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Companion planting - what goes together?

Basil    South Carolina

I keep reading that I should plant basil next to my tomato plants to improve their flavor - how does this work? What else can I plant together?


Posted by: Simon (2 points) Simon
Posted: February 7, 2013




Answers

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Companion planting is when a plant is deliberately situated close to another in order to impart some kind of benefit to the other. Some benefits that can be imparted on a companion include the provision of shade, deterring pest species, attracting pollinators or providing nutrients. For example, onion plants are commonly used to repel several pests from peppers and tomatoes and beans are often planted alongside corn as they possess nitrogen fixing bacteria which enrich the soil with nitrogenous compounds, providing a natural fertilizer for fast growing, nutrient hungry corn.

In the example you have mentioned of tomatoes and basil, the improved flavor of the tomato fruit is purely anecdotal. Or, to put it another way, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that growing basil with tomatoes improves flavor. However, there does appear to be evidence for an increase in tomato yield (see http://orgprints.org/6614/1/6614.pdf). Perhaps you should conduct your own experiment?


Posted by: Lindsay McMenemy (4 points) Lindsay McMenemy
Posted: February 7, 2013




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