April discussion: Companion Planting

[U4ea]

So, lately, I've taken up researching companion planting because I just can't seem to keep some of my before alive and other taste bland. I have small children, so fertilizer isn't an option. I took several classes at Gulf Wars last month and learned more about medieval gardens, which included a whole bunch of companion planting.

 

Now that you know how I got addicted to the idea, let's talk about planting certain herbs and veggies together!!

[U4ea]

I wanted to start with a trio that is NOT medieval in origin. Well, it's not European medieval, anyway.

 

It's called the Three Sisters, which are corn, squash and beans. Growing these three is a dance of timing, as well as knowing that they'll help each other and thrive together.

 

I found a really good article about it here:http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.html

 

Pretty cool, right?

 

 

Next, we're talking about... Marigolds!!!

[Ryrin]

We have tons of cheap corn here. What about herbs?

[U4ea]

I'm going to start a whole different thread about herbs! I'm collecting info for my grimoire on herbs... it's become a bit of an addiction, actually. So much so that when I went to get potting soil at Home Depot on Saturday, I saw they had Wormwood and stood there like an idiot for five minutes re-reading the little card to make sure that's what I was looking at... hahaha

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

Ive heard that it is good to plant Tomatoes and Basel together, is that true?

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

And Marigolds, because they smell so terrible, help keep bugs away, right?

[U4ea]

Tomatoes like a lot of plants, yes. Basil will make the tomatoes sweeter. :-)

 

And yes, the smell of the Marigold is a natural bug repellant (mosquito's hate them).