When I first began Gardening, I was a self-defined organic gardener. I was determined to learn everything about natural methods for controlling weeds, pests, and diseases. I studied numerous books devoted to that goal. Amongst them, was the book called Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. Basically, this book lists what plants are beneficial and/or harmful to other plants. I believed every word and was determined to put it into practice immediately. I planted onion and garlic with the cabbages, carrots with the tomatoes and black beans in the corn. Unfortunately, the cabbages blocked the sun off the onions and garlic, the tomatoes blocked the sun from the carrots and the corn blocked the sun from the beans so I ended up with half the crops I had anticipated. To make matters worse, the cabbages were still attacked by cabbage moths, the tomatoes were filled with hornworms and the corn had silk worms. To be fair, I didn’t use some of the organic sprays recommended in the book and I interplanted the crops far too tightly, basically causing my own problems. Nonetheless, my experience was an unwelcome eye-opener. I felt betrayed and disillusioned.

Since that first attempt at companion planting, I have had the opportunity to try many other gardening methodologies. From square-foot-gardening, to raised beds, to three-season gardening, to a mixture of them all, I have continued to experiment B seeking for the perfect harmony of plants and soil. From each failure, I have become more determined to succeed; and I, the perpetual optimist, believe I am nearly there. Carrots with tomatoes, onions with cabbages, and beans with corn may work but certainly not the way I did it. I’ve discovered that it’s all about good soil, proper plant spacing and plant rotations. Plenty of people have tried companion planting. Some swear by it, others see no appreciable difference. If you want to experiment with your garden, try a combination of methodologies instead of using just one. To use the square-foot-gardening technique, plant a 2x2 square of carrots next to a 2x2 square of tomatoes. To suppress weeds and promote tomato production, use red plastic mulch. In another 2x2 square plant onions, next to it or around it, in 2x2 foot plots, plant your cabbages with a black plastic or paper mulch underneath it. Plant your beans (also with plastic mulch) near your potatoes for mutual insect protection. Rotate your crops by plant families throughout the season (if you’re doing succession planting), or in a 3-year cycle, making sure to plan for a legume crop in your rotation (to fix nitrogen in the soil and replenish nutrients). Then, when you’ve done all you can, watch and record your results. By keeping a yearly gardening journal, you can fine-tune your garden plan, making whatever changes are necessary for next year’s success. Above all, don’t give up. It’s the challenge that makes it worthwhile.