Everything About Companion Planting Is a LIE

[@HappilyAfterEver]

We can actually use plant height to our advantage in super strong sun locations like FL, TX, southern CA, etc. Afternoon shade is vital for a lot of tender plants to survive the late spring or summer here, so planting just north of a tall plant or underneath the southern perimeter of a tree’s canopy will provide that midday break they really need to thrive

[@jeffmueller9422]

I plant tomatoes on the West end of my raised beds in Texas. Heat of the day shade.

[@faithsrvtrip8768]

In Washington state I knew where to plant tomatoes based on the six-foot high thistles that grew in one spot (until the next year when I put in landscaping cloth and gravel). Perfect location for tomatoes on stakes!

[@SterlingGardens]

some volunteer sunflowers came up on the south edge of half of my otherwise full sun tomato & pepper bed (thanks birds??) so I'm leaving them to see which side does better

[@katiemoyer8679]

I do this too in Most Southern Illinois. 👌 zone 7a.

[@ShalomShalom-d5c]

I was going to post the same thing lol

[@stephaniehanuman-dale6279]

I think water needs are important too Like I wouldn’t plant rosemary next to cucumbers because cucumbers like a lot of water and rosemary likes less water 🌱💚

[@deborahdunn7844]

Good point.

[@Kokokakadue]

I love your channel! As an organic agronomist and permaculturist I agree with some of the things you're saying here, but I would like to add two very important points I hope someone might find useful: Point 1: - TIMING/SUCCESSION PLANTING - Interplant fast growing and slow growing crops to maximize yield and minimize seed weeds (those who need light to sprout). In the bed of cabbages in the example shown here, you have about a month of unused area in your garden that could be used for fast growing cops. If you pop some radishes, salads, if early in the season - spinach, you could get a whole lot more produce in the exact same space and time with very little work. This applies to all fast growing crops interplanted with wintercrops/slow growing crops. For example, I have soon to be harvested radishes growing between my small, still developing beets as I am writing this. They were sown directly at the same time, following an early crop of spinach. When they are done, I will do late crops like mizuna and purslane before the snow comes. Beware that the cabbage familiy needs a minimum 4-year crop rotation to avoid clumproot, therefore I advise attendees at courses to do salad, as they are minimally prone to disease when grown over time, and have no known bad companions as exudates etc. goes. If your bed already have the kale family in it - go with radishes as they can be stored longer and you won't have a ton of salads for your family. Point 2: - USE OF HEIGHT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE - I learned the same as you describe, the idea of stealing space and nutrients, so I catch your drift. However, as others have described, the use of different heights in a bed can be used to your advantage. In permaculture, we learn to look at the bed as a house with different floors - a basement, first, second and roof. In a "perfect" permaculture bed, you use the space in all stories. What you need to be aware of, is how big your plant will be, what is it's "purpose" (cover, climber, trellis etc), how will you harvest it, how long will it be in the soil and what needs does it have. Knowing this, you can choose and space out your plants in a way that you will use the sunlight on the top, the half-shade underneath, a cover-plant for the weeds and a root crop for the space underneath. You might need additional ground cover like wool or old hay to keep soil healthy and weeds away in the beginning. Example of three story intercropping - native American three sisters: Ground cover: pumpkins or squash (or both :) ) Middle: climbing beans Top: Sweet corn - they don't shadow too much and provide a trellis for the beans. Happy growing and keep making videos! Inspired to go out and garden!

[@Cocreatewithus]

My biggie is marigolds. Literally everywhere. Thus, I have no pest problem. I used to get wire worms really bad with potatoes, then last year I planted marigolds with them as well. No more wire worms. A little bit of sacrifice went a long way, since I have to space the potatoes further apart. Also, when I have tall plants, such as tomatoes, I plant both French and African type. The French ones are for when the plant is still small/short, the African ones are for when the plant has gotten tall. That way both levels of the plant are repelled of pests. Marigolds are practically maintenance free, and come in a variety of colors.

[@rachaeloverman7848]

I love to plant marigolds in amongst the veggies!! ❤

[@freespirit3891]

And small and large variety

[@lindag4484]

Oh, so what I've been doing for years in my (5) raised beds is called inter-planting! I practice high density gardening. I always plant my tomato and pepper starts first, cage them, then plant everything else around them. I don't plant any space-hogging vegetables. I have a CSA with a local farmer for those things. I get plenty of tomatoes, peppers, bush cukes, kale, onions, garlic, spinach, 4 varieties of lettuce, Pusa Asita (purple/black) carrots, Swiss chard, thyme, parsley, chives, basil, dill, rosemary, sunflowers, marigolds, and a lot of other pollinator- friendly flowers: Zinnias, Lantana, Verbena, etc. Yes, and it's all in five 4' x 8' raised beds, one Greenstalk, and two grow bags for the carrots.

[@amygriffith3598]

Another thing to keep in mind when interplanting is to make sure they have the same watering needs. I messed that up one season!

[@MIgardener]

Good point!

[@shesatitagain234]

“Bad companions corrupt good morals” but good companions might deter a hornworm! (basil 🤭)

[@terrivance8750]

I always plant basin around my tomatoes! ❤❤❤

[@johnshopkins554]

I started planting chives and green onions next to tomatoes last year. Both seemed to flourish but I'm not sure...it's all trial and error based on your soil comp, sun, water and fertilizer.

[@Uncle_Buzz]

Freaking hornworms. Last year I found 9 of them on one 18" tall tomato plant.

[@shesatitagain234]

@@Uncle_Buzz YIKES! Basil certainly made a huge difference in the amount we had. I’d go out, after dark, with my UV flashlight (which makes them appear to glow) thinking there’d be so many, but nope! Only maybe one or two on some plants; not even every tomato plant. Basil is easy to grow from seed so that was an easy choice for me.

[@Uncle_Buzz]

@@shesatitagain234 AH!! UV Flashlight, didn't even know that was a thing for hornworms! I use one for finding scorpions in the yard. I WILL CERTAINLY give that a try. And I have 2-3 varieties of basil seed, as well as dill and marigolds, I'll get them started. Thanks for the tip!

[@judyedwards7597]

As I'm watching, two minutes into this video, I recognized your location. My grandpa built the house (by himself from a kit), boathouse and dock at 1497. He had a garden suspended behind the boathouse where he grew the best tomatoes and I would spend summers with them. What a great town!

[@Laurelwoodfun]

That's so cool! Ha!

[@jeas4980]

Glad to see radishes were spared and THANK YOU... for schooling me on sunflowers! Am I the only one that leaves their radishes in place? I use them to biofumigate the bed... and I harvest a few because they're tasty and they fluff the soil. But I leave some in place to send up their spindly stalks between larger plants and show their beautiful flowers to help confuse pests... and I love the tasty little seed pods in my salad! Honestly, they're probably my favorite plant.

[@msee1213]

Oh! I look forward to trying a radish seed pod. 😊

[@jenniferjohnston4300]

Note to self.

[@ctg22333]

This was very helpful! I’m one who has gardened for 30 years and figured a lot out by trial and error. This simplified the way to think of it all! Thanks!

[@SincerelyLASMR]

Thank you for all the effort you've put into making videos over the years! If not for you, I likely wouldn't have had the confidence to start my first garden in 2019! I've learned so much from your channel & the best part is gardening turned out to be my absolute FAVORITE hobby/activity. And if not for finding your videos I may not have ever found that out! I actually found some seeds packets that I bought from you from 2019 yesterday! I decided to do a little experiment and see how many will still germinate 5 years later. I'm excited and hoping for good results! 🤗 Especially my armana tomatoes. Those are my favorite. God bless you.

[@stephhae4135]

Thank you for sharing this! Throughout the years learning everything I can about gardening, I followed all the “rules”, and made detailed plans. However, due to busy life and needing to just get things planted asap, this year I’m just throwing things in the ground - no plans, no consulting old notes, no measuring, just using what I already know - for ex. those basic guidelines you’ve shared. It is very freeing!

[@carlschnackel3051]

I once heard that onions grew great between rows of peppers. I tried it and, although they seem to be doing well right now, the onions are bulbing. I want to fertilize the peppers, and can't because you're not supposed to fertilize onions after they start bulbing.

[@roslynyates4015]

Where I live in NC, I need tall plants to shade the small ones in my afternoon sun. So I purposely intercrop them. We have no trees. (Open farmland) I actually plant veggies and flowers based on the position of the sun on my property throughout the day. Or everything will be absolutely singed. 🥺

[@deedeescott9506]

I’m in Georgia and I totally agree!! My backyard gets full sun all day so I have to be strategic in how I plant or I would have NOTHING!!

[@donnabrooks1173]

Agreed. I'm near Charlotte, NC and the heat and lack of rain in summer is brutal!!

[@Volfor321]

The afternoon sun in late summer gets brutal where I am and to lessen stress on my tomatoes I'll be planting Giant Mongolian sunflowers to help shade in late afternoon.

[@MaryCumbersnatch]

I had to do the same thing in TN.

[@SincerelyLASMR]

Same for me in WV! Our property was previously a commercial lot so we have mostly gravel, concrete and NO trees or shrubs for shading 😣 So I have to plant in a way that creates shade or everything will be crispy even with multiple waterings a day! I'm still learning but that's part of the fun 😁

[@5points7019]

i have free range black walnut trees growing on the back slope behind our fenced portion of our property.... and the STINGING NETTLE LOVES growing underneath them.... good thing tho... bcs the tops of stinging nettle is absolutely edible! my friend in france makes a pesto with it, and its highly nutritious... so i allow the nettle to grow as a in case of emergency crop and it prevents the apartment tenants behind us from cutting thru our side yard...

[@jimmylarge1148]

Companies will pay big money for big mature black walnut trees.

[@DinDooIt]

You know what else keeps out those pesky apartment renter poor's? Its ivy, they think any ivy is poisonous so I grow fields of it between my property and the low income housing that's beyond my boundaries, works wonders! That and some bee hives strategically placed terrify the ignorant, lmao...gEt OfF mY GrAsS...

[@DinDooIt]

@@jimmylarge1148 I buy and sell lumber, the trees need to have a minimum 20' straight non interrupted lengths, meaning no knots or crooks for a minimum of 20ft, very hard to find these days, but yes, we pay large sums for perfect sticks.

[@rf8driver]

@@jimmylarge1148 Only if they have a tall straight trunk with no defects or large side branches and the possibility of imbeded metal.

[@jimmylarge1148]

@@rf8driver idk. My buddy got a big Chunk of loot for like 7 trees.

[@peggynewsome7359]

Luke I wish you would have made this video 4 days ago. I tried looking up companion planting before planting my raised beds this week. What one site said the next said the opposite. What really useful info you just gave about”intercropping”. Thank you for always sharing your knowledge.

[@bowtielife]

I am learning about the fallacy of companion planting (or the definition) and I will admit, you almost got my ire up when you started... LoL 🤣 Then I remember you have about 10 times the experience as me. 😔 IN A FRIENDLY WAY I would like to challenge your 'rule number one' only on the basis that it is something you do not deal with up in the north. Here in Florida our sun is way too harsh for some plants and I will frequently plant taller plants next to shorter ones. I will put 12 foot tall hill country red okra (which I got from you) near my ginger which seems to prefer understory locations. Less obvious, I plant some determinant tomatoes 'behind' indeterminate tomatoes on a trellis to help cut back the sun. It still allows dappled sun and the smaller tomato plants last a lot longer, MONTHS longer, in fact. This is just another one of those 'cheat codes' I supposed. All these things have confused me at one time or another in the past few years. As always, love the content! Keep up all the great work! P.S. Don't ever give my ire a second thought... I know nothing!! 🤩 If nothing else... I added a comment for whatever value that is to your channel!

[@beautyfultrini]

That's the thing about garden, adapting to micro climates in your area and gardening area. Sounds like you are doing great.

[@jamieromar6168]

Yes, I had better results of tomatoes under my porch awning rather than my full sun garden…. I could not figure it out till I was watching the wild Floridian channel…. Then realized it’s because my tomatoes got full morning sun but the heat of the day they were shaded by the awning. And they got some of the evening sun before sun set but my best tomatoes and longest growing season of tomatoes were don’t in pots on my porch. But you hear that tomatoes need full sun and don’t like shade but climate makes a big difference. Also the sun intensity is different even when we get comparable temperatures to northern climates durning the summer but the uv rays are different.

[@savinggracehomestead2687]

Thank you for taking the overwhelm out of companion planting

[@ShalomShalom-d5c]

In SoCal desert, i purposely plant tall plants like corn to shade other plants.

[@josephzientek2322]

Okay, but I live in Oklahoma and placing my lettuce on the east side of my corn allows me to grow lettuce slightly longer in the spring. It gives afternoon shade when temps are already in the 90s in mid May!?! 👀

[@matta5348]

Cheat code for the cheat code: plants that intercrop well tend to taste good together too! Tomato+basil, onions+carrots…I wonder if there are biochemical reasons for this as well?

[@smb123211]

I'd hazard that my tomatoes and basil would taste the same regardless of their proximity. LOL

[@ElderandOakFarm]

​@smb123211 no he's not saying they taste BETTER because they're grown close in proximity, he's just saying g they taste good TOGWTHER. I thought he was saying that too, at first. Because I've heard people try to claim that your tomatoes will taste better if grown close to basil. Smh. Lol.

[@PVJSLJ]

It is also very key to check with your state's extension service to find out which varieties work best in your grow zone and/or keep a garden diary of your successes/failures in your garden.

[@loribethartist6353]

What about planting winter crops under something like tomatoes to shade them from the hot sun? For example lettuce (I’m in Tennessee zone 7, we’ll 8 now 😉)

[@MK-ti2oo]

It works well. I plant indeterminate tomatoes on the long south side edge of a few 8' beds, the tomatoes get 16'ft tall and shade my brassica's behind them.

[@prattacaster]

​@@MK-ti2oo Only 16' tall? Mine are 24-27ft tall, I just call the fire department when it's time to harvest. Easy

[@MK-ti2oo]

@@prattacaster hahaha I have them on lower and lean trellises so I drop them every so often as the fruit ripens to keep them reachable.

[@sgdavis8888]

Thank you for clarifying the reasons for intercropping! It helps me tremendously to know WHY plants make good comp companions, then I can make my own analysis on what to plant together instead of depending on some list, which I have used a few times, I might add. It's easy to figure out with the checklist! Happy roots? Happy leaves? Sunlight? Yay for making it so easy!!!!❤

[@Bonnie-N-Hutch]

Thanks for clearing this up - and for cabbage talk about leave size.. I just started growing veggies 3 yrs ago and still learning.

[@NatureScapesStudio]

I used to plant marigolds everywhere. Easy to save seeds and use every year. I heard too many gardeners say not to use 12:00 marigolds so I’ve stopped. Used basil in my tomatoe bed last year but they were shaded out by the tomato’s when they got tall. I put my first 4 beds in the wrong direction for optimum sun exposure so it is hard to interplant effectively.

[@1991macie]

I saved a bunch of marigold seeds from last year. I mixed them with mulch. Planted/scatters the mixture at the outer bass of the garden beds. Hopefully I'll grow marigolds instead of dandelion and thistle. Get close to flower bed with lawnmower. And the marigolds will not take up garden space while hopefully deter pests.

[@_c.sinatra]

I literally gave up on gardening two years in a row because of overwhelm on concepts such as this one. Thanks for this video…I’ve grown my first successful garden this year by letting go a lot of the noise!

[@littlenugs9942]

Plant onions and garlic every where you can. I ve found that both help pest pressure IN MY AREA. Mint i find is a thrips haven, and im not sure about marrygolds yet although i have them every where as well. Is there one i should be growing that you know of that keeps pest at bay? Thanks guys/gals, and Mr.kind gardener

[@katieeshaw]

My favorites are marigolds by my pole beans or cucumbers and green onions by strawberries. Keeps those bugs away.

[@kevenweaver9266]

I specifically co-plant to block light on certain plants. Tomatoes next to bok Choi makes both happy.

[@Thingys-Jill]

Well said. I also plant oregano as an interplanting. I need to go shop at your store.

[@yardtogarden]

Tall plant next to small plant can actually work VERY well such as using strawberries as an edible ground cover around taller plants like corn that doesn’t do a good job covering the ground and suppressing weeds.

[@mhouston7116]

I can't say I agree 100 percent. Timing is important for "intercropping". You could llant german chamomile in between those cabbages, along with garlic.... THEN plant your cabbage. The other plants would be further along and would not be shaded out. I do this every year.

[@tommyfallon236]

I’ve been planting for 3 years..I’ve mixed up some stuff to see what goes with what..changed beds etc…I’ve worked out that red cabbage and green cabbage are awful with pretty much everything…this year I’ve put potatoes, corn, beans and pumpkins beside each other…so far so good.

[@christineedwards4865]

Cabbages are cool weather crops that grow better in the early or late growing season. If you planted them at the right time and they still didn't perform, it might be due to the microclimate you're trying to grow them in.

[@katieanneozarkhollowhomestead]

One thing I have found in my own garden is that peppers don’t grow well right next to tomatoes. (14 inches or so away) I believe the reason is that the tomatoes have such a large root system and feeder roots close to the top of the soil and might have robbed nutrients etc. from the peppers.

[@shellisspace]

The biggest thing I'm needing to learn more about is succession planting. Trying to get 2-3 crops per location for some crops. Like onions, leeks and potatoes, what to plant after that? Or following brassicas? One for timing and what's best after that type of crop? Like if I plant alternating rows of onions and carrots and onions are done can I plant radish where the onions were ?

[@deborahdunn7844]

Thanks for the sunflower info regarding the root suppression effect. Gardened for 40 yrs and have never come across this tidbit.

[@MySaskatchewanGarden]

You cover all the pests we don't even see here in Saskatchewan. I have heard of only a few cases of slugs and hornworm but have never seen any myself. We have Colorado potato beetle, cabbage moth, flea beetle, and sometimes aphids. Oh, and grasshoppers...and NOTHING bothers them! What I have discovered in using companion planting is that alot of it DOES work. Beans planted next to potatoes? I discovered by accident, then found information later, that the combination completely keeps the Colorado potato beetle away. I don't think there is anything that works on flea beetles (the little tiny black shiny dots that jump around when you walk by) and they love anything brassica or related (lost my cabbage one year because they ALSO love the hyssop I planted it next to). Cabbage moths? Ugh...BTK for them, but I will try some marigolds and aromatic herbs this year as well. Last year I had no choice but to keep at them with BTK, because we are in the middle of farmland and it was planted with canola (a brassica relative) and the infestation was horrific. Row cover was such a pain and did trap other things like grasshoppers underneath it. I can also attest that at least carrots like being behind a taller plant, I had them behind tomatoes one year and they were gorgeous! Lettuce and other leafy cool-weather crops can also benefit from that shade in the hot summer. And I did seem to notice one year that the peppers nearest to my row of peas and cucumbers seemed to struggle, even though they were not really shaded.

[@leviduve4001]

I'd like to just say for a second that companion does not necessarily have a negative or positive connotation. The definition states a companion is simply something that accompanies another. Good or bad; it's still accompanying the other plant. To me, both terms make sense. Companion planting or Intercropping. It's like a synonymous term. Planted together. I think the others speaking about things to not plant together are just expressing which plants don't benefit or suffer from being accompanied by each other.

[@missourigirl8447]

Exactly. It is all the same and the terminology doesn't need corrected. It's simply the idea of planting what works well in close proximity for a variety of reasons. There is not 1 single right way to do it. It's all about learning the benefits that the plants we want in our gardens have for each other.

[@orionx79]

I was alway under the assumption, it did have positive effects, example some have tap roots so they pull up nutes from deep when you compost it back into garden, some are only suppose to use certain nutes so that others are free, like lettuce using alot of nitrogen wear as a fruiting may use more potassium and phosphorus.

[@BrickTop06]

👏👏👏 I don't obsess over it but when I need to tuck a flower or herb somewhere in my garden, you better believe I'm quickly looking up which veggies would be good (or bad!) companions.

[@rodneydyer351]

I am new to gardening and after putting some crops in found you last night. I spent the day learning about what I've planted and already learned to ignore some diverse theories for inter-cropping... and more. Glad to be here.

[@catheyjoyce]

Luke, great video! Thank you for speaking on this topic! I have a question. What are the 2 little cups attached to the side of your lettuce raised bed? Thanks!

[@BeardedBarley1]

I had no idea that little tidbit about sunflowers. Thank you.

[@rosemaryangiolino3835]

I planted 12 2 year old asparagus crowns that took up a 4 by 8 raised bed can I plant anything else on top of the bed

[@christineedwards4865]

Yes, asparagus is very resilient. I'd focus on shallow rooted plants so that they don't compete, maybe strawberry since they're also perennial, but you can occasionally find wild asparagus growing in old fields that have been ignored for decades and crowded with grass. I have a few that pop up every year through tall, thick grass and crowded by a plum, azalea, and an annoying invasive multiflora rose bush that I really need to dig up and burn.

[@heidevanness2788]

Thank you for warning me about the Walnut tree. I was going to put a small garden near one, because I have a small yard. I really like your garden setup.

[@thepragmaticfarmer6308]

Good content. Certainly useful to any gardener that needs to maximize space. You can take it a step further with relay cropping, which is a useful form of interplanting.

[@olgag5385]

Thank you for the info. The only thing that I would say is that, the section where you talked about planting all thae same high plants it will not work in the south, where it gets really hot, really fast, and you will need plants to shade others so they can stay healthy. So it depends where in the country you are, that will work or not.

[@janetperkins8949]

I think this is one of your best informative video! Thank you for all you do!!!!

[@emily9027]

What about tomatoes and garlic? And thank you! This was helpful!

[@anbb5114]

When I plant marigolds around, I get a lot of spider mites and blister beetles

[@Culinaryreject]

I’ve had a lot of success planting thyme, basil, and oregano among my garden. Even helped with the mosquitos too!

[@ryanhessler8966]

I made an intercroping oops last year. I have a 6 foot diameter garden bed I made using a drop from my work at a culvert plant and I like to plant sunflowers around the outside of one half and zucchini and squash in the middle. Well I had the brain wave to grow cucumbers and cantaloupe out of the other side so they could spill into the walkway. It worked out great....until harvest time for the zucchini and squash😂 I couldn't reach between the sunflower stalks on one side and had to carefully tiptoe between vines on the other

[@mcgritty8842]

I’m 1st year gardener and appreciate the transparency. Earned a new subscriber in me ❤

[@ssstults999]

I've been watching him for years and love it. The weedy garden and David the good are also great ones to watch

[@Earthy-Artist]

You are in the right place, this channel has helped me immensely!

[@TheTinkerersWife]

❤Thank you Luke!!!! It's been difficult to see gardeners buy into the ideology of "companion" planting, only to end up more anxious and often feel they failed or missed something when they follow instructions. I've appreciated the wisdom you are sharing and calling out things like this while offering up what works.

[@kittyfruitloop8264]

Thanks! I will now be using the term "inter-cropping"

[@emerytakacs7040]

So would basil work will with zucchini keeping the squash bugs out? If done basil with tomatoe plants and works great at keeping hornworms away. But you have to keep pinching off the forming flowers off basil to get big and bushy. Mine will get 2' high and 2' wide

[@stacyb9397]

I will be searching for a video on pruning tomatoes. I didn't know to do that. Thank you for all the great information.

[@janellenelson7361]

I only take into account the height, and how heavy of a feeder the thing is I’m planting when spacing them out

[@Laurajo-wn4cg]

When you prune your tomatoes, do you keep pruning up as the plant is growing and producing? As in-pruning up to the height you want, then as it produces, harvest tomatoes then pruning the leaves around where they were? And up and up?

[@Susan-k4r5q]

Awesome video! I love that you get right to the point and make things so easy to remember and understand! Thank you so much! 😊

[@Lbff1225]

What do you recommend planting with strawberries in large containers?

[@Minnehaha64]

Thank you for demystifying this topic! Now, last year, I took advantage of the shade inside my cattle panel trellis for growing lettuces. I had cucumbers on half the trellis, and a vining squash on a quarter of it. I also planted some bush-type squashes inside, and the shade was so nice when it got hot. Plus, when all the vines covered the trellis, it was cooler in there than any place else! I eill remember your rules of interplanting for the rest of my garden. Right now planting as much as possible between rains!

[@LisaRoy-qb7cv]

Works.well. I do the same.

[@artstamper316]

Also, I actually *do* want to put a small plane next to a tall plant when the small plant needs to be shaded for part of the day; i.e., lettuce.

[@jacquelinewalters6811]

13:47 13:51 how are you supporting the tomatoes as they grow in the tub?

[@MIgardener]

They will get takes very soon

[@annettearmstrong8566]

Definitely did help. I am no longer overwhelmed. Thanks.

[@karabean]

You said plant fennel near tomato, but I read fennel is one of the plants that emits an anti-growth hormone. Do you know if that's correct? Have you been able to grow fennel and tomato together? I would love to be able to do so

[@PaddyyYY]

This seems to be true according to wikipedia. Maybe "wild fennel" does it more compared to cultivated fennel... maybe. "It can drastically alter the composition and structure of many plant communities, including grasslands, coastal scrub, riparian, and wetland communities. It appears to do this by outcompeting native species for light, nutrients, and water and perhaps by exuding allelopathic substances that inhibit the growth of other plants."

[@simonm8221]

Fennel and tomatoes don’t go well. Fennel is a host to a lot of bugs that will puncture the tomatoes young sprouts on adult plants, puncture the fruits, and generally infest the plant. I learnt sadly from my own experience. Keep those plants away in the garden. Southern Europe here. Keep those plants far from each other.

[@larawalker]

came here for this and the allelopathic stuff created by fennel. i had issues with one raised bed that had an existing fennel. tomatoes didn't do as well. i've removed it, so we'll see if that makes a difference, though i suspect it may take time for the fennel/allelopathic stuff to break down.

[@christineedwards4865]

Fennel can become a weed. Has anyone noticed a reduction in other weeds after fennel starts growing in them? Allelopathy in plants is a real thing, but as far as gardening goes it doesn't make much difference in most circumstances. You can grow tomatoes under walnut trees in composted walnut leaves and mulched with walnut wood chips and they will still produce. When people have problems growing something, it's easy to blame one thing that might be contributing to the plant not performing very well, but from my experience it's usually a list of contributing factors that don't get considered, including some that are difficult to control like too much rain.

[@caylinbritt1980]

I love this, I’m just learning how to actually garden with intent vs plant some seeds in whimsy every year water because of novelty and well.. hope for the best. This is super helpful!

[@Margowit22]

Everything about this video is why this is the best account to learn from. Thanks!!

[@natureselement7588]

Thank you again for another amazing video to explain things for a beginner's understanding. ❤ Been following your channel for some time and I love your content.

[@stevenr2789]

I have my butternut squash and spaghetti squash plants in lick tubs next to each other what can I use to let the vines attach to and climb on ?

[@Zibutegerard]

In the heat of the summer is it good to plant lettuce in the shade of taller plants?

[@SaraMaliaHatfield]

Wow, never knew that about sunflowers. I plant my sunflowers separately in a grow bag, but when the season ends and sunflowers die over the winter, can i reuse the soil for something else in the early Spring??? Or can i only plant sunflowers in that soil???

[@ssstults999]

Thanks for clearing this subject up! I love intercropping/companion planting ❤.

[@debbiethompson9853]

LUKE-IF you put onions and carrots together; onions need a lot of nitrogen. What effect will the nitrogen have on the carrots?

[@Lbff1225]

THANK YOU!!!!! As a new gardener a couple years ago, I wasted sooooo much time mapping out what could and couldn’t go together, only to have the next website contradict it…urgh! Always love your fact based information!!!

[@Gudtime]

For your Raised Beds.. Have you ever done the 'Wicking Type Beds' ?

[@leggustafson]

I love this! I love how you think about and presented this info. I will use the Intercropping Cheat Codes with my garden this year. Thanks!

[@WS-by5cl]

How far is an ok distance for a walnut to be from a garden? I can never find a straight answer on this

[@eclecticbasil]

Learned something new here! Had no ideas Sunflowers in my garden plant was a bad idea! Ty ❤️

[@IHealLiving]

The lettuce won’t mind being planted beside the corn, not amongst the corn :) It likes morning sun and evening sun in mid-summer and less likely to bolt unless there is a heat wave.

[@jessd.1983]

What kind of mulch do you use on the ground around your beds? Does it matter?

[@lorifitzgibbon3085]

Thanks Luke. You answered a lot of questions.

[@landaliveourlittletinyhome7958]

Love these ideas! Would marigolds also deter squash bugs?

[@loris3002]

This is easy to understand and makes sense!! Thank you for simplifying this!!

[@MIgardener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@patriciaveltre5875]

Bush beans and tomatoes, what a great idea.

[@MIgardener]

Try it! It works so well.

[@brettblackwell2628]

Thank you for this video. Question, one thing you didn't seem to touch on is the "heavy feeder" topic. For example, I was thinking of planting tomatoes with melon (watermelon or cantaloupe) as a "living" mulch since I single-stem my tomatoes. Pretty much everything I've read says that they are both such heavy feeders that this shouldn't be done. Does that fall under your "root zone" rule?

[@tamikaspaulding2516]

With merigolds in my region 6 suburb of Chicago I have a big slug problem in my strawberry bed . They love merigolds. It's driving me nuts. please help

[@carly6107]

Some good ideas in here, and I definitely agree that getting bogged down trying to figure out all the “rules” is no good-sometimes you just have to learn by doing. But I think it seems complicated because it is complicated, and that’s okay. Some additional things I consider when intercropping. Soil pH-most veggies will grow fine in a neutral leaning acidic soil, but may thrive more at different ph’s-for example, blueberries like it more acidic and brassicas like it more alkaline. Seasonality-sure, my basil at its full height would overshadow my peas, but I’m harvesting my peas earlier in the summer, before the basil has gotten gigantic. Finally, watering needs. My dwarf tomatoes and bell peppers would theoretically work fine in the same bed-except that tomatoes use so much water they dry out the bed in between waterings, and peppers need relatively consistent soil moisture to do well. Sure, I could water more frequently, but I’m not going to-so I just plant them separately. I think a lot of it is learning as you go, taking in bits of advice from the gardeners you meet, and experimenting! Lots of fun.

[@stevenjustice6537]

I like the way you put it. Plants don't always play nice.

[@stevenjustice6537]

Comments on my comment: Last year was my first year using raised beds. Went all in with high density and companion planting. Plants want space, and they don't share resources.

[@Happy2Run4Me]

I’ve pretty much planted onions everywhere throughout my garden. It’s also helped keep some of the critters away too. If they start eating my green beans then get a mouthful of onions then they stop right there lol. 😆 Works great!

[@jenc7612]

What about alliums and beans? I heard the alliums exude a substance that kills beneficial bacteria on bean roots.

[@LittlehomesteadintheValley]

So can I interplant anything with sweet potatoes? Because they get crazy bushy but the idea of them being 12-18 inches apart feels like I’m still wasting space 😅

[@missourigirl8447]

I use the words companion planting and it's fine. It's not something that's wrong. It doesn't need a new name. Some plants are better companions than others, and there are multiple variations of it. The mistake I made was not trying more than one combination.

[@crispusattucks4007]

@Metalandwoods_longlostdenturesno unfortunately YOU are wrong. Again, sorry

[@crispusattucks4007]

@Metalandwoods_longlostdentures nope, sadly you are the only one

[@Talula72]

How are you going to be trellising your tomatoes in these beds?

[@SteffaniesJourney]

I used marigolds and nasturtium last year for pest control and it worked, so this year doing the same the Sam but planted more around squash and cukes because those were mor problematic last year. I grow basil and pepper plants with my tomatoes withe some leeks or onions and that worked amazingly well. Thanks for this info Luke!!

[@IntoTheFire777]

I have heard Marigolds are great at repelling pests, but in my experience, they've attracted more than repelled. Mites and caterpillars loved them. Anyone else have that experience with Marigolds?

[@conniedavidson1807]

Me

[@IntoTheFire777]

@@conniedavidson1807 ok, glad I'm not alone. I've switched to Yarrow, Lavender, and Parsley for attracting good bugs

[@conniedavidson1807]

@@IntoTheFire777 I can't seem to grow Lavender. I bought the plant, planted the seeds, tried them in sun, shade, and semi-shade. But dill , basil, and sage grow like crazy here.

[@christineedwards4865]

Sometimes the purpose of a companion planting is to distract pests from the plant you want to harvest. If one of your vegetables ends up getting targeted by those mites and caterpillars, you know what to plant next growing season in an attempt to get the pests to ignore the vegetable. Marigolds are typically planted to help with soil nematodes.

[@IntoTheFire777]

@@christineedwards4865 are nematodes a real issue, I've never experienced them but then again I've only done smallish containers. This year I got several raised beds going though.

[@Earthy-Artist]

Will any type of Allium deter carrot fly? For example chives and bunching onions? Or does it specifically need to be bulbing onions to deter the fly? Thanks 🙂.

[@MIgardener]

Yes it will

[@Earthy-Artist]

@@MIgardener 🙂Thank you Luke!

[@DaveTran-]

I read that only French marigold will help with root knot nematodes.

[@debbieschaffner2581]

Loved this! Really cleared my confusion. Thanks!

[@artstamper316]

Love how helpful your videos are, and I understand your effort to change the traditional concept companion planting by introducing a different term. The comments are also helpful and I enjoy reading them and the replies, but don't do it as often as I used to because after reading a reply going back to the comment list defaults to the top of the list, wasting a lot of time trying to find where I left off. I usually just give up reading at that point. 😞

[@nerf_herder90]

What's your plan for trellising your tomatoes in that metal bed? I'm trying to figure out a good trellising idea for my metal beds.