garden scrapbook and companion planting

I was updating my garden scrapbook today, and ran across my list of planting guidelines / plant compatibility. For those of you who don't have a garden scrapbook, it is a great way to keep track of all those plant tags, plant locations, etc....and it is even a neat way to track plants that have been given to you as a gift, or from a family garden. I cut out the nice pictures and descriptions in the garden magazines sent out each spring, as that normally covers most of what I need to know about the plant, and it only takes a small space in my book. I also sketch each garden and the location of plants. If I know the year I planted a tree or shrub, I put the date next to it as well. Just fun stuff like that!

As I mentioned at the start, I found my plant compatibility chart I made a few years ago....which I added to my scrapbook. Planting for compatibility is also known as companion planting, where plants are put near one another based on how they react to one another. (I will do a post later about planting by the moon and crop rotation) Following are a few of the most common:

• Beans - plant near corn, carrots, cabbage and tomatoes
• Carrots - plant near tomatoes, cucumber, peas, sage and onion
• Chives - plant near carrots, tomatoes; do NOT plant near beans or peas
• Corn - plant near beans, melons, cucumbers, peas, squash, sunflowers
• Dill - plant near cabbage family, corn, lettuce, onion; do NOT plant near carrots, tomatoes
• Peas - plant near corn, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes
• Peppers - plant near carrots, onions, basil, oregano; do NOT plant near beans
• Potatoes - do not plant near apples or pears
• Tomatoes - plant near cabbage family, carrots, asparagus, dill, basil, parsley, sage; do NOT plant near potatoes
• Watermelon - plant near mint, beans, corn, catnip, sunflowers; do NOT plant near potatoes

One aspect to note when planting next to one another is root depth. A shallow-rooted plant can normally be planted next to a deep-rooted one, because they will not interfere with each other. Some plants help repel pests or bugs, aiding the plants next to it. For example, Dill and Mints attract beneficial insects. Anise and Coriander also attract good insects. Mints spread, so they should be placed in a container before planted, otherwise they will take over....unless, of course, you want them spreading. If you just want pretty flowers in your vegetable garden, delphiniums, larkspur, marigolds, and roses are nice options that typically react well. Most herbs add a pleasing effect to a garden, with the softer leaves and delicate flowers. They also can react with vegetables, so plant them with an appropriate companion.

Fruit trees react to other plants and trees around them too. My mom planted a cherry tree when we were younger, and we never had any cherries. It was a few years ago that I read that cherry trees react negatively to nut trees, which would explain why we never had any cherries. Our little cherry tree was graced by a beautiful backdrop of oak trees, walnut trees, and hickory trees. The poor thing never stood a chance!