Friends or Foes? Companion Planting

Before you plant, it's helpful to figure out which plants get along well with each other.

>> What are the benefits of Companion Planting?

The idea behind companion planting involves planting different kinds of plants together so that they benefit and help each other grow.

The main benefits of garden companion planting are:

1. A natural method of pest control, and
2. A higher produce yield in your survival garden.

>> More about Companion Planting

Many plants have natural substances in their roots, flowers, leaves etc. that can alternately repel (anti-feedants) and/or attract insects depending on your needs. In some situations they can also help enhance the growth rate and flavor of other varieties. Experience shows us that using companion planting through out the landscape is an important part of integrated pest management.

>)(< Get Ready to Grow

Are you ready to start growing vegetables, herbs and flowers? If you get sufficient sunlight and have a little space, you can grow tomatoes, basil, peppers or anything else you enjoy eating. You can find seedlings at local farmers markets that you can transplant into bigger pots or plant directly into the soil. Consider adding some compost to enrich the soil before planting. If you want to grow from seeds, make sure you get open pollinated seeds, instead of hybrid seeds. Here are a few places you can get open pollinated seeds: Victory Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. >> More about growing from seeds.