Companion Planting Guide For Beginners

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Gardening is an extremely rewarding activity – people get to grow their own food, spend some time in nature either alone or with their family, building strong bonds that last forever. However, no matter how therapeutic gardening can be, it’s still mainly done with the idea of receiving good produce and high-quality crops.

But in order to achieve this, many people say that you need a lot of time, good quality seeds, a lot of space, a fancy irrigation system, etc. All of this is true but it’s not necessary. There is actually a very simple method that could reward you with an amazing taste, less occupied space in your garden, easier watering habits and an overall easy process of gardening that yields amazing results.

That’s right – companion planting! This genius technique will give you all of the abovementioned and more! Just follow this simple guide, see which plants combinations will suit your needs the best and you will enjoy fantastic results in no time!

What Exactly Is Companion Planting?

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If you’re not familiar with companion planting, here it’s a quick explanation on its nature and goals. Companion planting is the art of growing species that thrive in being combined together. Yes, you can plant only tomatoes and carefully take care of them and they will grow nicely. However, if you plant them together with basil you will get better produce and the basil will act as pest control – repelling mosquitoes and bugs.

This truly embodies the idea of companion planting – multiple benefits for the vegetables, herbs and fruits, less occupied space, improved soil, overall better produce and easier harvesting and irrigation.

Still, it’s important to note that there aren’t many studies for companion planting and it’s mostly spread out by different gardeners that swear on its effectiveness. In any case, even if there aren’t that many benefits, we are completely sure that there aren’t any downsides either. You either win or nothing really changes, which is a win in any case.

Why Is Companion Planting So Beneficial To Your Garden?

Okay, so we mentioned all the benefits, but how exactly does this work? Let’s take a closer look at them:

  • Saving space and easier management

It is the most obvious benefit – planting your veggies and herbs close together means that they will take up less space in your garden. It will also make the whole maintenance and management process ten times easier – you will weed them together, water them together, harvest the bounty much quicker than usual. 

  • Better soil quality 

Plants require different types of soil nutrients in order to thrive so if you’re planting the right species together, they steal from each other, compete for the resources which will lead to healthy soil and happy plants. Basil and beans, for example, are said to improve the quality of the earth and even better the taste of the plants they are growing along with. Sounds like a dream, right? 

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  • Plants helping plants

If you plant certain crops together, they can help each other grow a lot more comfortable and easier. For example, heavier and sturdy plants can act as a support for the climbing plants, helping them grow taller. The high growing crops, on the other hand, will provide the much-needed shade and shelter to the sun-hating species that will, either way, dry out. 

  • Pest control

And last, but certainly not least – companion planting is a very successful garden pest control method. There are some species that can be planted as sacrificial crops while others – such as flowers and herbs, are quite successful pest repellents.

Good And Bad Plant Combinations

So now that you are well aware of all the benefits, let’s take a look at all the useful combinations between plants and the ones it’s better to avoid. Below, you will see a very useful infographic by Paul’s Mowing Melbourne that will help you choose which combinations will suit you best.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NawLjKXiFdwWR5bskXijayTE0-c3cMaF/view