When done successfully, not only are you taking advantage of mixing the species up to help with pest pressure, but you’re also providing better diversity in the garden in terms of your soil and getting more out of the same garden space. When done incorrectly, though, we can choke out our plants, cause disease issues, invite pests in because we have weak plants and, ultimately reduce our yield.
Today on Just Grow Something, I’m taking you through how to judiciously combine plant families in your garden beds so you can make the most of the space you have while also benefitting your plants and the soil they’re in. I will give you specific examples of how this is working out in my gardens right now so maybe you can be inspired to do the same in your own garden. Let’s dig in!
Key Takeaways from This Episode:
🌿 Use “High-Low, Fast-Slow” planting to maximize space: pair tall with short crops and fast-maturing with slow growers.
🐛 Reduce pests naturally by combining crops that confuse pests or attract beneficial insects—like basil with tomatoes or onions with carrots.
🌱 Suppress weeds with dense, strategic planting—leafy greens and vining crops make excellent living mulches.
🍅 Improve airflow and plant health by spacing based on mature plant size and orienting taller crops to the north.
🥕 Plan ahead to transition crops—harvest fast growers early so slower crops can fill in without competition.
EPISODE REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:
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