by Wendy Connick

Created on: October 14, 2010

Companion planting is the practice of putting different types of plants near each other to help each one grow better. Farmers around the world have practiced companion planting in one form or another for centuries; in China, for example, rice growers have planted the mosquito fern as a companion for their rice crops for at least a thousand years, knowing that the fern will put nitrogen in the soil to feed the rice plants and will shade out shorter-growing weeds that would otherwise steal nutrients from their crops. Here are some companion plants that can help out in almost any vegetable garden.

Garlic: Garlic is the king of pest deterrent companions. It will drive off insects and even some mammal pests such as rabbits, thanks to its unappealing odor and taste. Garlic plants are small enough that you can easily sprinkle them around your garden, placing a few plants in each row. And they are easy to care for: simply plant a clove of garlic in autumn, and it will emerge in early spring and protect your plants until late summer, when it's ready for harvest. Organic growers can make a nontoxic pest repellent by crushing garlic cloves in water and spraying the resultant “garlic tea” over their plants.

Borage: Also known as starflower, this old-fashioned herb is believed to improve the health of almost all garden plants. Its fragrant blue flowers attract bees, and it has been proven to distract tomato hornworm moths away from companion tomato plants. Borage is a perennial and can reach 2-3 feet in height in fertile soil, so it does require some elbow room. Gardeners will also have to watch out for its self-sowing habit; it will form a dense clump of daughter plants if permitted.

Nasturtium: Well worth growing for their own value, nasturtium flowers will also help the plants around them by drawing caterpillars and aphids away from your vegetables (a practice known as “trap cropping”). They can also attract beneficial insects who will prey on the less desirable bugs and help keep their numbers below plague levels. Nasturtiums are both beautiful and useful; every part of the plant is edible, although the bright orange flowers are particularly tasty. They add a festive touch and peppery kick to salads and sandwiches. The unripe buds are sometimes pickled and used as a poor-man's substitute for capers. Nasturtiums are also quite hardy and easy to grow – sometimes a little too easy, as these self-sowing annuals can pop up unexpectedly the next year.

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