Today, we're talking about planting together and sowing separately. To start, we’ll discuss how to plant your carrots for a successful harvest, if you should plant crops within the same family near each other, and the best type of beans to use to grow up a corn stalk. We’ll also discuss if you can plant different kinds of herbs in one pot.
Today, we're talking about planting together and sowing separately. To start, we’ll discuss how to plant your carrots for a successful harvest, if you should plant crops within the same family near each other, and the best type of beans to use to grow up a corn stalk. We’ll also discuss if you can plant different kinds of herbs in one pot.
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Find episode transcript here: https://dig-it.simplecast.com/episodes/companion-planting-carrots-potatoes-beans-herbs
[MUSIC PLAYING] KELLY SMITH-TRIMBLE: Hi, this is Dig It! I'm Kelly Smith-Trimble. I'm a master gardener and the author of Vegetable Gardening Wisdom. I'm also the senior editorial director at hgtv.com. We're talking about planting together and sowing separately. To start off this episode, we've got a question about carrots.
Marianne says, "For some reason, I cannot grow carrots. And I'm not sure why. What's the secret with carrots?"
I'm in Zone 7B, and I like to sow my carrots around mid-April, so that's mid-spring for me. If you sow any earlier, the cold might prevent your carrots from really germinating well. I also like to thin my carrot seed or my carrot seedlings when they're about an inch tall. So I go back and snip back every other one and leave the rest to grow.
I like to plant my carrots near something that's going to get tall in the summer, like a tomato or a pepper. Carrots like mild weather. And so when things heat up, they need a little bit of shade. And a taller plant can provide that.
It's also important not to over fertilize carrots. If you fertilize with a lot of nitrogen, they'll grow really pretty green tops, but you won't get good roots down below.
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Robin asked, "Can you plant potatoes with tomato plants?" She said, "I heard it causes potato blight. Is that true?"
So tomatoes and potatoes are in the same plant family. It's called the nightshade family. And peppers and eggplant are also in that family. Crops of the same plant family often battle the same diseases. So it's usually best not to plant them all near one another.
This includes potatoes and tomatoes, which both can get the disease called late blight. You can grow both tomatoes and potatoes in your garden, but spread them out. Rotate nightshade family crops around your garden, growing them in different spots each year. You can also prevent blight by watering tomato plants at the base, not getting the leaves wet, planting your tomatoes far enough apart so that there's good airflow, and planting varieties known to be blight resistant.
The next few questions deal with companion planting. It's the practice of pairing plants together to enhance growth and production, and also to prevent pests and diseases.
Companion planting can improve the soil, attract pollinators, create a living mulch or living trellis, and so much more. There's a lot of information out there about companion planting but, my favorite is a new book by Jessica Walliser called Plant Partners. And it presents science-based companion planting information that's been proven. It'll really help you see your garden in a whole new way and you'll learn a ton from it. I definitely recommend it.
Here's another question. "I'm starting my garden, and I've heard you can plant corn and also plant green beans and allow them to run up the corn stalks. Any comment on the best kinds of green beans?"
So yes, this is true. And I do have a recommendation for the best green beans. So growing beans up corn is part of a companion planting technique called a Three Sisters garden. And it was a traditional Native American planting technique.
So the corn acts as a trellis and the beans grow up the corn, using it as a trellis. And then there's also squash involved in the Three Sisters. And it grows along the ground, shading the soil to help the beans and the corn grow.
The best beans for this are pole beans. And pole beans need a trellis to grow up, or some kind of string or something to grow up, as opposed to a bush bean, which stays low and bushier. So you definitely want to use a pole bean to grow up a corn stalk.
And I definitely recommend trying it. I did it last year and it was a lot of fun. The only thing is you need a good amount of space to do a Three Sisters garden. To grow corn successfully, you need at least about a 4 by 4 bed, preferably larger. So if you have the space to dedicate to it, I definitely recommend trying it.
Think beyond common companions, like basil and tomatoes, and try some new plant combinations. Here are my favorites. So tomatoes with herbs is a really great option. I also really love to grow peppers in containers. And you could plant those with oregano, and maybe some onions.
I also think that lettuce is great for containers, lettuce and other greens. And pretty much every herb will grow well in a container. So definitely plant herbs.
Earl asked, "Where can I buy live ladybugs?" He said, "I have aphids in my garden and need the ladybugs to get rid of the aphids."
So aphids can be a real pain in the garden. I totally understand. And it may seem like bringing in ladybugs would help. But it's much better to attract native ladybugs to your garden rather than buying them.
The best way to attract ladybugs is by planting a variety of flowers and herbs alongside your veggies, things like marigolds, zinnias, calendula, chives, dill, and cilantro. It's also important that you don't use synthetic chemicals in your garden or lawn nearby.
If you need more help attracting beneficial insects, like ladybugs, to your garden, there's a product called PredaLure that uses a pheromone to attract beneficial insects. It's recommended that you use one Lure for every 400 square feet of garden. Give that a try rather than buying the ladybugs.
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Heather asks, "I have never had squash bugs before last year. How do you get rid of them and will I have them again this year?"
I live in Vermont, but we do not have much below zero whether to kill insect eggs. So squash bugs, too, you want to attract their natural predator. And that includes spiders and also a particular fly. And that fly loves plants in the dill family, which includes dill, cilantro, and parsley.
You can also use organic product called neem oil. And that is really good for a lot of things in your garden for growing organically.
Sandy asked, "what could be eating my green beans? They have huge holes in the leaves." So bean plants can have a lot of different pest pressures. But the holes in the leaves really sounds to me like cucumber beetles.
They especially like to munch on young seedlings. So one of the best ways to keep them off your plants is to cover with row cover cloth until the bean plants get a little larger. If your bean crop is already too far gone, you can take up those seedlings and plant another round of beans. And this time, make sure to cover your crop from the beginning.
Jordan has a question about sunflowers. He said, "I love sunflowers, but they all get so tall. Can you suggest any sunflower varieties that aren't huge?"
I love to grow sunflowers in my vegetable garden. Not only are they beautiful, but bees and other pollinators love them as much as we do. A lot of varieties of sunflower do get really tall. Some are up to 7 or 8 feet tall. These tall varieties look great growing against a fence. And they can even serve as a living trellis for a vining plant, like beans or cucumbers.
But in a small garden, they can be overwhelming. There are definitely some smaller varieties you can try. I like growing this Short Stuff variety, which gets about 30 inches tall and has a big, beautiful flower. I'm also growing a small variety called Dwarf Sunspot. It only gets about 24 inches tall and it will produce multiple blooms on the same stalk. Both of these varieties also do really well in containers.
Laura said, "I have tried planning nasturtium seed after nasturtium seed and none of them sprouted. I tried soaking them in water for an hour before planting one time. I tried just planting them in the soil. And I tried planting them indoors. Any tips or tricks I'm missing?"
Nasturtium is an annual flower that grows in warm weather and usually grows best if you sow the seed directly in the soil. The seed does have a really hard coating, though, so it can help to soak it in water before you plant. Otherwise, nasturtium usually doesn't have a lot of problems with pests or diseases. It's really easy to grow. So I just suggest that you order some new seed for next year and try it again.
Now here's a question about herbs. Aleah asks, "Can you plant herbs all in one pot? If you're looking to grow some of the most common herbs, it's important to know first what season they grow best in, whether they're annuals or perennials, and what kind of soil and water conditions they like. Not all herbs are the same.
Rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender, and sage are all perennial herbs that like drier soil conditions because they're originally from the Mediterranean climate. You can plant those together and they'll come back year after year. Just be sure to look at spacing recommendations, as some of these can get quite large.
On the other hand, basil, dill, cilantro, and parsley are all annuals that like a good amount of water. So you could grow those together. Cilantro and parsley like cooler weather, while basil and dill are more summer plants. They like the heat.
Mint is kind of in its own category. It will come back year after year, but it will also spread a lot and take over your pot. So it's best to plant mint in a pot by itself.
KELLY SMITH-TRIMBLE (VOICEOVER): For more gardening info, tips, and hacks check out hgtv.com/digit. I'm Kelly Smith-Trimble. Happy gardening.