11 May 2011

Companion Planting: Beets and Leeks

Today was dedicated entirely to the garden, pulling weeds, digging and prepping beds, and doing a lot of planting. For the past couple of years we've been simply planting one or two crops in a single bed and have been struggling to ward off pests in the early part of the season. This year, I will be using the method of "companion planting," which is simply planting specific crops next to each other that will assist each other in nutrient uptake, pollination, pest control (some plants give off scents that deter pests, some attract predators to keep pests in check or provide an alternative location for egg-laying), and other factors that increase yields. 

Today I planted leek seedlings and beets together in a bed with garlic. All of these crops have been observed as mutually beneficial to each other. After discovering a bunch of spinach plants coming up from last year, I replanted them with the rest of the spinach and planted radishes along side them.
Two flowers that I plan on planting in the garden that serve as excellent examples of this relationship are marigolds and nasturtium. Marigolds give off a sent that deters aphids and attracts their predator, hoverflies. Nasturtium attract caterpillars who will tend to prefer it over your lettuce or cabbage.
Companion planting is a good method to use in your garden because it not only makes for a more varied, attractive garden, but also mimics the diverse and inter-related system present in nature and harnesses nature's own proven form of pest control. It is my belief that nature's design is perfect. It may be messy, but that messiness makes it perfect in that it is incredibly stable. The more diverse, the better.

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