This year, for example, I planted pansies with my onions. It's because of companion planting that I don't have to use pesticides any more (except to test one sometimes), rarely weed and hardly ever fertilise. Having said all that, I now have to praise companion planting. Then compare each plot's performance - and do it all over again next year as well. Take lots of notes: measure how long the seed takes to germinate, how fast the seedlings grow, when they fruit, how much and how often. To know whether one plant really grows better or worse with another you need to have at least two similar plots - say one with tomatoes without basil, one with both tomatoes and basil, and maybe another with basil all on his lonesome. They should be singing their own praises instead. When their loving touch gets rid of pests, produces blooms that stun the neighbours or cabbages as large as watermelons, they praise companion planting. Most people who practice companion planting are exceptional, caring gardeners. In fact it's often hard to tell whether companion planting works or not. So many companion planting hints have been passed on from book to book, all based on European observations - whereas Australia has quite different pests and predators, and garden relationships - and the 'companion planting' that works overseas may not work here at all. Not that it matters much - the main pest species of nematodes in Australia don't care one way or another about marigolds (most of them can't stand mustard though - but that's another story). Marigolds can repel nematodes - they'll repel them away from the marigold roots, and right into the arms of the poor flowers or vegies you're trying to protect. There are a lot of companion planting myths around - like growing marigolds to repel nematodes. Tomatoes grown here with basil don't do any better or any worse than those grown without it: but if you condemn poor old basil to live his life next to tomatoes he'll probably get black spot. ![]() 'Tomatoes love basil' is one of the great companion planting fallacies. (Yes, I know that's not romantic but we do need a bit of realism here).Īctually, if I had my way myths like 'basil loves tomato' would be composted too. He swept her off her feet (well, shook her to the roots anyway) and they produced prolifically all season, and were buried in the same compost heap that winter. ![]() He was tall, green and handsome, the perfect basil plant, and she was a blushing tomato, a country girl at heart. It was love at first sight - just like the books explained - the ones that tell you how parsnips hate celery, and celery like cabbages. Companion Planting : What REALLY Happens When Basil meets Tomato
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