Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden

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Heathers ( Calluna vulgaris and Erica spp.) also have characteristic mycorrhizas, as do typical pinewood plants such as blaeberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus). In Abernethy, scientists have looked at soil samples along a transect running from open moor into mature forest and found that changes in the plant community were accompanied by changes in the mycorrhizas present. As an organic gardener of some 10 years I was delighted to received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Professor Chris Waldon, formerly STEP Delivery Director, is announced as STEP Chief Engineer. Chris is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and has over 30 years’ experience spanning the nuclear, pharmaceutical, chemical, refining and power generation sectors. He joined UKAEA in 2003 and became the founder of the Central Engineering Department and Chief Engineer. He will be accountable for all prototype powerplant design decisions.

For instance, physician and naturalist Hans Sloane, often credited as the inventor of chocolate milk, acquired numerous plant specimens from overseas colonies via his connections with the slave trade. His collections formed the basis of Britain’s Natural History Museum. Well-known scientists, including Charles Darwin and Carl Linnaeus and their disciples, relocated large numbers of plants from across the globe to European museums and collections. One example she cites is using the ‘Blue Hubbard’ winter squash to attract pests away from other varieties of squash. New and existing research from universities and agricultural facilities around the world isn’t necessarily validating the long-held companion planting techniques and beliefs that have been around for generations. Instead, it’s pointing us toward a whole new way to companion plant. [...] It’s about pairing plants such that one plant provides a benefit to the other in terms of an ecosystem service.[...] Even the more conspicuous fruiting bodies, mushrooms and toadstools, represent only a tiny glimpse of the main body of the fungus. There is a vast network called the mycelium, made up of fungal threads (hyphae) carrying out their essential work in wood and soil. Yet the lives of plants, those more obvious members of the woodland community, are intimately bound up with, and dependent on, those of fungi. The book also includes some useful appendices: resources and links for further reading, a glossary, bibliography, and an index. It's well but not lavishly illustrated. Included photos are clear and attractive.This is a very common problem with companion planting rules. A small part of the full story is used to justify companion planting (i.e. hoverflies like sweet alyssum and eat aphids), and a big part of the story is ignored (extra costs, loss of productive land, introduction of new pests, etc.). A complete scientific study would take all of these factors into account and compare productive yield or value of crops with and without sweet alyssum. Interfering with egg laying is the next topic we encounter in this chapter, where we learn that companion planting can help to throw a wrench into the reproductive plans of pests. Walliser provides us with six proven combinations for this strategy. The author does a good job introducing general concepts in each chapter followed by more specific techniques and information. The chapters contain concrete specific utilizable techniques with specific plants for particular purposes. There is a great deal of good information. This would make a superlative selection for note taking and planning in the winter season when gardens are sleeping and gardeners are surrounding themselves with masses of catalogues and dreaming about springtime. Chapter six examines the prospect of managing soilborne diseases using cover crops and living mulches. Deterring pests: Certain plants act as insect repellents or deter critters. For example, garlic’s smell is unappealing to manypests.

Some of the world’s most popular museums are natural history collections: Think of dinosaur fossils, gemstones and preserved animals. Herbaria – collections of pressed, dried plant specimens – are a less-known but important type of natural history collection. There are some 400 million botanical specimens stored across over 3,500 herbaria around the world, but most are not widely publicized and rarely host public exhibits. Nasturtiums are also shown to repel squash bugs, so they can pull double duty in the garden when interplanted with squash. Companion Plants for Improved Pollination

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Living mulch is a short plant grown under a taller crop. Think of it as a typical cover crop like one you might grow in the off-season, but in this case, the living mulch is interplanted with an actively growing vegetable crop. As for marigolds, they are showcased in the “Pest Management” chapter as a good companion to use with onion and cole crops. Yet poor little marigold was left out of the index altogether.

Borage pairs well with tomatoes, attracting pollinating bees. Borage also pairs well with strawberries, enhancing their flavor andvigor. Monocultures tend to be more susceptible to plant diseases and to pest problems, Jessica says. But through interplanting (mixing two or more plant species together) common problems are reduced, and there are even more benefits to be realized. Something I didn't like as much was the formatting of the book - it might translate a bit better to print, if it's a big form book. But even so, I'm definitely not a fan of the two columns of tiny-sized text, sprinkled with a bit too many images. All images were good quality and some were quite useful, e.g. depicting root rot, however there were a lot of images that felt added just for the beauty of them - I'm sure most if not all readers are aware how tomatoes look - unlike potatoes, they look basically the same on the plant and on the table. So, with a big quality photo of a tomato we've just lost space in which the text could have expanded to a bigger and easier-to-read font.

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This companion planting partnership is used to lure in biological controls. Alyssum flowers are a favorite nectar source of syrphid flies whose larva are voracious consumers of the aphids that plague lettuce plants. (photo: Jessica Walliser) Walliser explains how to successfully use living mulches without letting them get in the way of your main crop. Plant Brassicas together so that they can all be covered with nets to protect from pests such as cabbageworm. Sunflowers pair well with cucumbers and pole beans: Sunflowers help provide support for climbing plants, as well as shade for crops which, in hotter climates, can becomesun-stressed.