The book Garden Companions just appeared at our local
library and is full of advice for organic gardeners.
Here are some quotes:
Insects are the pulse of the garden, the measure
of how successful my garden will be.
When you're establishing a habitat for beneficial
insects or other desirable creatures, neatness
does not count.
Anytime you leave bare soil, weeds will find it.
Once you start studying how plants grow together
in woods and meadows, you'll see that Mother
nature was the first companion planter.
Whether it's the end of a spring planting day or the
end of the gardening season, I just don't feel I'm
finished if the soil is still bare.
There are 900 billion microorganisms in a pound of
soil. As a teacher, I've found that once gardeners
realize that the soil is alive, they treat it with
more respect.
the family of (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, greens)
like companions of: basil, cleome, cosmos, parsley
asters.
the family of (potatoes, beans, peas) like companions
of: calendulas, cosmos, daisies, dill rosemary, sweet
annie
the family of (cabbage, lettuce, and root crops) like
companions of: asters, chamomile, marigolds, rosemary,
sage, thyme. Mulches of dwarf clover and alyssum.
the family of (squash, corn, pole beans) like
companions of: borage, dill, nasturtium, sunflowers.
Mulches of nearby buckwheat and alfalfa.
the family of (carrots, greens, onions) like companions
of caraway, camomile, cleome, cosmos, dill, fennel,
Iceland poppies. Mulch with grass clippings.
the family of (asparagus, horseradish, strawberry,
rhubarb) like companions of borage, alyssum, chives,
swan river daisies (for strawberries), bee balm,
black-eyed susans, chamomile, creeping thyme, lovage,
tansy, yarrow (for horseradish), cosmos, dill, hollyhocks,
sweet annie (for asparagus)
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Jeff Owens ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Zone 7, http://www.teleport.com/~kowens
Underground house, solar energy, reduced consumption, no TV
