Plants Between Rows of Veges

[gideon123]

OK ... I'm moving along with my Spring garden now. I've already got the Brussels sprouts and kale planted, and the young plants are coming up. I will probably put in some more vege's this weekend.

I was thinking that it might be a good idea to put in a few small shrubs or plants in the same garden as the vege's. The idea is to provide some diversity. That way the "normal plants" can provide some shade and wind breaks - and maybe they could add other value as well. Do any of you put "normal" plants in your vege garden, and if so which ones do you choose?

Gideon123

 

[keith99]

Generally speaking shade is not a good thing. Finding full sun is often one of the factors that limits where a garden can work.

 

[gideon123]

I understand what you are saying.
It depends on growing conditions.

Right now my vege's are probably not getting quite as much sun as they need - because it's still March and the sun angles are not good on my vege garden. So I need to add some reflected sunlight to the garden - there must be a way to do this.

But when May/June roll around, my vege garden will be getting strong sun. Enough to wilt plants and kill them quickly.

So the challenge is to manage the sunlight levels - sometimes increasing them, sometimes adding extra shade. That's why I thought about shade plants - thinking ahead for the May/June timeframe.

cheers,
Gideon123

 

[a pilgrim]

OK ... I'm moving along with my Spring garden now. I've already got the Brussels sprouts and kale planted, and the young plants are coming up. I will probably put in some more vege's this weekend.

I was thinking that it might be a good idea to put in a few small shrubs or plants in the same garden as the vege's. The idea is to provide some diversity. That way the "normal plants" can provide some shade and wind breaks - and maybe they could add other value as well. Do any of you put "normal" plants in your vege garden, and if so which ones do you choose?

Gideon123

I plant marigolds to drive off pests.

By the way, that is just a Google pic, not my garden. Just so you get the idea.

Good article: Why do I plant marigolds in my vegetable garden?

 

[RoadWarrior]

I've also heard marigolds help give good flavor to tomatoes but have only tried it once. My biggest problem is grasshoppers but the tips in Pilgrim's link is very interesting.

 

[Delilah01]

I also plant marigolds between plants to help repen pests in addition to certain herbs. For certain tall plants such as corn I will plant pumpkins, cucumbers and squash between the rows so that the large leaves will shade the soil to retain moisture.
I think the idea of biointensive gardening is pretty interesting were in order to maximum use of space, plants with narrow, deep roots are planted between plants with shallow spread-out roots. Because of this, you would probably be better off growing deep rooted plants between shallow rooted plants (or vise versa) to reduce competition.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Thanks for the insights, Delilah. What other herbs do you use to ward off pests?

How does one determine if a plant is deep or shallow rooted?

 

[a pilgrim]

Thanks for the insights, Delilah. What other herbs do you use to ward off pests?

How does one determine if a plant is deep or shallow rooted?

Google! My second brain, (this one not working so well anymore.)

 

[amandadun]

Look into "plant guilds" and "companion planting"

Cheers

 

[listed]

I understand what you are saying.
It depends on growing conditions.

Right now my vege's are probably not getting quite as much sun as they need - because it's still March and the sun angles are not good on my vege garden. So I need to add some reflected sunlight to the garden - there must be a way to do this.

But when May/June roll around, my vege garden will be getting strong sun. Enough to wilt plants and kill them quickly.

So the challenge is to manage the sunlight levels - sometimes increasing them, sometimes adding extra shade. That's why I thought about shade plants - thinking ahead for the May/June timeframe.

cheers,
Gideon123

People in my neck o de woods said their maters did OK with afternoon shade last year. So I planted some in afternoon shade. We'll see.