb. 

 - Marigold: These beautiful flowers are often used as a border plant because their scent helps keep away a wide variety of pests. Their roots produce a naturally powerful insecticide that helps to deter soil-born pests.

 Whatever you choose to grow, there will no doubt be a companion plant that works for you. Happy gardening and if you need assistance with companion planting, visit your local Hyalite; and we will be glad to help.