I get asked almost daily about companion planting and what plants do better next to others. This confusing topic not only hurts beginning gardeners but also isn’t founded on any grounds of fact. There are elements that can be used to increase success but it has absolutely no baring on anything to do with two plants doing better because of their close proximity to each other. This is simply silly and biologically doesn’t occur.
Send mail to:
PO box 131
Marysville, MI 48040
450+ varieties of Heirloom & Non-GMO Vegetable seeds .99/pack, fertilizer, garden tools, blog & More: http://www.MIgardener.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MIgardener
Instagram: http://instagram.com/MIgardener
G+: http://plus.google.com/+MIgardener
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MIgardenerYT/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/MI_gardener
Tumblr: http://tumblr.com/MIgardener Check out our new clothing line! http:www.freshpickedapparel.com
For everyone so confused, I believe he is saying just don't expect an answer about what plants well with what all the time. There is no magic formula. There are almost infinite factors that come into play with your particular garden, and what properties you are looking to combine to form what kind of synergy. I bet he gets questions all the time like "what are the best combinations?". I see charts ALL THE TIME saying "do plant this and this together!!!!! and "NEVER!! plant this and this together"…. maybe that's a big garden myth and self-imposed limitation! There are probably more myths than truths circulating around on the internet, due to people hoarding true knowledge or plain old ignorance. This is a lost art in many ways and newbies like us are relying on technology to learn it in more ways than not. we should take advice from luke and listen to ourselves and our plants more. & Experts 😉 I don't think he could have made this video more clear and the comments are stressing me out lol Keep up the good work Luke! Thank you so much!
Can companion planting be profitable or yield more than commercial farming?
I read that you should not grow strawberry plants in a raised bed that recently had tomatoes is this true ? and if so why?
So confusing
Watching your videos I've come to the conclusion you're full of yourself, lol.
Yes, there's science studys!!! Your description is childish and shows you are uneducated in this area. You can plant lettuce under tomatoes because it will give it shade. I have found several authors that are consistent with companion planting. Gardens are gorgeous and vibrant! Unlike your dull and boring mono beds!
So as a beginner I honestly have never even heard of "companion planting" or "interplanting" before, but I think I saw you said not to plant something next to something else or maybe that it needed it's own bed and that's when I started to question how many different veg's I could put in one bed and more-so whether or not they would cause detriment to one another vs whether they'd help each other. For example, as a beginner my thought process is… I want to plant a,b,c,d,e,f and I planned to build one long bed and a few smaller beds. Then after watching the videos I realize maybe certain things need their own beds, but what about the long beds that are recommended how would I fill those without causing a problem? This may be confusing but basically my thoughts on this are really I'm just trying to figure out what I can plant in a bed together or the knowledge of how much space certain things need from each other or whether they need to be totally on their own vs looking for the plants to help one another.. I don't care about that as much as I care about them potentially ruining one another.. or me totally planting too many things in one bed when I should've separated them… that's the kind of info I find confusing as a beginner. I also haven't researched anything else yet, just been watching your videos. haha That's where I started and there's enough content I haven't yet felt a need to look elsewhere.
They way I understand it there are some plants that talk to other plants not in there family. The one that comes to mind(that are edible) would be sagebrush, both tomato and tobacco(not really edible) plants can decipher its warning signals(which are done via air born chemicals). The way I understand it, same plants talk to each other with a chemical (but like a chemical finger print for each plant), but theres chemical signals seem to be inherited like human blood types where some plants can under stand plants not in their family. I can find you the link of the sagebrush study if you want you would understand it better than me and would also be able to tell if it was done right.
I love your enthusiasm and common sense. I would like to know what’s the difference between companion planting and intercropping?
Nice sweatshirt! My husband made the hard-cider for a while. His Best Man still runs the cider/beer facility.
far too contradictory, and all the hundreds of thumbs downs says alot too.
Well…. all while your talking about why NOT to companion plant, you have beds behind you with all different sorts of plants. That IS companion planting. And there actually IS science behind a lot of it. As well as long time knowledge just passed down. The one year I tried NOT putting marigolds near tomatoes I got hornworms. Never do when marigolds are nearby. Now plant potatoes near tomatoes and your asking for problems. Moving along. Nothing here useful to me. Sorry.
Sorry to say but it seems like you are the wrong one , I grow it just like you say I shouldn't and that's because I can just plant in pots on my balcony, so yes I call it the smart way but in fact it's the way elders used to do it and I do trust the elders, so…
Dude clearly is more confused about companion planting than anyone asking him about it. There are justifiable benefits of companion planting; nutrient need conservation, space conservation, pest deterrent, beneficial attractants. He's caught up in semantics but fails to realize the meaning, and is mincing ideals. I'm glad the comments section from avid gardeners are with me in this. Dude needs to adjust his perspective and sense of intellectual entitlement.
I think you're kind of confused. Most everything I've heard from the companion planting side talks about the benefits certain plants bring to the area that other plants like. For example, marigold keep away many different pests, borage helps the soil, nasturtium is a pollinator and also attracts aphids away from your veggies, etc. Certain plants prefer alkaline vs acid soil, some plants like wetter vs drier soil, planting too much in one depth can pull nutrients from the soil but having a variety of root depth can help promote nutritious soil as well as pushing growth where it's needed.
I think you're taking the mystic side, which is a small group because out of 30 videos I just watched from 30 different Youtubers, not ONE has said any of what you said about plants communicating to each other. Granted, you've posted this 5 years ago when that very could well be all that was then (but looking at the comments further, I don't think that was the case then either).
Also, I will say that companion planting is becoming really popular as raised beds/container gardening is becoming more popular and people want to make sure they utilize all the space they can. I think in the case of planting tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets, it would be nice what plants could go into the bucket with it, if at all. Maybe that's where the rise in interest stemmed from. In that case, I think being aware of that niche/need is important especially since that's probably where most new people are going to start. Set them straight on the mysticism, sure, but be honest and say "you may not taste a difference, but basil and tomato do very well in a pot together, but so does tomato and thyme as well as tomato and marigolds. Because tomatoes like an acidic soil, maybe stay away from alkaline based plants" instead of throwing it all out as garbage lol
I do suppose at the end you came around to "poly-culture" gardening, and that's what I've seen a lot of the current companion plant advocates talking about.
You say you don't promote companion planting, but then you do just that. You just call it a different name. What you were describing ("smart planting") is companion planting.
I never saw conflicting informations about companion planting, some plants do indeed better near other, it's something you learn with simple experience. It also depend on the territory.
Indeed isn't that important, you can plant anything you want near a plant, usually will do fine.
I usually don't follow blogs lol, why should you follow such bad source of info? Everyone invent and write what he wants.
I have a question about planting two different varieties of cucumber. Is it okay to grow them near each other? Or will it cross pollinate and change my food?
Maybe the term has changed over time since this video was produced, because it sounds like you support the concepts behind companion planting. The exception being the mycorrhizal network. I've seen research that suggests that plants of different species do communicate and share resources through mycorrhizal networks. Plants like the phantom orchid could not exist without it.
To say that only this plant and that plant are friends and will get along is silly… but I do think there are combinations that are beneficial to one or both plants. Three sisters being the best example I know of. I put basil, dill, and marigolds in with my tomatoes, and knock on wood, I have not had much of a pest problem except aphids (need to attract more beneficials.)
Some combinations might be more one sided, but I would still call them companions. For instance, my potted coffee was struggling and I just couldn't get the nutrition right until I added some clover the the pot. The clover helped with water penetration and nitrogen, it's great now. Maybe the clover benefits in that the coffee attracts me to come water them.
HaHaHa!!!
Em,
My "earthy guru" Irish great grandmother who (with her family) crossed the great plains in a train, bought an old covered wagon in Portland, Oregon and went to Astoria, then broke down the wagon to build a raft which they pulled up a river with a mule team to create a homestead in the wilderness . . . used to plant "friends with friends."
You're patronizing demeanor is a turn off, your "beliefs" while precise ("smart" versus "companion") are not accurate, and I'll prolly listen to 120 years of "tried and true" over whatever this here video is.
And yes, science is catching up to provide at least some expansion as to why one might plant certain plants with others. More to come I suspect, what with the need for tending to the soil being what it is.
And . . .
I get it.
Lots of peeps out there be sayin' things as gospel truth when really they're just trying to find themselves. But rather than providing an attractive alternative point of view, your judgy presentation here just pushes people away – more of the problem rather than a solution. Worse still, in providing examples of "smart" planting you unwittingly state examples of companion planting.
I wonder if your beef is less about the message than the messenger.
"Earthy guru" is a term of blame and judgement – as if a pejorative.
Is that what this channel is about.
I'd like to think not. Not when considering what seems to be your focus – life, growth, bounty, creation, etc.
For these reasons, I give this video a C-
Having said, keep it up! One video – chalk it up to learning. We need more people with hands in the soil.
With that in mind I say "thanks for getting the word out. Thank you for your service!"
My suggestion (take it or leave it): focus on what is working and speak truth to that.
It'll grow (just like your garden).
Be well.
This makes so much sense, thank you!
Just because "there's no scientific study" (very questionable), doesn't mean that millions of studies have been done in the past by regular food producers, who learned which plants do better beside some other plants by decades of observation.
In my humble opinion, no till gardening is the key to unlocking the Mycorhiza. Consistently rotating crops. Continuously planting. Building up carbon.building fertility by emulating the forest floor. Cheers all!
Advocating for companion planting without calling it companion planting, confusing and contradicting
Thanks for the sensible info.
Perhaps in the garden there is no evidence. But it is proven to happen in nature. Most often through the medium of fungi. Could you maybe do a video on mycelium in the vegetable garden?
Just bc studies don’t show something doesn’t make it false. Also what about overlapping root exudates….. isn’t that one reason we are trying to plant multi-species cover crops? Also sometimes it makes sense to fill up bed space.