Want to try companion planting? Know this first

Companion planting is a botanical buddy system based on the principle that plants that grow together interact and influence each other. So take a tip from grandpa and try companion planting with your prized vegetables.

For thousands of years, gardeners have used companion planting to repel insect pests. Aromatic plants such as garlic, marigolds, and peppermint are all reputed to send a signal to bugs to go elsewhere. Here's what else it can do for you.

• Implement companion planting starting in the centre of the bed; harmonious partners generally have similar seeding or planting times.
• Companion planting uses far less water. Since the companion plants grow close together and shade the ground more effectively, less moisture evaporates.
• Because the plants are closer together, you get a higher yield per surface area.
• Companion planting tends to require less fertilizer. Why? Because the plants absorb different nutrients from different soil depths, as well as excreting beneficial elements into the soil.
• Many plants enhance their neighbour's flavour. Caraway and cilantro improve the taste of early potatoes, and dill intensifies the taste of carrots.
• Pests are less drawn to gardens where companion planting is employed because some plants form a type of protective shield for others by means of their excretions.
• Garlic can prevent mildew and kills many fungi when planted near fruit trees; in addition, it fortifies the defenses of strawberries and keeps grey mould away.
• Nematodes can't stand the root excretions from lilies or marigolds, while tomatoes and celery drive away white cabbage butterflies.
• With carrots and onions you can literally kill two flies with one blow: they protect one another from carrot-fly infestation and onion-fly infestation.
• Choose the right companion plants to reduce, if not eliminate, the need for pesticides. Eliminating pests will result in higher yields.