Companion planting | by Mariella

Plants don’t grow in isolation, they grow together! This is obvious, right? But what I find so interesting is that plants do not always make good neighbours. Some vegetables, when planted together, turn out sweeter, stronger, seemingly immune to attack from pests. But when you get the combination wrong, plants seem to experience stunted growth and are weak or more susceptible to attack from harmful bugs and disease.

Companion planting takes into account: the proximity of plants which have adverse or beneficial effects on one another, planting of plants which are beneficial to the soil and plants which attract friendly insects or act as natural pesticides and herbicides in strategic places in your garden.

Comfrey is every gardener’s ally.  Its leaves are extremely high in potassium, nitrogen, calcium and other nutrients, making it the best natural fertilizer. Just remember not to eat any part on the plant though; this is food for your garden, not for you! Mix the leaves with boiling water and let the ‘tea’ rot for a month or so. It smells grizzly but the plants love it!

I would recommend getting a book on the subject if you are starting your own vegetable patch as it helps when you haven’t had the opportunity to observe which plants make good bedfellows!

There are some plants, especially herbs which attract helpful insects into your garden, doing the job of pest control for you. The flowers of angelica, borage, mint, buckwheat, Californian poppy, carrot, chamomile, chives, coriander, crimson clover, dill, Echinacea, fennel, garlic, golden rod, lavender, lemon balm, marigold, marjoram, mustard, nasturtium, parsley, rocket, rose scented geranium, rosemary, sage, sunflower, tansy, thyme, yarrow will attract insects like bees, dragonflies, damselflies, spiders, ladybirds – which can eat a whopping 400 aphids a day, lacewings, praying mantises into your garden. 

It’s so rewarding to hear the buzz of your little helpers already at work in your garden when you get there first thing in the morning. They've been awake and productive for hours, they love my garden and I love them, it’s companionable! 

Did you know that borage makes strawberries sweeter? And that fennel should not be planted near beans, tomatoes, kohlrabi or coriander, but it’s great as a flea repellent when scrunched in your hand and rubbed into your dog’s coat? Rows of wood ash in your beds will deter slugs. Garlic and parsley grown near Roses will help keep them pest free.

No one knows why it works, chalk it up to one plant liking the way another plant smells, but it comes from generations of observant farmers and if you’re going to take the time and effort to plant something in the ground and will it to live through hard work and love, you may as well surround it with buddies, so that together, they don’t get bugged!