Buddies can help certain plants grow
TO FURTHER help gardeners planting to feed their families, we asked Tanya Visser, editor of The Gardener and Die Tuinier magazines, to give us some input on companion plants, which act as buddies helping each other grow.
The aim of companion planting is to reduce, or even do without, commerical fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides. You are leaving nature to do her work.
However, as Visser points out, not all companions are good.
Despite all your eager efforts, you will not reap the fruits of your labour if you plant beans and onions together; or rue and basil. Try not to plant fennel in a vegetable patch, especially near dill and coriander. Rather plant it in a flower bed – if you have one – as aphids find it irresistible.
The following tips will also prove helpful. “Plants with very aromatic foliage make it difficult for pests that rely on their sense of smell to find their favourite vegetable,” said Visser. Examples are lavender, rosemary, basil, scented geraniums, thyme and mint.
Pollinators like butterflies, bees and moths, are essential for pollinating fruiting vegetables. Ladybirds, wasps and assassin bugs keep aphids and other pests under control. So grow pollen- and nectarproducing plants such as cornflowers, chrysanthemums, daisies, lavender, nasturtium, sunflowers, to name a few.
“Trap plants that attract pests away from your vegetables should be planted around the edge of your garden. Once they are infected, pull them out, cut them down, or get rid of the concentration of pests with an organic spray.
Nasturtiums, garlic chives, chives, fennel, sunflowers and violets are effective trap plants.
Marigolds and khakibos rid the soil of nematodes (microscopic worms) that damage the roots of many vegetables.
Chamomile is often called the plant doctor, said Visser, because it stimulates the growth of nearby plants. Its aromatic foliage acts as an insect repellent, and the high lime content in its leaves make it a useful green manure or compost crop.
While the roots of peas, beans and lucerne contain nodules which release nitrogen into the soil, other plants are good at taking up nutrients. These include borage, comfrey, chamomile, fennel, nasturtiums, primrose and yarrow.
So add their leaves to your compost heap, or dig the plants into the soil as a green manure crop. You can also make a green tea from the leaves and use it is a liquid fertiliser to pour over the vegetables.
Certain herbs are good companions for specific vegetables.
We have chosen those that are most likely to be planted, espe- cially in the rural areas.
Beans – celery, oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary and sage.
Beetroot – bergamot and mint.
Broad beans – nasturtium.
Cabbages – mustard, nasturtium, chamomile, rosemary, thyme.
Carrots – chives, mint, rosemary, bergamot. Cauliflower – mustard. Celery – calendula, marigold. Chillies – lovage. Chives – bergamot, rocket. Cucumbers – nasturtium, yarrow, dill. Leeks – celery. Lettuce – anise, bergamot, dill, sorrel.
Mealies – dill, nasturtium, yarrow.
Onions – chamomile, rocket, thyme. Peas – sorrel, feverfew. Potatoes – calendula, horseradish.
Radishes – calendula, mint, nasturtium.
Spinach – anise, catmint, parsley, sorrel.
Sweet peppers – lemongrass, oregano, marjoram, tarragon. Sweet potatoes – lemongrass. Tomatoes – basil, bergamot, celery, lemongrass, mint, nasturtium, parsley, rocket, sage and thyme.