Plant Friends

Growing an organic garden is not just a matter of subtracting the pesticides, artificial fertilizers and genetically altered seeds. You have to systematically change your approach to gardening. Nurturing a natural, healthy environment is key.

You can't always repel bugs with a spray or add nutrition through a fertilizer. There are organic options, but they are not the bread & butter of organic agriculture. You have to get out of the western mindset that you are just gonna "fix" it with the injection of a new substance. Even the components you do add take time to prepare--generating a compost pile or properly aged animal manure is not difficult, but takes more forethought than simply buying a bag of artificial fertilizer. Managing pests is also highly dependent on having the right combination of plants.

Being aware of those companion crops is key. Certain crops compliment each other while others counteract. For example, one plant may attract a harmless insect that eats the pests that are plaguing another plant. The odor from marigolds and nasturtiums keeps many insects and rabbits away, and tomatoes and basil growing together enhance each others flavor. Potatoes and tomatoes are said to be bad for each other, as one fosters an early blight and the other a late one, but both are vulnerable to either ailment.

The best companion system is the famous Three Sisters approach of the Iroquois (also here). Corn stalks grow tall in the center of a mound. Beans are planted around them and use the corn to climb (so you don't need to erect a pole system). Beans also deliver nitrogen to the soil that the corn needs. Squash completes the system by growing vines around the base, which detract critters with their spines while their big leaves inhibit weeds and keep the soil moist. For people, the beans and corn provide complete protein and the squash adds more vitamins and oils. To this day, a better system has not been developed, but it is not the only one.

French gardening is another approach. Erin had done some gardening research and found a method to mix the seeds of carrots and spinach and grow them together in the same patch. The carrots grow down as the spinach grows up, and the spinach gets eaten right about the time the carrots demand more room for their greens. The spinach roots do not go deep, but they break the soil and make room for the carrots early on. Radishes and lettuce work together in the same way.

These are good examples, but the french have many more. The french also grow with intensive successive planting--rotating crops tightly. Just as one crop is on its way out, another gets put in. One crop is ripe and taking light while another is just getting started, and when the first is done the second is ready to take its place. Companion crops do not always have to be literally interspersed with each other, but often just planted in adjoining rows is close enough for the beneficial effects.

A main advantage to the french method is that it conserves space. You can feed your family many times over on a fraction of an acre. The tight growth also preserves the soil moisture and keeps weeds down naturally. The downside is that it can be labor intensive and requires a lot of heavy composting--you will need very rich soil to grow so intensively.

My initial response with the french method is that it is time consuming. I can cut out a basketful from the lettuce patch in seconds. To pick the spinach, I have to cut each leaf individually, careful not to snip the delicate carrot greens growing among them. This extra work shouldn't be an inconvenience to someone who was willing to hand-till the entire garden! It is more tedious, though. However, it is well worth it for a small garden if the crop quality is actually improved.

There are many charts and charts and charts of companion crops. Some of them conflict with each other, so keep an open mind. Much isn't scientifically tested, but rather known through practical experience. A lot depends not just on the crops you plant, but also the particular flora and fauna in your surrounding environment. What works in one area may not work in another. Some trial and error is in order.

As you can tell, managing your organic garden has a holistic approach that uses the same principles that you can use to manage your personal health. Instead of using invasive drugs and surgeries, you would instead manage your health through proper nutrition and exercise, and if you get off kilter you first work with yoga or herbal treatments before resorting to western drugs and surgeries as an absolute last resort. Organic gardening is similar in that cultivating the right environment is the primary focus, using beneficial plants to keep it balanced, injecting more extreme measures only when all else has failed.