Boost your harvests with intercropping

Intercropping is the technique of growing multiple crops in the same space in a way that maximises productivity. Start by looking at the space that a main crop occupies and then think about what could complement it. For example, when growing runner beans in a container against the side of a fence, you can plant parsley seedlings between the runner bean plants that will then occupy the lower levels, giving you two harvests from the same area.

One of my favourite intercropping methods for containers is underplanting tomatoes with basil and then planting nasturtiums on the edge of the pot to allow them to sprawl over the side. Here are three other productive intercropping plantings to try:

Onions with carrots (in alternating rows)

Fennel with spinach in-between rows

Dwarf beans under sweetcorn