GARDEN + GARDENING + GARDEN DESIGN + GARDENING TIPS & ADVICE

Here’s an excellent gardening tip that will better your chances of harvesting big, ripe tomatoes this fall – it is called companion planting.

Companion planting is a fascinating part of garden science. By simply planting specific plants in close proximity, the plants will benefit and protect one another. Certain properties of certain plants can help nourish the soil, aid in pollination, enhance produce flavor and keep away unwanted pests. Native Americans frequently practiced companion planting by growing beans, corn, and squash on the same plot. The beans provided needed nitrogen fixing and climbed the stalks of corn, while the squash provided ground cover to combat weeds and hold in moisture.

The best way to protect your tomato plants is to intersperse them with other kinds of plants – a practice known as intercropping. Several types of plants are known to provide benefits to tomato plants, among them carrots and flowers such as nasturtium and marigold flowers. Nasturtiums and marigolds will protect your tomatoes from a variety of pests including, white flies, aphids, and nematodes. In addition to protecting your plants, these flowers provide beautiful color to your landscape.

• Laying Out And Planting Vegetable Gardens
• Vegetable Garden Planting Checklist
• How To Plant Tomatoes: Ten Top Tips To Growing Tomatoes

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 at 2:55 pm and is filed under Gardening General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.