Crop rotations and companions enhance garden's health
Today our column continues its ongoing primer for creating an organic vegetable garden. As mentioned previously, for best results crop rotation is recommended. In earlier columns, we have pointed out the efficacy of beneficial insect-luring flowers, both edible and ornamental, planted among your veggie crops for extra protection and the bonus of beauty. When rotating your veggie crops, leave the perennial flowers in place, since their benefits remain regardless of what you have planted.
Through the years, I have followed (and taught) the tenets of the Rodale people’s years of study and hands-on work to prove the wisdom of gardening without chemicals. Crop rotation is one of their suggestions, bringing back an ages-old practice from Europe where gardening was ever a necessity.
We’ve already suggested you plan your garden in “blocks” whether wide rows, or raised or separate beds. First, make a list of the crops you want to grow. Then, for a possible four-year plan, make a grid of five squares across and mark them with Bed Numbers (1-2-3-4-5). Underneath them make three more identical rows, and number the down rows with Year 1-2-3-4.
Across the top row, in each box, write the names of your anticipated main crops, i.e., tomatoes in bed 1, peas or beans in bed 2, carrots in bed 3, spinach in bed 4, squash in bed 5.
In the Year 2 row, directly underneath, write: spinach (bed 1), carrots (2), squash (3), peas or beans (4), tomatoes (5);
Year 3 row: squash (1), tomatoes (2), squash (3), peas or beans (4), carrots (5);
Year 4 row: peas/beans (1), carrots (2), spinach (3), tomatoes (4), squash (5).
Remember that companion and/or “family” crops may be included among your main crops; i.e.,onions among the tomatoes and intercropping of eggplant and peppers; chard, kale, lettuces, etc., with the spinach; broccoli, cabbage, turnips, etc., in lieu of the squash, since all are heavy feeders. To help with your selection of combinations for each bed, here is a list of companions with both likes and dislikes. Take note of the dislikes, since such interplanting can seriously impair plant health.
Green and/or wax beans: Love corn, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, petunias, oregano, mustard, summer savory, rosemary; Hate onions, garlic, gladiolus.
Pole beans: Love corn, squash, oregano, mustard, summer savory; Hate onions, beets, sunflowers, cole crops.
Beets: Love onions and Coles; Hate pole beans.
Coles: (Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi): Love mint, dill, and most aromatic herbs, as well as potatoes, celery, beets and onions (cabbage particularly likes sage); Hate strawberries, tomatoes, pole beans.
Chinese cabbage, (different from the American cole crops), Likes Peas, but Hates pole beans.
Carrots: Love peas, lettuce, chives, tomatoes, onions, rosemary, sage — Hate dill.
Corn: Love potatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, squash.
Cucumbers: Love beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers; Hate aromatic* herbs, potatoes.
Eggplant: Loves beans and basil.
Leeks: Love celery, carrots and onions; mix ‘em up!
Lettuce: Loves carrots, radishes, strawberries and cucumbers.
Melons: Love beans, corn, peas, radishes, thyme, sunflowers; Hate potatoes and most otheraromatic herbs.
Onions: Love beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, chamomile and summer savory; Hate peas, beans.
Parsley: Loves, and is beneficial to, tomatoes and asparagus.
Peas: Love most vegetables and herbs but Hate onions, garlic, gladiolus, potatoes.
Peppers (Sweet bells/Hot): Love most vegetables and herbs; Hate onions, garlic, gladiolus, potatoes.
Potatoes: Love beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish, eggplant, gladiolus; Hate pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, sunflowers, tomatoes, raspberries.
Pumpkins, gourds: (See squash).
Radishes: Love peas, nasturtiums, lettuce, chervil, cucumbers (planting lots of radishes with your peas and cukes will trap many harmful pests).
Rutabaga, turnips: Love peas, but NOT each other: Remember that these related crops (including radishes) will cross with each other, also with Chinese cabbage and Oriental mustard, so don’t plant together if you want true-to-species produce.
Squash (Summer and Winter): Love nasturtiums and corn. (Plant only one variety of squash per species to prevent crosses).
Spinach and Chard: Loves strawberries. Plant in the strawberry bed for mutual benefit.
Tomatoes: Love chives, borage, thyme, onions, parsley, asparagus, marigolds, carrots, nasturtiums; Hate cole crops, potatoes, fennel.
Watercress and Mustards: Compatible with most vegetables and aromatic herbs.
Our next column (March 11) will explain the benefits of crop rotation, pointing out the needs and differences of light, moderate and heavy feeders, and the reasons for their particular place in the rotation.
• Next Week: The Country Chef returns with the joys of Pasta.