Companion Planting - Betterpets

1. Many plants, when grown next to each other, provide a benefit or improve the quality of the other plants
around them. They may make the nearby plants grow bigger and stronger, improve their flavour, repel pests
or attract beneficial bugs. Some plants provide shade for the others or help break up heavy soils with their
root systems. Putting it simply, they are great neighbours to have.
Companion planting has been used for centuries to help gardeners control pests and
diseases, improve the health of plants and to produce more abundant crops. However,
over time, companion planting has become quite convoluted and confusing for gardeners
but it needn’t be. There are five main styles of companion planting which can be used
individually or combined and although doing them all is near on impossible, having a go at
a few methods should yield great results.
MIXED PLANTINGS
This is probably the easiest of all methods since it is simply about the layout of the vegie
patch. Instead of planting in lovely straight rows, the vegetables are mixed so that the
insects are confused by the array of smells and foliage and have more difficulty finding
the plants they prefer to lay their eggs on or eat. You can imagine how easy it would be
for a white cabbage moth, for example, to find a patch full of leafy cabbages but if these
were mixed amongst other vegetables and annuals, it makes their work harder and
perhaps less likely that they would find and damage every cabbage in the garden.
PLANTS THAT REPEL
Repellent plants are offensive to insects and help deter them from areas of the garden. Garlic and onions are terrific
for this as their rancid smell fills the air on a warm day. Other insect repelling plants include:
Basil Aphids, fruit fly, white fly, and house flies, mosquitoes
Hyssop Cabbage moth
Chives Airborne & soil borne insects, aphids, crab apple
Dill White cabbage moth
Fennel Fleas
Lavender Flies, beetles, moths
Oregano White cabbage moth
Pennyroyal Flies, mosquitoes, fleas, ants, mice
Rosemary Cabbage moth, bean beetle carrot fly snails, slugs , mosquitoes
Sage Cabbage moth, carrot fly, flea beetle, slugs
Southernwood Cabbage moth, mosquitoes, flies, fruit flies
Summer Savory Bean beetles
Tansy Jap beetles, cucumber beetles, ants, flies, fleas, cutworms, cabbage worms , fruit moth
Thyme Cabbage worm
Catmint Ants
Catnip Flea beetle, ants
Coriander Aphids
Garlic Japanese beetle, aphids, peach leaf curl, apple scab, red spider mite, black spot
Marigolds Mexican beetle, nematodes, various insects
Mint White cabbage moth, caterpillars, aphids, flea beetles, mice
Nasturtium Squash bugs, pumpkin beetles, aphids, white fly
Wormwood Small animals, flea beetle, mosquitoes, mice, caterpillars, moths
INSECT TRAPPING PLANTS
Insect trapping plants lure insects away from other valued crops. Nasturtium is a
terrific lure since it is very tough, grows in the back corner of the garden with little
effort and is very attractive to whitefly, aphids and snails. Once there, these
pests can be handpicked or sprayed with pesticide without affecting the
vegetables in the garden. And since nasturtium dies down and then reseeds,
any damage from these pests quickly disappears.
Comfrey and silverbeet are great traps for snails and slugs and because they are
quite robust. The snails are simply collected and the damaged leaves removed
and thrown into the compost. New leaves soon appear.

2. INSECT ATTRACTING PLANTS
Some plants are very attractive to beneficial insects that are predatory or assist
in pollination and they are terrific planted strategically in the vegetable patch or
garden bed. Although ladybirds seem quite sweet, in actual fact they are
vicious predators that eat up to 500 aphids a week. To encourage them into the
garden, it is simply a matter of using as few pesticides as possible and planting
lots of annuals with tiny flowers such as alyssum or dill. Hoverflies also prey on
aphids and planting marigolds will help attract these good bugs into the garden.
Bees are essential for pollinating our vegetables and flowers and, with numbers on the decline, it is more important
than ever for us to ensure that they have a healthy environment to thrive in. There are many plants that attract bees
into the garden including lavender, thyme, cornflower, hyssop, rosemary, sage, catmint, oregano, sage and marjoram.
GOOD COMPANIONS
By combining plants that are compatible, the harvest ends up healthier or more flavourful. For example, peas and corn
are often grown together as corn requires lots of nitrogen which peas are excellent at trapping in the soil. The peas
also use the corn stem to climb over so that the pods don’t touch the ground. Garlic is supposed to make roses smell
better and cabbages enjoy the shade provided by cucumber vines. The plants below enjoy each other’s company.
Basil Tomato (Improves growth and flower)
Borage Tomatoes, squash, strawberries (Attracts bees, repels tomato worm, increases fruit)
Chamomile Cabbage, onion
Chervil Radishes (Increases growth and flavour)
Chives Vegies, roses, apple trees. (Increases rose perfume. Discourages climbing insects)
Garlic Roses (Makes their flowers smell better and repels aphids)
Hyssop Cabbage, grapes
Mint Cabbage, tomatoes
Nasturtium Radishes, cabbage, fruit trees
Pennyroyal Roses
Rosemary Cabbage, beans, carrots, sage
Sage Cabbage, carrots, rosemary
Savory Beans, onion
Tansy Fruit trees, roses, grapes
Thyme Cabbage
Dill Carrots, tomatoes, celery
Onion Carrot, beet, lettuce, Silverbeet (Scent masks the carrot scent and fools the carrot fly)
Oregano Cabbages, cauliflowers, grapes
Parsley Chives, roses, tomatoes, carrots
Sunflowers Squash, cucumbers (Provides shade)
Potatoes Bush beans (Protect each other from beetle attack)
Radishes Carrots (Plant seed together. Harvest the radish first to loosen the soil for the carrots)
Tomatoes Asparagus (The chemical in asparagus repels tomato pests)
Cucumbers Cabbages (Cucumbers use cabbage leaves to shelter from the heat)
Pelargonium Grapes
ALL ROUND GOOD GUYS
Plant thyme in the corners of the vegie garden or use carpeting thyme
along paths to attract bees to cross-pollinate.
Grow garlic randomly around the garden (except near strawberries, peas, beans &
cabbages). It deters insects and improves the perfume of roses.
Plant in March and harvest in December.
Use marigolds as edging plants around the vegie garden as insects
don’t like the smell and they also deter nematodes.
Feverfew and southernwood have insect repellent properties. Plant them
throughout the garden but also near the chook pen or dog kennel.
Chamomile and yarrow help improve the vigour of the plants around them.
They are easily included in garden beds or vegie patches.
For more advice, visit any Better Pets and Gardens store.
www.betterpetsandgardens.com.au
Better Pets and Gardens 2011