This February weather has been pretty mild so far, but do not let it fool you into complacency, your plants are not yet ready to go outside. What you can do instead is get ready to plant in the coming weeks by starting your plants early inside, if you have the space. This could be anywhere you have good lighting or you can also use grow lights. If you are really lucky, a green house. To get some of the best yields you have ever had, we wanted to talk about companion planting.
Companion planting is growing vegetables, herbs or flowers near each other to optimize the soil, bug deterrents and pollinators, for a stronger healthier plant and a larger yield. Did you know that tomatoes love carrots? While we usually plant basil with our tomatoes, they also love carrots. Since carrots like cooler weather, start them first, then succession plant in tomatoes and basil, as the days go longer and the temperature increases.
Another favorite of ours to plant together is nasturtium and cucumbers. Nastirtium is a flowering green, where everything it grows is edible. The flower and leaves are a perfect addition to salads, and adds a bit of peppery spice to the dish. Cucumbers thrive with nasturtium growing close by. Ours took off and did not look back.
Probably our most successful and favored planting companions is the “three sisters” combination of beans, squash and corn. This triple threat works great together and produces wonderful yields when grown together. With differing times of produce, you can have food all summer long with these companions.
We usually mix together our greens, in rows by and around each other. Kale, spinach, arugula and chard all go well together and create bountiful yields when planted. The cooler weather allows for greens to grow and thrive together early on in the season, and when planted next to each other, they all thrive.
We have left the best for last, marigolds. Marigolds are a garden staple and we plant these all around the edge of our beds to help keep away unwanted pests and to draw in pollinators. Marigolds help tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce, and green beans. These flowers are beautiful as well as beneficial for any garden.
Do not be afraid to combine your plants this year for a stronger, healthy plant that produces more food for you and your family. Companion planting is more than just planting next to each other, its a great way to ward off pests and optimize your garden to produce more. Be sure to check out the chart from the Farmers Almanac website for more details and plants that we did not cover. Happy planning and plating this Spring.
