Copanion PlanTing_ 3 Tips to Make it Easy

Companion planting is the secret to fewer pests, a productive garden, and maximizing your garden space. But implementing it can feel overwhelming. Plant this, don't plant that. It feels like there is so much to learn. But it doesn't have to be that way. In today's video, I'm sharing three simple ways that you can implement companion planting in your garden I'm Angela from Growing In The Garden. My garden is in Mesa, Arizona. I want to help you succeed even if you're gardening in tough conditions. The first tip, plant one flower and one herb in each of your garden beds. Planting in containers, if you can fit an herb or a flower in that container, great. If not, try and plant some nearby. Planting several different types of herbs and flowers throughout your garden will attract a wide variety of beneficial insects and pollinators. And that is who will do the heavy lifting of pest control in your garden. Although there are specific plant combinations that can be helpful, having a wide variety of crops in your garden will benefit it more than any one certain combination ever would. So don't get caught up worrying about all of the specifics of plant this with this. Aim to have a wide variety in your garden and the beneficial insects will come. Here are five flowers that grow easily from seed that you can add throughout your garden. Marigold, bachelor button, zinnias, nasturtium, and alyssum. Other easy ones to add are calendula, chamomile, and viola. Here are some herbs that are simple to add to your garden. Basil, cilantro, forage, and dill. These all grow easily from seed. If you allow them to flower and drop seed, they may come back next year too. I grew dill here last year and this year I've got lots of volunteers. Keep your warm season and cool season companion plants in mind and tuck in a seed or two in each bed when you plant. The next companion planting tip is to inter-plant crops with different timing to maximize your garden space. Here's a couple of examples. If you're planting carrots and radishes, plant them at the same time in the same area. The radishes will finish first and naturally thin your carrots for you. I harvested the radishes and now my carrots have plenty of room to grow. Plant long season crops that will eventually need a lot of room like cabbage and cauliflower and broccoli next to quick to harvest items like spinach and lettuce. Once you harvest that spinach and lettuce, there'll be plenty of room for that cabbage to grow wide. When artichoke season finishes, I'll cut this plant down to the ground and then I'll plant sweet potatoes in this area. They'll grow up over this and protect the crown during the hot months of summer. Look at the crops you're growing and find ways to maximize the timing of planting crops in your garden. My third and final tip is to look for plants that can share space and benefit each other. In nature, plants don't grow in neat rows. They intermingle and form symbiotic relationships. Think about the crops that you're growing and look for complementary opposites. A classic example is the three sisters garden of corn, beans, and squash. In a three sisters garden, the corn becomes the pole for the pole beans. The beans enrich the soil with their nitrogen fixing ability and help support the corn in the wind. The large leaves of squash and melon shade the soil and keep it cooler and retain more moisture. This is a simple way to let plants help each other out. There are many different variations. Find the ones that work for you in your garden. The key is to plant tall crops with climbing and spreading crops. Things like okra, corn, amaranth, sunflowers, even roselle hibiscus all grow tall. Sprawling and climbing plants include asparagus beans, pole beans, winter squash, malabar spinach, cherry tomatoes, peas, cucamelons, and cucumbers. My favorite combinations are roselle or okra with sweet potatoes growing underneath. Planting okra and letting the tepary beans climb and cucumbers climbing sunflowers. And finally, take advantage of the shade naturally created by tall crops and crops grown on trellises. Use that to your advantage when you're planning your garden. Remember, the key is to add a wide variety of crops to your garden. Diversity is essential. You don't have to know everything about companion planting to get started. Grab a package of seeds and get planting. Do you have any favorite plant pairings? What's worked for you in your garden? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear it.