The Bradner Barker
  • News
  • Local Businesses
  • Advertising
  • Contact
Picture

Companion Gardening

4/28/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureImage by Olaf Schwenk from Pixabay - Pixabay License Free for commercial use No attribution required
By the Mount Lehman Garden Club

Long before the use of chemical fertilizers, farmers and gardeners found that by planting certain plants close to each other  damage from certain insect pests was lessened. Marigolds (not the ornamental French marigolds, but Calendula Officionalis the old fashioned pot marigold) are wonderful companions in the vegetable garden. They repel Asparagus beetle, cabbage moth, corn borer, cucumber beetle, various nematodes, potato beetle and whitefly. Nasturtiums are another great companion plant. They repel aphids, cabbage moth, cucmber beetle, potato beetle and whitefly. Even if they are not totally effective they will certainly help, and have pretty flowers all summer.

The allium family (onions, leeks, garlic and chives) are also very useful, and if we can cut down on insect predation by changing which plants are grown close to each other, why not? They are said to be good against cutworms, mites, potato beetle, whitefly and slugs and snails. Chives are sometimes planted in rose gardens to repel aphids.

The mechanism by which they work is not fully understood, but it is probably no accident that most of the companion plants have aromatic foliage. Perhaps the strong scents confuse the insects looking for their host plant.

Some plants do not do well planted close to each other. The roots may give off substances the are toxic to certain plants.  The classic example is the Black Walnut. The roots give off Juglin, which is toxic to almost every other plant. Other plants will sort of grow within the drip line of the tree, but they do not do well. 

The following is a brief list of planting combinations that work and ones to avoid:

  • Beans are good with celery and cucumbers. Avoid onions and fennel
  • Beets like bush beans, lettuce, onions and most members of the cabbage family. Avoid pole beans
  • Cabbage, celery, dill, onions and tomatoes like each other, but dislike strawberries, tomatoes and pole beans
  • Carrots, lettuce, radish, onions and tomatoes are friends, but keep away from dill
  • Corn plants prefer to be near pumpkins, peas, beans, cucumbers and potatoes, but keep tomatoes away
  • Cucumbers like corn, peas, radishes, beans and sunflowers, but keep aromatic herbs and potatoes at a distance
  • Lettuce grows well with onions, but also likes strawberries, carrots, radishes and cucumbers
  • Onions can be planted near lettuce, beetroot strawberries, carrots, radishes and cucumbers
  • Tomatoes, carrots, onions and parsley are good companions. Basil is said to improve the flavour, but keep cabbage and cauliflower away from them

Another way to use plants to improve the health of what you are growing is to make up a spray. Shred some plant leaves and steep them in hot water for an hour. Strain into a jar and add a few drops of detergent as a wetting agent. Use it as a spray twice, two days apart. Used in this way garlic is a good all around spray against insect and fungal problems. We may have found a use for the dreaded horsetail – used like this it is supposed to be good against slugs. Two for the price of one! Another useful spray is coriander for aphids and spider mites. Rhubarb is thought to be useful against black spot, but be careful, as the leaves contain oxalic acid, a poison.

For more information on these and many other subjects, join a garden club. The Mount Lehman Garden Club usually meets @ 7pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Mount Lehman Community Hall, 6418 Mount Lehman Road.  

For more information call Yvonne at 604-856-0313.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Bradner Community News

    News at your fingertips!

    Categories

    All
    4 H
    Abbotsford Airport
    Abbotsford School District
    Aberdeen
    Agriculture Land Commission
    Aldergrove
    ALR
    Annual Celebrations
    Baby Announcements
    Bertrand Creek
    Birthdays
    Bradner Agriculture
    Bradner Artisans
    Bradner Childcare
    Bradner Community Club
    Bradner Elementary School
    Bradner Hall
    Bradner History Committee
    Bradner Memorials
    Bradner PAC
    Bradner Presbyterian Church
    Bradner Store
    Bus Service
    CGLAP
    City Of Abbotsford
    Community Alerts
    Community Profiles
    Community Warning
    Contests
    Crime
    Crown Land In BC
    Delfresh
    Dunach Elementary
    Elections
    Endbridge Gas Line
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Events
    Fire & Ambulance
    First Nations
    Flower Show
    For Sale
    Fraser River
    Fundraising
    FVRD
    Garden Club
    Glen Valley Watersheds Society
    Guest Posts
    History
    Interurban
    ISO
    Jubilee Hall
    Kickstarter
    Kinder Morgan
    Legion
    LEPS
    Letters To The Editor
    Local Produce
    Lost & Found
    Matthew's House
    May Day
    Missing Persons
    MLA Media Releases
    Mount Lehman History
    MP Media Releases
    Mt Lehman
    Nathan Creek
    OBITUARIES
    Opinion
    Police
    Press Releases
    Programs
    Protest-rallies
    Protest-rallies
    Save Our K 7s
    Sports
    Thunder Kings
    Traffic
    Trains
    Transit
    Trans Mountain Pipeline
    Wedding Announcements
    Wildlife


    Chitter Chatter Fabrics

    Bradner Farms
    Certified Organic - Dairy, Poultry, Feedmill & Beef

    LAVU Design

    Brought to you by...
    Bradner Hall


    Dishlink Surrey BC

    Tweets by @BradnerBarker

    Bradner BC

    The Barker Belongs to Bradner...

    Submit an Article

    Red Dog Mobile Welding Abbotsford BC

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    July 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    April 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Welder Abbotsford


    Land Based Fish farms Canada

    Bradner News Abbotsford BC

    Bradner Bulldogs Abbotsford BC

    The Barker Belongs to Bradner...

    Submit an Article
    Bradner Hall
    A Mark HVAC Vancouver BC

    Spring Health Centre
    Reisinger Electric
    Prodigy Orthotics

    The Bradner Barker Abbotsford BC

    The Barker Belongs to Bradner...

    Submit an Article


    Harris Road Farm Organic Blueberries Abbotsford BC Upick

    Heritage Mountain Heating and Cooling AC Repair Furnace repair and installation BC
Bradner Barker Abbotsford BC

© 1994 - 2025 - The Bradner Barker - All Rights Reserved
The Barker Belongs to Bradner!
  • News
  • Local Businesses
  • Advertising
  • Contact