In Organic Gardening

 

The term “companion planting” is not well known, but the practice has been in place for thousands of years in various parts of the world. Rather than planting row upon row of a certain type of vegetable, various species are intermingled. For instance, taller plants that benefit from great exposure to the sun can share space with low growing species that thrive in the shade, resulting in higher yields. Companion planting simply means organizing a garden in such a way that plants that benefit from each other’s growth are placed close to each other.

There are several benefits and types of companion planting including trap cropping and nurse cropping, the former occurring when a plant, attractive to insects, is planted beside the main crop to lure insects away, the latter when dense plants protect more susceptible species by creating shade or breaking the harsh effects of the wind.

 

“Nurse crops such as oats have long been used to help establish alfalfa by smothering the more competitive weeds,” writes Natural Life magazine editor Wendy Priesnitz. There are also many plants that repel insects and so protect neighbouring plants. Rye, as one example, is used as a mulch around tomatoes because it releases a chemical that prevents weed germination.

Having a knowledge of Nature allows us to work with her. In companion planting, this means optimal yields and optimal space usage, ensuring that all plants thrive, not competing against each other, but supporting the growth and proliferation of each other.

 

How much better for us and our world if we work with Nature instead of against her.
 

November 8, 2007

TO PRINT News on Science What's new ?

© New Acropolis Canada