Companion Planting

I found a nice website called GrowVeg.com which had this advice:

"Using certain crops to help others is another great way to ensure success in your vegetable garden. The traditional ‘three sisters’ approach involves planting a bed with sweetcorn, beans and squash plants (such as pumpkin and courgette) all growing together. Each plant provides natural shelter and protection for the other. The large leaves of the squash plants shade the sweetcorn’s roots from sunlight. They also act as a natural mulch by suppressing weeds and preventing moisture from evaporating from the soil’s surface. The tall stems of the sweetcorn provide a sturdy support for the beans to climb up. In turn, the beans fix nitrogen into the soil, which benefits both the sweetcorn and the squash plants."

I like the sound of this and think it might work well in the (currently) 1 metre wide raised beds on my allotment. The only thing is, I have no idea what sort of spacing to allow between plants. Can anyone advise please?:o

The idea of companion planting is one I've always liked :grouphug: and for my allotment I've already bought basil to go with my tomatoes, as well as marigolds and nasturtiums.

 

Hi Lottie,

The 'three sisters' growing is certainly worth a go, but you (like me) may be a bit far north for a good yield of sweetcorn.

Here is another link you may find useful: List of companion plants - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia