This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Inter-planting and Companion Planting

Inter-planting and companion planting are two different growing techniques. Try them both. Doing so can make gardening even more fun for you. It can help you maximize the space in your garden.

Is it spring yet? Cold rain. Snow. Ice. Wind. Really? I think we are done with winter. Aren’t we? Please say yes. 

Have you heard about inter-planting and companion planting? Way
back when, I always thought they were one in the same. Nope! They are
different, though similar in some ways. 

Inter-planting. I like to plant different varieties that mature at different times during the growing season. That is the basic concept behind inter-planting. For example, I plant my tomatoes about 30-36” apart within the row. I plant peppers about 18” apart. Both require both warm ambient (air) temperatures and warm soil temperatures. The way this spring has gone so far, I am hoping that by Memorial Day the soil has warmed up sufficiently. 

Find out what's happening in Edinawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I mark the places within the row where my tomatoes and peppers will be planted. In between those places I plant other crops, such as different lettuce varieties. Lettuce is a cool weather crop which can be planted (normally) around the end of April in our metro area (Zone 4). By the end of May I have already harvested some of the outer leaves for salad. Tomatoes and peppers (and other plants), are warm weather crops. They go in the end of the month. While they are getting established, the lettuce is still growing and I am still harvesting the outer leaves. At some point, the tomatoes and peppers will start to crowd out the lettuce. At that point, I harvest the lettuce plants, which gives the tomatoes and peppers more room to grow. 

You can interplant other cool weather crops, such as kohlrabi, green onions, beets, chards, radishes, turnips, broccoli raab, some Asian veggies such as kaillan and choy sam with your warm weather crops. I mentioned tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Other warm weather crops include beans, squash (summer and winter), cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins.   

Find out what's happening in Edinawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The point is to plant a cool weather, short growing veggie with a warm weather, longer growing veggie. Planting tall and short crops together is another example of inter-planting. You get to extend your harvest in the same row or same general space. And in case you aren’t sure what other veggies are cool or warm weather, consider reading the directions or description on the seed packet or plant label. What the heck! Some of that information may actually help you. 

Companion Planting. This is another of my favorite growing techniques. I do it for fun. I do it but perhaps not for the commonly held reasons you may have. And now for a little myth-busting.

First, there is no or very little scientific research that supports planting, say basil with tomatoes, will enhance the flavor of the tomato. And like inter-planting, companion planting allows me to fill a space and make more efficient use of my garden (without overcrowding of course). 

The myth that planting basil with tomatoes enhances the flavor of a tomato, came about in Europe during the Renaissance when people started eating tomatoes and flavoring them with basil. The first tomatoes brought to Europe from Peru and Mexico in the 15th Century were small yellow rascals. And it took Europeans about 200 years after that to eat tomatoes and get over their fear that they were poisonous. Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family, a particularly deadly poison. But not to worry. Tomatoes are not poisonous! And tomatoes high in lycopene are said to reduce the risk of cancer.

Back to the Europeans. The first cookbook featuring tomatoes (and other veggies and herbs) came out in Naples, Italy in 1692. The thinking went that if basil enhanced tomatoes when they were cooked together, could they not enhance their flavor while they were growing together? Nice idea, but nope. I plant my basil next to tomatoes, because I like to do it! 

Some companions were said to repel certain insects. Planting garlic with roses? No. Marigolds would repel rabbits and some insects. No, but they do attract beneficial insects which may feed on those pests. Repel rabbits? Try a fence. Nasturtiums planted next to squash repel an insect called the Squash Vine Borer. Again, nope. And there are many other companion combinations. Folklore, yes. Research-based? Not so much. But it is fun to do!

What research is now showing is that planting a mixture of different types of plants is better than planting a mono-culture, that is, all tomatoes, all soybeans, etc., in the same row and/or area. This is a real benefit for companion planting lovers (me!). Most insects are plant specific. They attack one type of plant or a family of plants, but not all plants in other botanical families. Squash Vine Borers attack plants in the curbit family (cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins), but not tomatoes or lettuce or beans or cabbage or corn, for example. 

Planting a mix, a combination of different varieties together confuses the insect. There are a mixture of multiple smells, colors, and shapes. 

Forget flavor enhancements or insect/animal repelling thoughts for a minute. There is at least one companion planting combination that I would like you to try. It comes from the American Indian. It is called Three-Sisters and includes corn, pole beans, and winter squash. All three are warm weather varieties. All three grow well together. (And this is a great project for kiddies!)

Plant the corn first when the ground warms, say around the second or third week of May. When the corn is about 12-18” high, plant the beans and squash. As the corn grows it provides a natural support for the pole beans. As the beans grow, they naturally add nitrogen to the soil, which benefits the corn, which means you need less or no additional fertilizer. As the winter squash grows it extends its vines into the corn patch. Some squash varieties will send out vines 20-25’. Raccoons will not step on the prickly vines and eat the corn, which means that you get to eat the corn. 

Does the Three Sisters method enhance the flavor of the beans-corn-squash combination? No. Will it repel insects? No. Will it help keep raccoons (and maybe squirrels) at bay? Generally, yes. Will you be adding nitrogen fertilizer to your garden, naturally? Yes. 

Welcome to a first step to organic gardening, companion planting, and interplanting. 

If you believe that planting one variety next to another enhances the flavor of one or both, then go ahead and continue doing it. Make gardening fun. And if like me you enjoy inter-planting and companion-planting, then go for it. It is your garden! 

Comments? Questions? Please contact me on this blog or at larryc@cci4360.com.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Edina