Symbiotic Gardening

I have read a few posts recently and felt overcome with a need to post some info. I have a list that I use for my planting so that I can help the garden help itself. I do my best to keep the garden work as low as possible due to the giant pile of work that is never ending here. So by figuring out ways to ease the work-load I save valuable time and money by how I plant my seasonal crops.

Using symbiotic techniques, that have been in practice for maybe hundreds if not thousands of years, I can avoid certain soil issues that I would have to deal with if I were to plant individually. There are some basics:

Fixing nitrogen in the soil; legumes fix nitrogen in the soil you should use with plants that need high nitrogen and avoid fertilization

Chemical releasing plants; Black walnut releases a chemical which tends to supress the growth of plants by preventing germination (avoid planting near it) Rye hay has the same effect so is great for using as a mulch after your plants have matured, marigolds release chemicals that drive away some bad insects and their root systems keep some ground bugs out.

Physical attributes; Use tall plants as shade for plants that need partial shade, use ground covering plants under deep rooted plants keeping the weeds down clover and carrots

Multiple attributes; Corn, squash and beans, beans feed nitrogen to the corn and squash and climb the corn, corn keeps squash borer out and the squash vines keep vermin from the corn and beans.

I have a full spreadsheet I use, here are a few I gathered from random websites over the years, I will list the ones I have tried and seemed to work, I will be trying others this year to add to my collection. On my spreadsheet I do keep track of those that work and those that do not.

Asparagus and parsley
Basil and tomatoes (as long as you keep tomatoes in upright position)
beans and peas with carrots and cantaloupe - I also plant with savory to deter worms seemed to work
lemon basil and cabbage
peas and carrots
tomatoes and carrots
passion flower and carrots and clover
thyme and carrots
chamomile attracts hover flies which eat small plant killers
I plant wood sorrel (clover) all throughout my garden, it keeps weeds down and fixes nitrogen also edible, sweet-sour
cilantro and anise do well together
I plant garlic throughout the rows to prevent fungal disease and aphids
horehound - awesome bug killer by attracting beneficial bugs that eat plant killers, I grew this in the garden back in NY trying it for the first year here
hyssop near cabbage
I plant marigolds throughout the garden, each variety seems to have beneficial bug repellent properties
oregano with legumes, oregano keeps bugs away, legumes fix nitrogen
mint and cabbage
mint and tomatoes
electric daisy and tomatoes
electric daisy and basil
peas and peppers

I like the huglekultr idea since I can inter-plant things for my summer crops, but I will be setting up huge rows of bales for bale gardening greens next year, and will leave one bale every four or so to put insect repel-ers as a break and for my symbiotic aspect.

By planting symbiotically you can avoid soil disease, depletion, and over all soil stress. I plant in areas that are useful to my plants, instead of rearranging them I use beneficial plants to control the soils resilience. For instance, if you have a wet spot in your garden, throw some comfrey seeds there it will thrive and the leaves are full of calcium, phosphorous and potassium for mulching, the root is super beneficial, just do not consume.

Well please up-vote and follow if you like my content. I will continue to post similar articles on plants, homegrown foods, gardening and homesteading ideas. Again thanks for dropping in. Remember that this is not medical advice nor do I prescribe anything to anyone. This post is for educational purposes only. Your body is your temple, treat it well. Have a great garden!

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