For the Love of Plants STOP! Planning Your Garden Part Two

Your Murdering Your Plants…..

All of us have encountered someone in our lives whom we just couldn’t stand. For some reason they way they walk, talk, laugh, smile…. It just irritates us. They zap us of our energy. Thank goodness for friends, people who energize us and make us feel good about ourselves.

Did you know that plants, like humans, also react negatively to certain plants? Sometimes specific plants can actually kill and prevent the growth of others. Take sunflowers for example. They are beautiful, and a staple in most gardens. That beautiful sunflower… it emits a chemical which prevents the growth of most vegetables and flowers. This chemical can last in the soil and stunt the growth of other plants for years.

Shocked? I was too when I learned about the “evils” of the sunflower. Especially since sunflowers are my favorite flower and I plant them every year. Luckily plants, like humans, also have companions “best friends”. When these plants are planted together they benefit each other. That nasty sunflower. While it hurts most plants, it is good for corn, peas, beans and squash.

The second step for planning your garden (click here for step 1) is going through all of the things you intend to plant this year and find out what plants work well together, and what plants harm/kill each other.

Below is the list I have made for my own garden this year. Once you find out which plants work well together it is time to move on to step 3.

Plant	Plant Near/With	Don’t plant by	When to Plant
Asparagus	Nightshades, like tomatoes and eggplant, Basil and parsley, Coriander, comfrey, and dill, Members of the Aster family, like marigolds and nasturtiums	Garlic and Onion	1-May
Basil	Borage, Chamomile, oregano, chives, marigolds, peppers, root vegtables, tomatoes.	rue, sage	1-May
Beet	cruciferous vegetables like kohlrabi, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts	pole beans and mustard	1-Apr
Beans	Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Kale, Peas.	any member of the onion family.	1-Jun
Broccoli	Beets, celery, chamomile, lettuce, potatoes, rhubarb, rosemary, shallots	Nightshades. Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, beans and strawberries	1-May
Cabbage	Aromatic herbs: Chamomile, hyssop, thyme, rosemary, dill, peppermint, spearmint, sage, oregano. Garden edging: Yarrow, marigolds. Root vegetables: Onions, beets, celery.	mustard plants, strawberries, tomatoes, grapes and pole beans
Cantaloupe	corn, pumpkin, squash, collards, borage, oregano, radishes, marigolds, petunias and beans	cucumbers	1-Jun
Carrot	Tomatoes, Leeks, Onion, Rosemary, Sage, Chives, Beans, Amaranth	parsnip, dill and fennel	1-Apr
Cauliflower	beans, peas, spinach,  celery,  sage, dill, and chamomile	strawberries, peas, beans and onion
Celtuce			1-Aug
Corn	beans, beets, cucumber, dill, melons, parsley, peas, potato, soya beans, squash, and sunflower.	tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale and cauliflower	7-May
Collards	mint, chives and garlic to repel aphids. Beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, corn, peas, radishes, and marigolds also work as good companion plants	soybeans, peas, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, beets, beans and asparagus	1-Apr
Coriander	Basil, parsley, and chervil.	fruit bearing plants like peppers and tomatoes	1-May
Cucumber	corn, dill, legumes, marigolds, Nasturtiums, root vegetables and sunflowers	mellons, potatoes, sage, fennel, kale, kohlarabi, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower	1-Jun
Dill	asparagus, corn, cucumbers, onion, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli, basil	caraway, carrots, fennel, nightshades (pepper, tomato, egg plant)	1-Jun
Egg Plant	peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach	fennel	1-Apr
Gooseberry	beans, Chamomile, chives, kiwi, peas, oragano, Nasturtiums and mint.	tomatoes	Plat indoors in zone 4
Ground Cherry			1-Apr
Kale	beets, celery, cucumbers, herbs, onions, spinach, chard, and potatoes.	broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and Swiss chard	1-Apr
Kohlrabi	beets, Brassicas, cucumbers, and onions	peppers, pole beans, strawberries, and tomatoes. Leeks	1-May
Lavender	Basil and oregano		1-Mar
Lettuce	beets, carrots, parsnips, strawberries, radishes, onions, asparagus, corn	broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, or kohlrabi	1-Apr
Melon	peas, pole beans, bush beans, onions, leeks, chives, and garlic, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, okra, spinach, sunflowers, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts	cucumber, zucchini and other melons	15-Jun
Okra	peppers, eggplants, lettuce and melons	Okra should not be planted in soil previously utilized to grow vine crops such as sweet potatoes and squash	1-Jun
Onion	lettuce, chammomile, summer savory tomatoes, and herbs such dill, parsley, or mint	Never plant other types of onions near onions. Peas, Beans, Asparagus and sage.	1-Jun
Parsley	tomatoes, chives, carrots, corn, peppers, onions and peas.	Alliums, Garlic, Onions, Shallots. Lettuce	1-May
Peas	beans, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and radishes	onions, garlic, and chives	1-Apr
Pepper	Carrots, cucumbers, radishes, squash, spinach, lettuce and chard.	beans, Brassicas, onion or fennel	1-Apr
Pumpkin	beans, corn, sunflowers, marjoram, marigolds, Nasturtiums, lavendar	root crops, such as beets, onions, and potatoes	1-Jun
Radish	lettuce, spinach, squash, parsnips, beans, chervil, peas, nasturtimus	potatoes, grapes, turnips, kohlarabi and mint	1-Apr
Rosemary	broccoli	carrots, potatoes, pumpkins and all herbs except sage	1-Jun
Rutabaga	peas, Squash, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beans, onions, garlic, lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, cauliflower, and radishes	brassicas (such as kale or cabbage). Root crops such as parsnips, carrots, potatoes, or beets	1-Apr
Sage	Rosemary.  Plant Sage around strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, and cabbage. You might consider letting one or two of your sage plants flower.	Alliums: Onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, and chives	1-Apr
Spinach	Bush and Pole beans.  Basil, chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme	Potatoes	1-May
Squash	radishes, corn, peas, beans, pumpkin, marigolds, and nasturtiums	Brassicas or potatoes	1-Jun
Sunflowers	plant sunflowers where you want to plant corn the next year. Chives to repel the aphids that attack sunflowers. Lettuce can benefit from the shade of sunflowers	Almost Everything. No joke. Sunflower seeds have what’s called an allelopathic chemical — one that inhibits the growth of plants in the area.	7-May
Tomato	basil, parsley, garlic, borage, squash, french marigolds, asparagus, chives, french marigolds and nasturtiums	Brassicas, such as broccoli and cabbage, Kohlrabi, potatoes and corn.	15-Apr
Tomatillo	peas, hot peppers and asparagus	fennel, dill, potatoes, egg plant,	1-Apr
Turnips	peas (best friends), squash, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beans, onions, garlic, lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, cauliflower, and radishes	parsnips, carrots, potatoes, beets or other root crops	1-Apr
Watermelon	peas, pole beans, bush beans, onions, leeks, chives, and garlic. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, okra, spinach, sunflowers, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts	cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, winter squash	15-Jun