Buddies

We're starting to plan out the garden. It's a huge task. Plus, it'll only bring us closer to realizing we can't fit nearly as many plants as we want...

Nevertheless, we looked into companion plants so that we can take advantage of the benefits our plants can offer each other. While most plants will be relatively isolated in smaller containers, we do have plans for two very large containers. To get the depth and diameter we want for the lowest cost, we plan on using two kiddie pools. More on this later.

The most famous companions are a trio called the Three Sisters - corn, beans and squash. Native Americans made the combo famous.

"Tall corn stalks provide support for pole beans to climb. Beans, through their symbiotic association with a type of root bacteria, fix nitrogen from the air into a form that plants (especially nitrogen-hungry corn) can use. And large, ground-hugging, prickly squash leaves shade out weeds and may deter critters," the National Gardening Association tells us (http://www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas/projects/mar03/pg1.html#sisters).

While the science between companion planting (also called intercropping) is debated. More and more gardeners are using knowledge of potential synergies in their garden planning decisions. Once used almost exclusively in smaller farms and gardens, the National Sustainable Agriculure Information Service (NSAIS) offers information for larger-scale farmers to incorporate intercropping into their systems as well.

The "scientific foundations" behind intercropping are broken down by the NSAIS into seven categories: trap cropping, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, biochemical pest suppression, physical spatial interactions, nurse cropping, beneficial habitats, and security through diversity. More information about intercropping is available at their website (http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html). This website also has a MUCH more comprehensive listing of companion plants than the one follows.

Plants which are particularly assisted by certain companions will find themselves in the kiddie pools. Bearing this in mind, we came up with a list of companions for our plants. In the following list, the plant listed first is benefited by the plants which follow it.

Peas -> beans
Green and Red Leaf Lettuce -> carrots and radishes
Mesclun mix -> carrots
Tomatoes -> basil
Broccoli -> dill, peppermint and beets
Kale -> dill, peppermit and beets
Zucchini and Squash -> nasturtiums (we don't have any yet)
Beets -> broccoli, tomatoes
Carrots -> peas, lettuce and tomatoes

Also good to keep in mind: Swiss chard does not like living with beans. Bearing this information in mind - as well as space requirements for different plants - we have relegated zucchini, squash, broccoli, dill, mint and possibly some tomatoes to the kiddie pools. Though admittedly tacky, these pools will be the closest our deck comes to an actual garden.

The garden is mapped. I'll unveil the plans in an upcoming blog - I'm sure you're as excited as I am :)