Does Companion Planting Really Work?
Companion planting is likely something that you have either never heard about, or you are trying to get away from it. In any case, you probably have a lot of questions about it. What is it? Is it useful? It is something that you should implement in your garden?
If you want to become more self-sufficient, companion planting might come in very handy for you. Not only will it likely help to grow all your favourite fruits and vegetables, but it will also reduce the need for pesticides. Maybe even scrap the need entirely! Whether you live in a cold or warm climate, and no matter the type of garden, companion planting can always be your friend.
With that being said, let’s jump into what companion planting actually is, its purpose, and whether it really works. There’s plenty to cover, so grab your favourite drink (and your favourite mug), and prepare to take some notes (or bookmark this page).
Don’t feel like reading the whole article? Here’s the gist: companion planting is the practice of planting various plants close together to either protect or enhance them. This technique is thousands of years old, and is known to be effective in many, but not all cases. The technique is not scientifically proven to be effective, but it has helped to protect and enhance crops nonetheless – albeit in not all circumstances.
What is Companion Planting?
In simple terms, companion planting is the practice of pairing together different plants and planting them close together in order to somehow benefit them. This practice can enhance a plant’s growth, pollination, or help to keep pests away.
There is often a specific plant that you are trying to protect in companion planting. For example, if you are growing tomatoes, you are likely going to want to protect your tomatoes. To do so, you could plant calendula to repel hornworms (as well as aphids, nematodes, and more), and chives to repel spider mites (and more). When these plants flower, they also act as excellent for attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies – which are also beneficial!
By having these two plants (calendulas and chives) growing beside your tomato plants, you are protecting your tomato plants from a lot of different pests. As such, you reduce the need for pesticides, or maybe even remove the need for them at all.
How Long Has Companion Planting Been Practised?
This gardening practice has been around for several thousand years, so it isn’t some kind of new fad going around. Sources say that companion planting was developed by indigenous people in the Americas, who used the “Three Sisters” method. This is when corn, squash, and beans were all planted together in the same bed.
However, there are also texts by Marcus Terentius Varro of companion planting being tested back in the Roman days in 200 BCE in the vineyards.
Companion planting could go back even further to civilisations like Mesopotamia, and we just don’t know it. As much fun as it is to imagine things, we can only work with what we have, so let’s credit the indigenous people of the Americas and the Romans for their ingenuity, because they certainly deserve it.
So, sorry to say that if you were hoping that companion planting was a recent discovery, you’d be wrong. It’s been around for a long time, and it probably isn’t going to go anywhere.
The most important question, however, is whether companion planting is effective or not.
Is Companion Planting Effective?
Depending on how you want to look at this question, you could have two answers. If you are purely looking for scientific evidence, you’re going to say that this practice is not effective. However, if you look at the anecdotal evidence, it can be incredibly effective.
The problem here is that even if companion planting is proven to repel pests and enhance growth, there doesn’t always seem to be a reason for it. Many plant combinations don’t have a logical explanation as to why it works – it just does. In some cases, the reasons are obvious (science and stuff), but this isn’t one size fits all.
With that being said, there are circumstances where it isn’t effective at all. There will be cases where it simply doesn’t live up to expectations, but that’s the way of life.
Overall, however, companion planting, while not scientifically proven, is an effective gardening practice!
Final Thoughts
Companion planting – you love or hate it. It usually works, but sometimes it just doesn’t. We wish there was more solid evidence to give on the subject, but sometimes you just need to get out there and try it yourself.
If the Romans and indigenous people of the Americas were using this practice in their gardens, and it’s still around today, there’s probably a good reason for it.
While you’re in the gardening headspace, why not learn more? Have a look at environmentally-friendly gardening options, various types of gardening, and some things that you should never do in a vegetable garden. We also cover which plants repel the most pests (and which attract them), and the easiest and most difficult fruits and vegetables to grow.