Organic Vegetable Gardening - Friends and Foes
My last post talked about plant families, which is a great way to start your planting, but once you understand basic families, there are families that like to be neighbors and even thrive around each other. Learning which plants are friends and which plants are foes is the way to take your garden planting to the next level.
The other benefit is that in organic gardening you want to produce a natural environment where your plants thrive and are strongest against insects and disease, putting them with other plants that help their growth is one way to achieve this.
So here is a list of the Friends and Foes:
Plants-----------Friends--------------Foes
Asparagus
FRIEND---basil, nasturtium, parsley, tomato
FOE------garlic, onion
Bush Bean
FRIEND---beet, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, corn cucumber, eggplant, leek, marigold, parsnip, pea, potato, radish, rosemary, strawberry, sunflower
FOE-----Basil, fennel, kohlrabi, onion family
Pole Bean
FRIEND---carrot, cauliflower, chard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, marigold, pea, potato, rosemary, strawberry
FOE-----basil, beet, cabbage, fennel, kohlrabi, onion family, radish, sunflower
Beet
FRIEND---bush bean, cabbage family, corn, leek, lettuce, lima bean, onion, radish
FOE-------mustard, pole bean
Broccoli
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, carrot, celery, chard, cucumber, dill, kale, lettuce, mint, nasturtium, onion family, oregano, potato, rosemary, sage, spinach, tomato
FOE-------pole bean, lima bean, snap bean, strawberry
Brussels Sprout
FRIEND ---beet, bush bean, carrot, celery, cucumber, lettuce, nasturtium, onion family, pea potato, radish, spinach, tomato
FOE--------kohlrabi, pole bean, strawberry
Cabbage
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, carrot, celery, cucumber, dill, kale, lettuce mint, nasturtium, onion family, potato, rosemary, sage, spinach, thyme, tomato
FOE-------pole bean, strawberry
Cantaloupe
FRIEND---corn
FOE-------potato
Carrot
FRIEND---bean, brussels sprout, cabbage, chive, leaf lettuce, leek, onion, pea, pepper, red radish, rosemary, sage, tomato
FOE-------celery, dill, parsnip
Cauliflower
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, carrot, celery, cucumber, dill, kale, lettuce, mint, nasturtium, onion family, potato, rosemary, sage, spinach, tomato
FOE-------pole bean, strawberry
Celery
FRIEND---bush bean, cabbage family, leek, parsley, pea, tomato
FOE-------carrot, parsnip
Corn
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, cabbage, cantaloupe, cucumber, morning glory, parsley, pea, potato, pumpkin, squash
FOE-------tomato
Cucumber
FRIEND---bush bean, cabbage family, corn, dill, eggplant, lettuce, nasturtium, pea, radish, sunflower, tomato
FOE-------potato, sage
Eggpalnt
FRIEND---bush bean, pea, pepper, potato
FOE-------none
Kale
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, cabbage, celery, cucumber, lettuce, nasturtium, onion, potato, spinach, tomato
FOE-------pole bean
Kohlrabi
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, celery, cucumber, lettuce, nasturtium, onion, potato, tomato
FOE-------pole bean
Leek
FRIEND---beet, bush bean, carrot, celeriac, celery, onion, parsley, tomato
FOE-------bean, pea
Lettuce
FRIEND---everything
FOE-------none
Lima Bean
FRIEND---beet, radish
FOE-------none
Onion
FRIEND---beet, cabbage family, carrot, kohlrabi, leek lettuce, parsnip, pepper, strawberry, spinach, tomato, turnip
FOE-------asparagus, bean, pea, sage
Parsley
FRIEND---asparagus, corn, tomato
FOE-------none
Parsnip
FRIEND---bush bean, garlic, onion, pea, pepper, potato, radish
FOE-------caraway, carrot, celery
Pea
FRIEND---bean, carrot, celery, chicory, corn, cucumber, eggplant, parsley, potato, radish, spinach, strawberry, sweet pepper, turnip
FOE-------gladiolus, onion family
Pepper
FRIEND---carrot, eggplant, onion, parsnip, pea, tomato
FOE-------fennel, kohlrabi
Potato
FRIEND---bush bean, cabbage family, corn, eggplant, horseradish, marigold, parsnip, pea
FOE-------cucumber, pumpkin, raspberry, rutabaga, squash family, sunflower, tomato, turnip
Pumpkin
FRIEND---corn, eggplant, nasturtium, radish
FOE-------potato
Radish
FRIEND---bean, beet, cabbage family, carrot, corn, cucumber, leaf lettuce, melon, nasturtium, parsnip, pea, spinach, squash family, sweet potato, tomato
FOE-------hyssop
Rutabaga
FRIEND---nasturtium, onion family, pea
FOE-------potato
Spinach
FRIEND---cabbage family, celery, legumes, lettuce, onion, pea, radish, strawberry
FOE-------potato
Squash
FRIEND---celeriac, celery, corn, dill, melon, nasturtium, onion, radish
FOE-------potato
Strawberry
FRIEND---bean, lettuce, onion, pea, spinach
FOE-------cabbage family
Tomato
FRIEND---asparagus, basil, bush bean, cabbage family, carrot, celery, chive, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, pepper, marigold
FOE-------pole bean, dill, fennel, potato
Turnip
FRIEND---onion family, pea
FOE-------potato
This is by no means every plant, but it covers some of the most popular vegetable garden plants. I personally like to have a printed out copy of this list when I plan out my garden each year. That way I can make sure I am creating the optimal growing environment.
Happy gardening,
--Greg
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