What Is Companion Planting?

Companion planting means growing crops or plants close together to benefit each other and enhance production. Did you just think of the classic marigold-in-the-vegetable-garden example? That’s one type of companion planting, but there are many others. It can be used to attract beneficial insects and pollinators or repel pests. It can even be used to grow crops in temperatures where they typically don’t thrive—such as lettuce in the summer!

Ever Heard of Trap Cropping?

Trap cropping means growing a sacrificial crop as a control measure to lure pests away from the crop you plan to harvest. This can be used as a low-cost integrated pest management (IPM) method to help control the concentration of pests in your garden. When growing a trap crop away from the crop you want to harvest, it makes it easier to rid your garden of unwanted pests and can help increase the amount of your harvest.

Once the warmer weather comes, so do pests! Sometimes we want cool weather crops in warmer weather and find ourselves having to deal with pest pressure. An example is growing brassicas in the summer and having to constantly manage pressure from the harlequin beetles. When the harlequin beetles take over one plant, leaving that plant in the garden away from other crops they typically would enjoy is a form of trap cropping.

Another example: Watching your zucchini thrive one day and wilt the next because of the squash vine borer can really lower your confidence in growing this beloved crop. Using the Blue Hubbard Squash as a trap crop to attract the adult squash vine borer is a way to incorporate the trap cropping technique. Transplant your Blue Hubbard Squash seedlings into your garden at the same time you sow the seeds of your squash in hopes that the adult squash vine borer will lay its eggs on the trap crop and not your beloved summer squash (or any of your other cucurbits).

Intercropping, Anyone?

Intercropping means growing two or more crops in close proximity to promote beneficial interactions between them. Benefits can include providing shade, retaining water and improving soil health.

One of the oldest examples of intercropping is the Three Sisters, said to have derived from the tribes of indigenous people that planted corn, beans and squash together. Corn is considered the oldest sister and is a heavy nitrogen feeder. As the beans come along, they help replenish the nitrogen back into the soil. The squash, the youngest sister, helps shade the area and suppress weeds by creating a living mulch.

To implement the Three Sisters method, you would start with a mound of soil three to four feet in diameter. Plant three to four seeds of a tall corn variety first in the center of the mound. Once the corn is around six inches tall or two to three weeks old, plant four bean seeds beside each stalk. Picking the right variety of bean is essential—make sure to choose a vining or pole bean over a bush bean so that the beans will “climb” the corn stalk as they grow. Once the bean tentacles start to climb the corn stalk, it’s time to plant four to six summer squash seeds around the perimeter of the mound to round out the Three Sisters arrangement.

Companion planting is something of an art, and noticing the benefits can be immediate or seasonal, but it’s something that’s great to try. Create a journal and keep track of the changes you see from season to season or take pictures to have a visual record of your success. Slowly but surely, you’ll develop an approach that works for you!