It is not a stretch for one to consider a garden that hosts a large variety of plants as something akin to a suburban neighborhood. Some plants don’t mind being crowded while others do.
The point is that some crops should never be planted next to each other. Moreover, the same vegetables should not be grown in the same spot year after year after year.
You may not realize it, but plants influence each other in different ways. The effect depends on the chemicals that a plant releases during its life cycle. This chemical secretion has an effect on vegetables and plants that grow close by.
Tomatoes are considered to be good neighbors when matched with haricot, peas melon, watermelon, eggplants, and pumpkins.
(Courtesy: George Wesley and Bonita Dannells at flickr.com)
Radishes are considered to be good neighbors when matched with watercress.
(Courtesy: Movita Beaucoup at flickr.com)
Vegetables considered to be bad neighbors –- those that should not be close together –- include:
· Potatoes and Cucumbers
· Beans and Onions
· Tomatoes and Pumpkins
· Tomatoes, Cabbage and Wild Strawberries
Vegetables considered to be good neighbors –- those that can be planted close together –- include:
· Potatoes, Haricot, Peas, and Corn
· Onions and Carrots
· Garlic and Black Currant
· Radishes and Watercress
· Peas and Mustard
· Garlic, Salad, and Parsley
· Haricot, Peas, Melon, Watermelon, Eggplants, Tomatoes, and Pumpkins
· Beets, Chicory, and Onions
Knowing how vegetables can relate to one another in a garden can avoid lots of problems that could arise. It allows you to better plan out your garden and to use the available space more efficiently to increase productivity.
Moreover, including specific plants in your garden can help to discourage insects from destroying certain vegetables.
For example, including Marigolds will help keep eelworms away from tomatoes and potatoes and keep away onion flies, owl-moth and cabbage butterflies. Nasturtium keeps cabbage butterflies and whiteflies away. Chamomile-perimetrium protects against cabbage moth caterpillars, cabbage butterflies, aphids, and rodents. Calendula prevents Colorado potato beetles from invading your vegetable garden. Tansy discourages ants and Petunia guards asters from Fusarium, and legume crops from all kinds of diseases and pests.
