(Chelsea Update would like to thank Jennifer Fairfield of The Garden Mill for this column.)
One step forward and one step back.
That’s what it feels like these days to us gardeners in Michigan. We get a few days like the ones we had last week when it was raining, snowing, and sleeting, followed by two days of absolutely gorgeous weather that gives us great hope for getting lots done in the garden, only to have it be miserably rainy again.
And while those two days were beautiful, they were not enough to dry out our gardens to the point where we can actually work in them.
While we’re waiting for the soil in our gardens to dry out and warm up enough to work in, we can be planning what we want to plant where and when.
So let’s talk about some of the things you should consider in your planning.
When you are thinking about where things should go in your garden, think about where you had things growing last year.
There are really good reasons for not planting the same things in the same places year-after-year.
Soil-borne diseases will hang around in your soil forever if you keep supplying them with their favorite host plant.
Most diseases need specific host plants to survive, so don’t keep giving it to them. Ideally, you shouldn’t grow the same crop, or a crop that is in the same family, in the same place for three to four years.
This means don’t grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes in the same place one year to the next; move your cabbage, kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts around; and the same goes for your cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins and watermelons.
If you don’t have the space to rotate on a three-to-four year basis, at least don’t grow the same thing or family in the same place one year to the next.
Companion Gardening:
Another thing to consider when deciding where things should go is the idea of companion planting.
While there have been no scientific studies to back it up, companion planting is something many people have anecdotal evidence for working.
What is companion planting? It’s the idea that some plants do better when grown together, or conversely that some plants do worse when grown side-by-side with others, for various reasons. In some cases, it is because substances in the leaves, flowers or roots of a plant can attract or repel different insects.
In other cases, some plants can affect the growth of others.
Some companions to consider:
Growing nasturtiums near your squash can help to keep squash bugs away, while planting dill, cilantro or parsley amongst your squash can help to attract Tachinid flies, the larva of which feed on squash bugs (but you have to let the dill go to flower to attract the adult flies).
Actually, Tachinid fly larva feed on many pests, so growing flowering herbs alongside most crops can be beneficial, though I have heard that you shouldn’t grow dill with carrots – it is said to inhibit the growth of carrots.
On the other hand, planting leeks and carrots together is apparently beneficial to both plants. Something in each one repels the pests of the other – carrot flies, onion flies and leek moths.
Don’t grow tomatoes near cabbage family plants – both are very heavy feeders and will compete with each other for fertilizer. Neither will do as well as when they are planted apart.
Do grow Thyme near your cabbage to help repel cabbage worms.
Plant four-o’clocks around your garden to attract Japanese beetles. Yes, I said attract them. Why would you want to? Because four-o’clocks are deadly to them (and to people, so be careful about planting them where children might be tempted by them).
Horseradish can repel potato beetles, and borage can repel tomato hornworms, so those would be good companions in your garden.
Planting marigolds around your beans can repel Mexican bean beetles.
(There will be more ideas posted tomorrow.)
