Just What is Companion Planting?

Corn and beans are two of the three sisters. (Squash planted but not up yet.)

Companion planting is a type of polyculture in which many gardeners, including myself use in the garden by mixing different types of plants in the same area. These could be different types of vegetables, herbs, or even flowers. There are several reasons to use companion planting. It helps maximize space, increase pollination, provide habitat for beneficial insects, and deter harmful insects thereby increasing productivity.

Maximize Space

One of the most popular types of companion planting is the Three Sister’s Garden. These include corn, pole beans, and squash. I like to include a fourth or even fifth member is added to include sunflowers and bee balm. The corn grows thin and tall, the beans grow up the corn stalks and the squash covers the ground.

Sometimes you can companion plant an early crop with a later crop. For instance, you can plant carrots and then in the same area plant tomatoes later. The carrots are pulled out and the tomatoes allowed to take over the same space. I did this with tomatoes and peas along the same fence. The peas are on the north side of the fence and the tomatoes on the south side. As the peas die back, the tomatoes will take over that same vertical space.

A Synergistic Affect

The corn provides support for the beans, the beans provide nitrogen for the corn…