#Benefits of Intercropping

[farmerstrend]

Star Apple Farming in Kenya: A Lucrative Opportunity for Diversification

Star Apple, scientifically known as Chrysophyllum cainito and popularly known as Caimito, is an exotic fruit that is gaining popularity with Kenyan farmers diversifying their crops. This rare tropical fruit, whose green or purple skin glistens and whose sweet, milky pulp forms a star shape when cut, is a gem ready to be discovered in Kenya’s agricultural sector. Not yet mainstream, Star Apple’s…

[alexanderwales]

Polyculture is the agricultural practice of having two or more crops growing together to benefit both of them, as opposed to monoculture, which is when you have only a single crop.

Polyculture is just ... so awesome? It's legitimately one of my favorite things.

This is a fish-rice system, where the flooded rice paddy is home to a bunch of fish. The fish act as pesticides (eating bugs that are attracted to the rice) and herbicides (eating weeds) and fertilizer (by pooping). And then you can eat the fish!

But there's actually a third polycultural element here, which is invisible in most picture: rice paddies are home to cyanobacteria, which provides nitrogen fixing. The nitrogen cycle was unknown to humans for most of human history, but they had figured out that this goop was increasing yields, so they mixed mud from different fields to promote the growth of cyanobacteria, and planted some plants that had symbiosis with it.

You can also do this polyculture with other things too. Partly for cultural reasons and partly because of the water, it's done more often with rice than other crops, and you can add in some ducks to the fish. There are places that have shrimp instead of fish, and apparently a few examples of turtles being raised in the rice fields, but I haven't been able to find a picture of that.

I grew up in the Midwest, around what felt like endless fields of corn and soybeans. I worked on a farm in high school and learned how to drive a tractor. But I always hated how it looked, how sterile and samey it was.

The reason that monoculture has mostly won out, even as we understand biology and ecology better, is that our crops are largely planted and harvested by machine, and that's always going to be easier to do if you're monocropping. There are some forms of intercropping where you can still use machines, but there are expenses associated with it. Besides, all the things you'd use polyculture for like pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer can be sprayed over the crops using standardized machines.

But things like this, marigolds used as pest repellant for coconut trees, just makes me wish that somehow it made sense to weave crops together:

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - October 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!

1. Arctic ozone reaches record high in positive step for climate

“Above-average ozone levels continued to persist through September 2024. This is significant as, previously, spring has been associated with ozone depletion[….] The March 2024 ozone average peaked at 477 Dobson units (DU), which is 6 DU higher than the previous record in March 1979 and 60 DU higher than the average for the study period (1979 to 2023).”

2. Why Massachusetts loves Nibi the beaver and [won the fight] to keep her out of the wild

“Nibi, now 2 years old, is roughly the age when wild beavers embark on their journey to find a mate and build a home. [… But] if Nibi is released in October, she would be ill-prepared for the winter[…. The governor has] issued a permit for Nibi to remain at a wildlife rescue as an educational beaver and inspire folks to protect our natural world."”

3. In Madagascar, Taniala Regenerative Camp aims to heal deforestation scars

“Residents of the villages around Lambokely manage the nursery and market garden crops. “Local communities receive training in agroecology and agroforestry, benefit from improved soil fertility, and earn additional income from intercropping in the agroforestry plots. In addition, community members are incentivized to participate in tree-planting activities.””

4. Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana Breaks Ground on $6.4 Million Affordable Housing Project

“The project’s first phase will create three-bedroom homes designed for multiple purposes, including elderly housing, emergency shelter, and support for displaced and low-income Tribal citizens. These homes will be built to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, ensuring accessibility for all.”

5. Scientists say painting roofs this colour could save lives: How does it keep cities cool?

“[Researchers] found that cool, light-coloured roofs installed across all of London’s roofs could have cooled the city by around 0.8C [in 2018]. [… Solar panels] could have cooled the city by around 0.3C, preventing the deaths of 96 people [… while generating] more than half the energy [used by] London during the entire year of 2018.”

6. Travis County [TX] opens center to help keep people experiencing a mental health crisis out of jail

“The walk-in urgent care facility is open 24/7 and provides immediate support for people experiencing mental health crises. From there, some patients may be referred to a residential facility[… where] patients will be able to stay for up to 90 days[….] Jailed individuals may also work with their legal teams to coordinate admission to the facility.”

7. Spain’s first transgender soccer team makes debut in regional men’s league

“A soccer team consisting entirely of transgender men has[…] become the first all-trans squad to achieve federated status in Europe. […] Spain passed a pioneering trans rights bill last year designed to make it easier to change a person’s legal gender identity. […] Players may also choose to use a name that’s different from their legal one[….]”

8. Green Status of Species: Pushing Conservation Ambitions Beyond Preventing Extinction

“[… T]he Green Status of Species [is] a new part of Red List assessments that helps tell “a species’ full conservation story.” […] In addition to quantifying species recovery, the Green Status of Species […] will help to better inform future conservation actions by shedding light on which past actions have contributed most to species recovery.”

9. Hell froze over in Texas – the state will connect to the US grid for the first time via a fed grant

“[The projects will] boost grid reliability, lower energy costs, and support the clean energy transition. […] They’ll also generate nearly 9,000 jobs, supporting local economies[…. In particular, the Texas portion is] designed to prevent outages like the ones during Winter Storm Uri that hit Texas hard in 2021.”

10. Pine martens released to be reintroduced to Devon

“Work to release 15 pine martens into woods across Dartmoor has been completed[….] The eight females and seven males have all been fitted with a radio collars to allow their movements to be tracked. […] They were kept in soft-release pens for three days to get them used to their surroundings before being allowed to run wild, staff said.”

September 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[probablyasocialecologist]

If Ugandans have a social safety net, it is woven from banana fibers, and if there is a clear path to socialism, it will be lined with banana leaves. The lusuku model, premised on intercropping and smallholder farming, could be the basis for national agrarian reform that improves the lives of Uganda’s agricultural workers without accelerating the destruction of the natural environment. Uganda faces increasing difficulty feeding itself because of climate extremes and land degradation, and this affects farmers more significantly than anyone else. Moreover, since the 1990s, the ruling National Resistance Movement regime sold off and dismantled most of the coffee, tea, and cotton growers cooperatives, leaving smallholder farmers in the hands of the predatory middlemen which cooperatives had been established to protect them against. Unable to collectively bargain and exposed to dramatic fluctuations in the market prices for cash crops, many people left rural areas to search for employment in cities. This has been a driving force behind the massive inequality between rural and urban workers. Ugandans now produce more food than they consume, even exporting to other countries in the region, yet 41% of people are undernourished, and agricultural production has decreased over the last 20 years. For the most part, the strategy pursued by Uganda’s government has been to encourage the development of ecologically disastrous intensive agriculture for export, privileging foreign investors rather than developing the infrastructure that would benefit peasants. Indeed, while more than 70% of Ugandans are employed in agriculture, the sector only receives around 4% of public investment, and projects aimed at helping smallholder farmers have had very little success, even by their own standards. Many of the government’s investments in agriculture very clearly advantage larger landowners, to the detriment of the poorest farmers. For example, most of the government’s investment in labor-saving technologies has been spent on tractors, which are great for large plots but largely unaffordable or unsuitable for the average farmer, whose plot is usually between 1-3 acres large. However, a socialist transition premised on agroecological reforms could make use of the existing lusuku model to create the kind of growth that actually improves poor farmers’ lives without destroying their environment. This could begin with reestablishing cooperatives and engineering agricultural prices around social needs and goals, like guaranteeing access to food. Research from around the world has shown that while large, monocrop plantations are good at producing huge volumes of one crop, smallholder farms are more productive when evaluated on a per-unit area and are capable of securing national food sovereignty. Why, for example, should Ugandans buy rice imported from Pakistan or Vietnam when banana intercropping yields more calories per hectare than rice? Lusukus could feed the nation without relying on foreign experts, development aid, or the capital-intensive inputs now being imported to grow for export. Because lusukus are far better for the soil, they also improve the nation’s capacity to resist severe floods and drought, effects of climate change that hit poor farmers hardest. In these ways, the lusuku model could provide a sustainable path to socialist development.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Agroecology can delay effects of climate crisis on Brazilian crops

Excessive heat is impacting soybean, corn, and rice crops in southern Brazil, as well as coffee and fruit plantations in the southeast. Each year, climate change poses a growing threat to food production.

According to climatologist Francis Lacerda, a researcher at the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco, agroecology strategies can help slow these effects and mitigate the risk of food insecurity—at least for now. “There are practices that can still reduce these impacts. I say ‘still’ because soon, they may no longer be effective,” warns the expert.

The first step is reforestation. “A common practice in agroecology is intercropping. You plant a fruit tree alongside legumes, beans, or corn—everything together. These plants interact in ways that benefit each other. Some have deep taproots that access water underground, while others do not. Plants that struggle with intense radiation thrive when grown alongside larger trees that provide shade. We need to reforest and implement this agroforestry system,” explains the expert.

She adds that crop diversification enhances soil fertility and protection while reducing the risk of pests and diseases. “This approach helps eliminate the need for pesticides and provides farmers with both environmental and financial benefits, including lower production costs and a more diverse harvest, which reduces economic risks associated with extreme weather conditions,” Lacerda states.

Continue reading.

[learndirt]

Undercrop Guide What Is Undercropping Undercropping is the agricultural technique of growing one crop below or underneath another. It is a subset of intercropping - the technique utilizing two or more species grown together to forma polyculture. A few examples of this to give you a visual: Why Use an Undercrop? Undercropping With Cover Crops My personal favorite technique, using cover crops as your undercrop. If you can get this right, you can combine all the benefits of a cover crop cycle with a main crop, in a small space, while maximizing your land usage. I love growing nitrogen-fixing cover crops at the foot of main crops, simultaneously taking and adding nitrogen. These cover crops are chopped and dropped every couple weeks throughout the season to provide constant mulch and to add that nitrogen to the soil. You're setting yourself up with the nitrogen that will power future grow cycles [...]

[the-barn-rat]

you might want to check out the notes on the polyculture post, the information in that post is super misleading and yields are still lower than monoculture unfortunately. Also the polyculture that studies referenced was walnut harvested for wood, not nuts

so im in the literature rn bc i love ag sci and as usual it's more complicated than that

this 2021 study confirms that grain yield decreases in the shade from walnut trees but grain quality increased (in terms of protein and gluten content)

this 2018 study weighs yield reduction due to tree shade against yield reduction due to climate change, plus the other benefits of intercropping like soil health and retention of rainwater

i should have made a note as a tag but i reblogged that post on my phone with really bad signal in a dentist's waiting room so i could go look later. but companion planting and intercropping have very very well documented advantages over monoculture that go well beyond crop yield. it's a shame that post is making that specific claim tho

[techyalexjain]

[Blog]Intercropping In Indian Farming: Benefits and Examples @Kaybeebio

Intercropping is an agricultural practice, that involves cultivating two or more crops simultaneously in the same field, with careful consideration of their compatibility and growth habits. Unlike monoculture, where a single crop dominates the land, intercropping creates a diverse and harmonious ecosystem that can yield numerous benefits. Read all the benefits here at Kay Bee Bio Organics blog.

[tameblog]

There’s no question that garlic and tomatoes are a great combo in the kitchen, but do they work well together as garden companions? Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together to create a beneficial, symbiotic relationship – and it’s as old as agriculture itself. In varying forms, intercropping was embraced by a range of cultures from North American indigenous nations to ancient Chinese and Egyptian farmers and is still practiced around the world today. Companion planting is one of the best ways to ditch commercial insecticides and enjoy the benefits of organic gardening. For a pair of garden and kitchen classics like garlic (Allium sativum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), it creates a match made in heaven! Planted together, these favorites thrive in one another’s company. The pungent A. sativum invigorates the soil and provides pest-repelling properties while the tender tomatoes keep the soil loose and improve drainage, which helps to prevent basal rot in the garlic. This dynamic duo is an excellent choice for healthy, pest free crops, but care needs to be taken in how and when they’re planted to ensure both crops have the best possible conditions. Are you ready to learn about this beneficial buddy system? Then let’s dig into the delicious subject of growing garlic and tomatoes as garden companions. Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead: Pungent Pest Fighters Garlic makes an amazing companion to most plants thanks to its pungent aroma and many sulfur compounds. Compounds like diallyl disulfide and diallyl sulfide have powerful properties that interfere with the sensory receptors of insects and other pests, causing confusion, disorientation, and even death. These compounds also act as a strong deterrent to the feeding and egg laying habits of many marauding bugs. Other compounds, like allicin, have a strong odor and also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which help to repel disease-causing pathogens as well as pests. It’s these compounds that give garlic the well-earned nickname, the stinking rose! As garlic plants grow, sulfurs accumulate in the soil, acting as natural fungicides that help to protect crops from soil- and airborne pathogens. And garlic leaf agglutinin (ASAL) is toxic to some pesky sapsuckers, protecting plants from notorious garden raiders like aphids and whiteflies. Studies have shown that intercropping with A. sativum can help to improve the soil by stabilizing nutrients and pH, which in turn, improves the growth and nutrient content of tomatoes planted nearby. Pests from aphids and ants to slugs and spider mites are put off by the pungent smell of garlic. As for bigger critters, deer and voles don’t like the smell either and A. sativum is toxic to rabbits, so they stay away too. You can learn more about using garlic as pest control here. And as a bonus, if the scapes of hardneck varieties are allowed to flower, the clusters of tiny lavender, magenta, purple, or white flowers are highly attractive to pollinators like bees. Clearly there are many benefits to using this fantastic flavor intensive as a companion plant! Tomatoes have their own beneficial properties as well, keeping the soil loose which improves drainage, helping to prevent bulb rot. But most of the advantages of this combination are for the tomatoes! Hardneck or Softneck? When you’re planning your garden, there is a slight complication as the planting timeline is different for both these species, depending on where you are located. Hardneck Varieties In regions with cold winters, the types of bulbs usually sold are the hardneck varieties which have outstanding cold hardiness and can be grown in Zones 2 to 9. Hardneck varieties have the same delicious flavor, health benefits, and pest-busting properties as braiding or softneck varieties, but they’re planted in fall and harvested from early to midsummer. This leaves the tomatoes without protection during the crucial fruit set and ripening phases. Solanum varieties are hot weather plants, and in areas with cold winters, typically aren’t planted out until mid to late spring, depending on winter’s length. You can intercrop by planting the tomatoes in a bed where garlic is already established, but this can be tricky. Care needs to be taken to avoid disturbing the existing root systems. The further away you have to plant the tomatoes, the less beneficial impact the sulfur compounds from the garlic will have. You can also sacrifice some or all of your hardnecks and bypass harvesting altogether, allowing the scapes to bloom and attract pollinators. This gives a longer period of protection, but the flavor, texture, and quality of the bulbs diminishes when the plants are allowed to flower or when they’re left in the soil too long. You can also try to plant hardnecks at the same time as the tomatoes go out, but they don’t generally do well in summer’s heat. In hot conditions, they falter and struggle, and the stunted growth is less effective at repelling problem insects. An easy workaround is to use softneck varieties. Softneck Varieties Softneck varieties don’t produce stiff flower scapes and the floppy foliage is easily braided for curing and storage. And because softneck types typically have a better storage life than hardnecks, they’re the ones most readily available in grocery stores. Softnecks don’t tolerate freezing temperatures as well as hardnecks do, so they are suitable for cultivation in Zones 5 to 9. Depending on the region, they’re planted in fall, late winter, or spring, then harvested from spring to midsummer. For all-season protection, you’ll need to sow the softnecks at the same time you plant out the tomatoes. Since they have better heat tolerance than hardnecks, they can be left in the ground over summer to be harvested later in the growing season. The bulbs might not grow quite as large as ones that were planted in early spring, but they’ll still have the same amazing flavor and powerful pest repelling properties as early plantings. The hitch is, if you garden in hardneck territory it can be hard to find softneck bulbs in spring. I look every year, but they’re never available at my local garden stores. However, they are readily available from many reputable online garden suppliers. Choose from ‘Polish Red,’ ‘Chet’s Italian Red,’ or ‘Nootka Rose,’ among others. Another option is simply to buy a few softneck bulbs from your grocery store or market to plant out with the tomatoes. If you go this route, I suggest using only organic produce. Non-organic bulbs that come from overseas sources have often been treated with chlorpropham (CIPC), an herbicide and growth regulator that inhibits sprouting. Planting Together Tomatoes and garlic make great companions, and both enjoy a full sun location with moderate amounts of water. But when planting, you want to keep an eye on spacing and placement to ensure plants aren’t competing for nutrients, have enough room to grow, and to prevent the taller plants from casting a shadow on the garlic. To plant out, prepare the garden soil by loosening it to a depth and width of 18 to 24 inches, incorporating enough room for both species. Mix in a shovelful of compost to enrich the soil plus a shovelful of grit to improve drainage if needed, using materials such as pea gravel or stone chips. Use a tablespoon of bone meal per plant to give the roots a strong, healthy start and improve bud set. Plant and space S. lycopersicum as outlined in our guide to growing tomatoes. If growing indeterminate varieties, set cages or stakes in place for each plant as needed. Grow the A. sativum on the south side of the bed or in front of the tomato plants to ensure they receive full sun. Plant out as per our garlic growing guide and space the cloves six inches apart and six to 12 inches in front of the toms. In areas with very hot summers, you can orient the garlic to the west or southwest so they’ll receive some light afternoon shade cast by the taller plants as the sun travels. After that, water, fertilize, and mulch the combined plants as you would for individual crops. If you like to grow your tomatoes in containers, simply pop two to four cloves six to 12 inches in front of the toms when planting, placing them on the sunny side of the container. Beneficial Buddies Planting garlic and tomatoes together as companion plants is a smart and easy way to keep pesky pests at a minimum. Locate the cloves at the front of the tomatoes so they get full sun or give them a western orientation for some light afternoon shade. This companion planting system gives excellent protection for your Solanum plants, and planting softneck varieties at the same time is the best way to give them potent cover for the entire growing season. What types of garlic do you folks use for interplanting with tomatoes? Let us know in the comments section below. And for more information about growing garlic in your garden, check out these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', ' fbq('init', '176410929431717'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link

[farmerstrend]

Pawpaw Farming in Kenya: The Current State of Pawpaw Farming in Kenya

Pawpaw farming in Kenya has seen significant growth over the past few years, driven by increasing demand for both local consumption and export markets. Known for its rich nutritional value and economic potential, pawpaw (papaya) has become a popular fruit among Kenyan farmers. When I was growing up, pawpaw (also known as papaya) was considered a humble fruit, readily available and often…

[ramestoryworld]

There’s no question that garlic and tomatoes are a great combo in the kitchen, but do they work well together as garden companions? Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together to create a beneficial, symbiotic relationship – and it’s as old as agriculture itself. In varying forms, intercropping was embraced by a range of cultures from North American indigenous nations to ancient Chinese and Egyptian farmers and is still practiced around the world today. Companion planting is one of the best ways to ditch commercial insecticides and enjoy the benefits of organic gardening. For a pair of garden and kitchen classics like garlic (Allium sativum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), it creates a match made in heaven! Planted together, these favorites thrive in one another’s company. The pungent A. sativum invigorates the soil and provides pest-repelling properties while the tender tomatoes keep the soil loose and improve drainage, which helps to prevent basal rot in the garlic. This dynamic duo is an excellent choice for healthy, pest free crops, but care needs to be taken in how and when they’re planted to ensure both crops have the best possible conditions. Are you ready to learn about this beneficial buddy system? Then let’s dig into the delicious subject of growing garlic and tomatoes as garden companions. Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead: Pungent Pest Fighters Garlic makes an amazing companion to most plants thanks to its pungent aroma and many sulfur compounds. Compounds like diallyl disulfide and diallyl sulfide have powerful properties that interfere with the sensory receptors of insects and other pests, causing confusion, disorientation, and even death. These compounds also act as a strong deterrent to the feeding and egg laying habits of many marauding bugs. Other compounds, like allicin, have a strong odor and also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which help to repel disease-causing pathogens as well as pests. It’s these compounds that give garlic the well-earned nickname, the stinking rose! As garlic plants grow, sulfurs accumulate in the soil, acting as natural fungicides that help to protect crops from soil- and airborne pathogens. And garlic leaf agglutinin (ASAL) is toxic to some pesky sapsuckers, protecting plants from notorious garden raiders like aphids and whiteflies. Studies have shown that intercropping with A. sativum can help to improve the soil by stabilizing nutrients and pH, which in turn, improves the growth and nutrient content of tomatoes planted nearby. Pests from aphids and ants to slugs and spider mites are put off by the pungent smell of garlic. As for bigger critters, deer and voles don’t like the smell either and A. sativum is toxic to rabbits, so they stay away too. You can learn more about using garlic as pest control here. And as a bonus, if the scapes of hardneck varieties are allowed to flower, the clusters of tiny lavender, magenta, purple, or white flowers are highly attractive to pollinators like bees. Clearly there are many benefits to using this fantastic flavor intensive as a companion plant! Tomatoes have their own beneficial properties as well, keeping the soil loose which improves drainage, helping to prevent bulb rot. But most of the advantages of this combination are for the tomatoes! Hardneck or Softneck? When you’re planning your garden, there is a slight complication as the planting timeline is different for both these species, depending on where you are located. Hardneck Varieties In regions with cold winters, the types of bulbs usually sold are the hardneck varieties which have outstanding cold hardiness and can be grown in Zones 2 to 9. Hardneck varieties have the same delicious flavor, health benefits, and pest-busting properties as braiding or softneck varieties, but they’re planted in fall and harvested from early to midsummer. This leaves the tomatoes without protection during the crucial fruit set and ripening phases. Solanum varieties are hot weather plants, and in areas with cold winters, typically aren’t planted out until mid to late spring, depending on winter’s length. You can intercrop by planting the tomatoes in a bed where garlic is already established, but this can be tricky. Care needs to be taken to avoid disturbing the existing root systems. The further away you have to plant the tomatoes, the less beneficial impact the sulfur compounds from the garlic will have. You can also sacrifice some or all of your hardnecks and bypass harvesting altogether, allowing the scapes to bloom and attract pollinators. This gives a longer period of protection, but the flavor, texture, and quality of the bulbs diminishes when the plants are allowed to flower or when they’re left in the soil too long. You can also try to plant hardnecks at the same time as the tomatoes go out, but they don’t generally do well in summer’s heat. In hot conditions, they falter and struggle, and the stunted growth is less effective at repelling problem insects. An easy workaround is to use softneck varieties. Softneck Varieties Softneck varieties don’t produce stiff flower scapes and the floppy foliage is easily braided for curing and storage. And because softneck types typically have a better storage life than hardnecks, they’re the ones most readily available in grocery stores. Softnecks don’t tolerate freezing temperatures as well as hardnecks do, so they are suitable for cultivation in Zones 5 to 9. Depending on the region, they’re planted in fall, late winter, or spring, then harvested from spring to midsummer. For all-season protection, you’ll need to sow the softnecks at the same time you plant out the tomatoes. Since they have better heat tolerance than hardnecks, they can be left in the ground over summer to be harvested later in the growing season. The bulbs might not grow quite as large as ones that were planted in early spring, but they’ll still have the same amazing flavor and powerful pest repelling properties as early plantings. The hitch is, if you garden in hardneck territory it can be hard to find softneck bulbs in spring. I look every year, but they’re never available at my local garden stores. However, they are readily available from many reputable online garden suppliers. Choose from ‘Polish Red,’ ‘Chet’s Italian Red,’ or ‘Nootka Rose,’ among others. Another option is simply to buy a few softneck bulbs from your grocery store or market to plant out with the tomatoes. If you go this route, I suggest using only organic produce. Non-organic bulbs that come from overseas sources have often been treated with chlorpropham (CIPC), an herbicide and growth regulator that inhibits sprouting. Planting Together Tomatoes and garlic make great companions, and both enjoy a full sun location with moderate amounts of water. But when planting, you want to keep an eye on spacing and placement to ensure plants aren’t competing for nutrients, have enough room to grow, and to prevent the taller plants from casting a shadow on the garlic. To plant out, prepare the garden soil by loosening it to a depth and width of 18 to 24 inches, incorporating enough room for both species. Mix in a shovelful of compost to enrich the soil plus a shovelful of grit to improve drainage if needed, using materials such as pea gravel or stone chips. Use a tablespoon of bone meal per plant to give the roots a strong, healthy start and improve bud set. Plant and space S. lycopersicum as outlined in our guide to growing tomatoes. If growing indeterminate varieties, set cages or stakes in place for each plant as needed. Grow the A. sativum on the south side of the bed or in front of the tomato plants to ensure they receive full sun. Plant out as per our garlic growing guide and space the cloves six inches apart and six to 12 inches in front of the toms. In areas with very hot summers, you can orient the garlic to the west or southwest so they’ll receive some light afternoon shade cast by the taller plants as the sun travels. After that, water, fertilize, and mulch the combined plants as you would for individual crops. If you like to grow your tomatoes in containers, simply pop two to four cloves six to 12 inches in front of the toms when planting, placing them on the sunny side of the container. Beneficial Buddies Planting garlic and tomatoes together as companion plants is a smart and easy way to keep pesky pests at a minimum. Locate the cloves at the front of the tomatoes so they get full sun or give them a western orientation for some light afternoon shade. This companion planting system gives excellent protection for your Solanum plants, and planting softneck varieties at the same time is the best way to give them potent cover for the entire growing season. What types of garlic do you folks use for interplanting with tomatoes? Let us know in the comments section below. And for more information about growing garlic in your garden, check out these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', ' fbq('init', '176410929431717'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link

[alexha2210]

There’s no question that garlic and tomatoes are a great combo in the kitchen, but do they work well together as garden companions? Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together to create a beneficial, symbiotic relationship – and it’s as old as agriculture itself. In varying forms, intercropping was embraced by a range of cultures from North American indigenous nations to ancient Chinese and Egyptian farmers and is still practiced around the world today. Companion planting is one of the best ways to ditch commercial insecticides and enjoy the benefits of organic gardening. For a pair of garden and kitchen classics like garlic (Allium sativum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), it creates a match made in heaven! Planted together, these favorites thrive in one another’s company. The pungent A. sativum invigorates the soil and provides pest-repelling properties while the tender tomatoes keep the soil loose and improve drainage, which helps to prevent basal rot in the garlic. This dynamic duo is an excellent choice for healthy, pest free crops, but care needs to be taken in how and when they’re planted to ensure both crops have the best possible conditions. Are you ready to learn about this beneficial buddy system? Then let’s dig into the delicious subject of growing garlic and tomatoes as garden companions. Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead: Pungent Pest Fighters Garlic makes an amazing companion to most plants thanks to its pungent aroma and many sulfur compounds. Compounds like diallyl disulfide and diallyl sulfide have powerful properties that interfere with the sensory receptors of insects and other pests, causing confusion, disorientation, and even death. These compounds also act as a strong deterrent to the feeding and egg laying habits of many marauding bugs. Other compounds, like allicin, have a strong odor and also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which help to repel disease-causing pathogens as well as pests. It’s these compounds that give garlic the well-earned nickname, the stinking rose! As garlic plants grow, sulfurs accumulate in the soil, acting as natural fungicides that help to protect crops from soil- and airborne pathogens. And garlic leaf agglutinin (ASAL) is toxic to some pesky sapsuckers, protecting plants from notorious garden raiders like aphids and whiteflies. Studies have shown that intercropping with A. sativum can help to improve the soil by stabilizing nutrients and pH, which in turn, improves the growth and nutrient content of tomatoes planted nearby. Pests from aphids and ants to slugs and spider mites are put off by the pungent smell of garlic. As for bigger critters, deer and voles don’t like the smell either and A. sativum is toxic to rabbits, so they stay away too. You can learn more about using garlic as pest control here. And as a bonus, if the scapes of hardneck varieties are allowed to flower, the clusters of tiny lavender, magenta, purple, or white flowers are highly attractive to pollinators like bees. Clearly there are many benefits to using this fantastic flavor intensive as a companion plant! Tomatoes have their own beneficial properties as well, keeping the soil loose which improves drainage, helping to prevent bulb rot. But most of the advantages of this combination are for the tomatoes! Hardneck or Softneck? When you’re planning your garden, there is a slight complication as the planting timeline is different for both these species, depending on where you are located. Hardneck Varieties In regions with cold winters, the types of bulbs usually sold are the hardneck varieties which have outstanding cold hardiness and can be grown in Zones 2 to 9. Hardneck varieties have the same delicious flavor, health benefits, and pest-busting properties as braiding or softneck varieties, but they’re planted in fall and harvested from early to midsummer. This leaves the tomatoes without protection during the crucial fruit set and ripening phases. Solanum varieties are hot weather plants, and in areas with cold winters, typically aren’t planted out until mid to late spring, depending on winter’s length. You can intercrop by planting the tomatoes in a bed where garlic is already established, but this can be tricky. Care needs to be taken to avoid disturbing the existing root systems. The further away you have to plant the tomatoes, the less beneficial impact the sulfur compounds from the garlic will have. You can also sacrifice some or all of your hardnecks and bypass harvesting altogether, allowing the scapes to bloom and attract pollinators. This gives a longer period of protection, but the flavor, texture, and quality of the bulbs diminishes when the plants are allowed to flower or when they’re left in the soil too long. You can also try to plant hardnecks at the same time as the tomatoes go out, but they don’t generally do well in summer’s heat. In hot conditions, they falter and struggle, and the stunted growth is less effective at repelling problem insects. An easy workaround is to use softneck varieties. Softneck Varieties Softneck varieties don’t produce stiff flower scapes and the floppy foliage is easily braided for curing and storage. And because softneck types typically have a better storage life than hardnecks, they’re the ones most readily available in grocery stores. Softnecks don’t tolerate freezing temperatures as well as hardnecks do, so they are suitable for cultivation in Zones 5 to 9. Depending on the region, they’re planted in fall, late winter, or spring, then harvested from spring to midsummer. For all-season protection, you’ll need to sow the softnecks at the same time you plant out the tomatoes. Since they have better heat tolerance than hardnecks, they can be left in the ground over summer to be harvested later in the growing season. The bulbs might not grow quite as large as ones that were planted in early spring, but they’ll still have the same amazing flavor and powerful pest repelling properties as early plantings. The hitch is, if you garden in hardneck territory it can be hard to find softneck bulbs in spring. I look every year, but they’re never available at my local garden stores. However, they are readily available from many reputable online garden suppliers. Choose from ‘Polish Red,’ ‘Chet’s Italian Red,’ or ‘Nootka Rose,’ among others. Another option is simply to buy a few softneck bulbs from your grocery store or market to plant out with the tomatoes. If you go this route, I suggest using only organic produce. Non-organic bulbs that come from overseas sources have often been treated with chlorpropham (CIPC), an herbicide and growth regulator that inhibits sprouting. Planting Together Tomatoes and garlic make great companions, and both enjoy a full sun location with moderate amounts of water. But when planting, you want to keep an eye on spacing and placement to ensure plants aren’t competing for nutrients, have enough room to grow, and to prevent the taller plants from casting a shadow on the garlic. To plant out, prepare the garden soil by loosening it to a depth and width of 18 to 24 inches, incorporating enough room for both species. Mix in a shovelful of compost to enrich the soil plus a shovelful of grit to improve drainage if needed, using materials such as pea gravel or stone chips. Use a tablespoon of bone meal per plant to give the roots a strong, healthy start and improve bud set. Plant and space S. lycopersicum as outlined in our guide to growing tomatoes. If growing indeterminate varieties, set cages or stakes in place for each plant as needed. Grow the A. sativum on the south side of the bed or in front of the tomato plants to ensure they receive full sun. Plant out as per our garlic growing guide and space the cloves six inches apart and six to 12 inches in front of the toms. In areas with very hot summers, you can orient the garlic to the west or southwest so they’ll receive some light afternoon shade cast by the taller plants as the sun travels. After that, water, fertilize, and mulch the combined plants as you would for individual crops. If you like to grow your tomatoes in containers, simply pop two to four cloves six to 12 inches in front of the toms when planting, placing them on the sunny side of the container. Beneficial Buddies Planting garlic and tomatoes together as companion plants is a smart and easy way to keep pesky pests at a minimum. Locate the cloves at the front of the tomatoes so they get full sun or give them a western orientation for some light afternoon shade. This companion planting system gives excellent protection for your Solanum plants, and planting softneck varieties at the same time is the best way to give them potent cover for the entire growing season. What types of garlic do you folks use for interplanting with tomatoes? Let us know in the comments section below. And for more information about growing garlic in your garden, check out these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', ' fbq('init', '176410929431717'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link

[learndirt]

Undercrop Guide What Is Undercropping Undercropping is the agricultural technique of growing one crop below or underneath another. It is a subset of intercropping - the technique utilizing two or more species grown together to forma polyculture. A few examples of this to give you a visual: Why Use an Undercrop? Undercropping With Cover Crops My personal favorite technique, using cover crops as your undercrop. If you can get this right, you can combine all the benefits of a cover crop cycle with a main crop, in a small space, while maximizing your land usage. I love growing nitrogen-fixing cover crops at the foot of main crops, simultaneously taking and adding nitrogen. These cover crops are chopped and dropped every couple weeks throughout the season to provide constant mulch and to add that nitrogen to the soil. You're setting yourself up with the nitrogen that will power future grow cycles [...]

[angusstory]

There’s no question that garlic and tomatoes are a great combo in the kitchen, but do they work well together as garden companions? Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together to create a beneficial, symbiotic relationship – and it’s as old as agriculture itself. In varying forms, intercropping was embraced by a range of cultures from North American indigenous nations to ancient Chinese and Egyptian farmers and is still practiced around the world today. Companion planting is one of the best ways to ditch commercial insecticides and enjoy the benefits of organic gardening. For a pair of garden and kitchen classics like garlic (Allium sativum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), it creates a match made in heaven! Planted together, these favorites thrive in one another’s company. The pungent A. sativum invigorates the soil and provides pest-repelling properties while the tender tomatoes keep the soil loose and improve drainage, which helps to prevent basal rot in the garlic. This dynamic duo is an excellent choice for healthy, pest free crops, but care needs to be taken in how and when they’re planted to ensure both crops have the best possible conditions. Are you ready to learn about this beneficial buddy system? Then let’s dig into the delicious subject of growing garlic and tomatoes as garden companions. Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead: Pungent Pest Fighters Garlic makes an amazing companion to most plants thanks to its pungent aroma and many sulfur compounds. Compounds like diallyl disulfide and diallyl sulfide have powerful properties that interfere with the sensory receptors of insects and other pests, causing confusion, disorientation, and even death. These compounds also act as a strong deterrent to the feeding and egg laying habits of many marauding bugs. Other compounds, like allicin, have a strong odor and also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which help to repel disease-causing pathogens as well as pests. It’s these compounds that give garlic the well-earned nickname, the stinking rose! As garlic plants grow, sulfurs accumulate in the soil, acting as natural fungicides that help to protect crops from soil- and airborne pathogens. And garlic leaf agglutinin (ASAL) is toxic to some pesky sapsuckers, protecting plants from notorious garden raiders like aphids and whiteflies. Studies have shown that intercropping with A. sativum can help to improve the soil by stabilizing nutrients and pH, which in turn, improves the growth and nutrient content of tomatoes planted nearby. Pests from aphids and ants to slugs and spider mites are put off by the pungent smell of garlic. As for bigger critters, deer and voles don’t like the smell either and A. sativum is toxic to rabbits, so they stay away too. You can learn more about using garlic as pest control here. And as a bonus, if the scapes of hardneck varieties are allowed to flower, the clusters of tiny lavender, magenta, purple, or white flowers are highly attractive to pollinators like bees. Clearly there are many benefits to using this fantastic flavor intensive as a companion plant! Tomatoes have their own beneficial properties as well, keeping the soil loose which improves drainage, helping to prevent bulb rot. But most of the advantages of this combination are for the tomatoes! Hardneck or Softneck? When you’re planning your garden, there is a slight complication as the planting timeline is different for both these species, depending on where you are located. Hardneck Varieties In regions with cold winters, the types of bulbs usually sold are the hardneck varieties which have outstanding cold hardiness and can be grown in Zones 2 to 9. Hardneck varieties have the same delicious flavor, health benefits, and pest-busting properties as braiding or softneck varieties, but they’re planted in fall and harvested from early to midsummer. This leaves the tomatoes without protection during the crucial fruit set and ripening phases. Solanum varieties are hot weather plants, and in areas with cold winters, typically aren’t planted out until mid to late spring, depending on winter’s length. You can intercrop by planting the tomatoes in a bed where garlic is already established, but this can be tricky. Care needs to be taken to avoid disturbing the existing root systems. The further away you have to plant the tomatoes, the less beneficial impact the sulfur compounds from the garlic will have. You can also sacrifice some or all of your hardnecks and bypass harvesting altogether, allowing the scapes to bloom and attract pollinators. This gives a longer period of protection, but the flavor, texture, and quality of the bulbs diminishes when the plants are allowed to flower or when they’re left in the soil too long. You can also try to plant hardnecks at the same time as the tomatoes go out, but they don’t generally do well in summer’s heat. In hot conditions, they falter and struggle, and the stunted growth is less effective at repelling problem insects. An easy workaround is to use softneck varieties. Softneck Varieties Softneck varieties don’t produce stiff flower scapes and the floppy foliage is easily braided for curing and storage. And because softneck types typically have a better storage life than hardnecks, they’re the ones most readily available in grocery stores. Softnecks don’t tolerate freezing temperatures as well as hardnecks do, so they are suitable for cultivation in Zones 5 to 9. Depending on the region, they’re planted in fall, late winter, or spring, then harvested from spring to midsummer. For all-season protection, you’ll need to sow the softnecks at the same time you plant out the tomatoes. Since they have better heat tolerance than hardnecks, they can be left in the ground over summer to be harvested later in the growing season. The bulbs might not grow quite as large as ones that were planted in early spring, but they’ll still have the same amazing flavor and powerful pest repelling properties as early plantings. The hitch is, if you garden in hardneck territory it can be hard to find softneck bulbs in spring. I look every year, but they’re never available at my local garden stores. However, they are readily available from many reputable online garden suppliers. Choose from ‘Polish Red,’ ‘Chet’s Italian Red,’ or ‘Nootka Rose,’ among others. Another option is simply to buy a few softneck bulbs from your grocery store or market to plant out with the tomatoes. If you go this route, I suggest using only organic produce. Non-organic bulbs that come from overseas sources have often been treated with chlorpropham (CIPC), an herbicide and growth regulator that inhibits sprouting. Planting Together Tomatoes and garlic make great companions, and both enjoy a full sun location with moderate amounts of water. But when planting, you want to keep an eye on spacing and placement to ensure plants aren’t competing for nutrients, have enough room to grow, and to prevent the taller plants from casting a shadow on the garlic. To plant out, prepare the garden soil by loosening it to a depth and width of 18 to 24 inches, incorporating enough room for both species. Mix in a shovelful of compost to enrich the soil plus a shovelful of grit to improve drainage if needed, using materials such as pea gravel or stone chips. Use a tablespoon of bone meal per plant to give the roots a strong, healthy start and improve bud set. Plant and space S. lycopersicum as outlined in our guide to growing tomatoes. If growing indeterminate varieties, set cages or stakes in place for each plant as needed. Grow the A. sativum on the south side of the bed or in front of the tomato plants to ensure they receive full sun. Plant out as per our garlic growing guide and space the cloves six inches apart and six to 12 inches in front of the toms. In areas with very hot summers, you can orient the garlic to the west or southwest so they’ll receive some light afternoon shade cast by the taller plants as the sun travels. After that, water, fertilize, and mulch the combined plants as you would for individual crops. If you like to grow your tomatoes in containers, simply pop two to four cloves six to 12 inches in front of the toms when planting, placing them on the sunny side of the container. Beneficial Buddies Planting garlic and tomatoes together as companion plants is a smart and easy way to keep pesky pests at a minimum. Locate the cloves at the front of the tomatoes so they get full sun or give them a western orientation for some light afternoon shade. This companion planting system gives excellent protection for your Solanum plants, and planting softneck varieties at the same time is the best way to give them potent cover for the entire growing season. What types of garlic do you folks use for interplanting with tomatoes? Let us know in the comments section below. And for more information about growing garlic in your garden, check out these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', ' fbq('init', '176410929431717'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link

[tumibaba]

There’s no question that garlic and tomatoes are a great combo in the kitchen, but do they work well together as garden companions? Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together to create a beneficial, symbiotic relationship – and it’s as old as agriculture itself. In varying forms, intercropping was embraced by a range of cultures from North American indigenous nations to ancient Chinese and Egyptian farmers and is still practiced around the world today. Companion planting is one of the best ways to ditch commercial insecticides and enjoy the benefits of organic gardening. For a pair of garden and kitchen classics like garlic (Allium sativum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), it creates a match made in heaven! Planted together, these favorites thrive in one another’s company. The pungent A. sativum invigorates the soil and provides pest-repelling properties while the tender tomatoes keep the soil loose and improve drainage, which helps to prevent basal rot in the garlic. This dynamic duo is an excellent choice for healthy, pest free crops, but care needs to be taken in how and when they’re planted to ensure both crops have the best possible conditions. Are you ready to learn about this beneficial buddy system? Then let’s dig into the delicious subject of growing garlic and tomatoes as garden companions. Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead: Pungent Pest Fighters Garlic makes an amazing companion to most plants thanks to its pungent aroma and many sulfur compounds. Compounds like diallyl disulfide and diallyl sulfide have powerful properties that interfere with the sensory receptors of insects and other pests, causing confusion, disorientation, and even death. These compounds also act as a strong deterrent to the feeding and egg laying habits of many marauding bugs. Other compounds, like allicin, have a strong odor and also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which help to repel disease-causing pathogens as well as pests. It’s these compounds that give garlic the well-earned nickname, the stinking rose! As garlic plants grow, sulfurs accumulate in the soil, acting as natural fungicides that help to protect crops from soil- and airborne pathogens. And garlic leaf agglutinin (ASAL) is toxic to some pesky sapsuckers, protecting plants from notorious garden raiders like aphids and whiteflies. Studies have shown that intercropping with A. sativum can help to improve the soil by stabilizing nutrients and pH, which in turn, improves the growth and nutrient content of tomatoes planted nearby. Pests from aphids and ants to slugs and spider mites are put off by the pungent smell of garlic. As for bigger critters, deer and voles don’t like the smell either and A. sativum is toxic to rabbits, so they stay away too. You can learn more about using garlic as pest control here. And as a bonus, if the scapes of hardneck varieties are allowed to flower, the clusters of tiny lavender, magenta, purple, or white flowers are highly attractive to pollinators like bees. Clearly there are many benefits to using this fantastic flavor intensive as a companion plant! Tomatoes have their own beneficial properties as well, keeping the soil loose which improves drainage, helping to prevent bulb rot. But most of the advantages of this combination are for the tomatoes! Hardneck or Softneck? When you’re planning your garden, there is a slight complication as the planting timeline is different for both these species, depending on where you are located. Hardneck Varieties In regions with cold winters, the types of bulbs usually sold are the hardneck varieties which have outstanding cold hardiness and can be grown in Zones 2 to 9. Hardneck varieties have the same delicious flavor, health benefits, and pest-busting properties as braiding or softneck varieties, but they’re planted in fall and harvested from early to midsummer. This leaves the tomatoes without protection during the crucial fruit set and ripening phases. Solanum varieties are hot weather plants, and in areas with cold winters, typically aren’t planted out until mid to late spring, depending on winter’s length. You can intercrop by planting the tomatoes in a bed where garlic is already established, but this can be tricky. Care needs to be taken to avoid disturbing the existing root systems. The further away you have to plant the tomatoes, the less beneficial impact the sulfur compounds from the garlic will have. You can also sacrifice some or all of your hardnecks and bypass harvesting altogether, allowing the scapes to bloom and attract pollinators. This gives a longer period of protection, but the flavor, texture, and quality of the bulbs diminishes when the plants are allowed to flower or when they’re left in the soil too long. You can also try to plant hardnecks at the same time as the tomatoes go out, but they don’t generally do well in summer’s heat. In hot conditions, they falter and struggle, and the stunted growth is less effective at repelling problem insects. An easy workaround is to use softneck varieties. Softneck Varieties Softneck varieties don’t produce stiff flower scapes and the floppy foliage is easily braided for curing and storage. And because softneck types typically have a better storage life than hardnecks, they’re the ones most readily available in grocery stores. Softnecks don’t tolerate freezing temperatures as well as hardnecks do, so they are suitable for cultivation in Zones 5 to 9. Depending on the region, they’re planted in fall, late winter, or spring, then harvested from spring to midsummer. For all-season protection, you’ll need to sow the softnecks at the same time you plant out the tomatoes. Since they have better heat tolerance than hardnecks, they can be left in the ground over summer to be harvested later in the growing season. The bulbs might not grow quite as large as ones that were planted in early spring, but they’ll still have the same amazing flavor and powerful pest repelling properties as early plantings. The hitch is, if you garden in hardneck territory it can be hard to find softneck bulbs in spring. I look every year, but they’re never available at my local garden stores. However, they are readily available from many reputable online garden suppliers. Choose from ‘Polish Red,’ ‘Chet’s Italian Red,’ or ‘Nootka Rose,’ among others. Another option is simply to buy a few softneck bulbs from your grocery store or market to plant out with the tomatoes. If you go this route, I suggest using only organic produce. Non-organic bulbs that come from overseas sources have often been treated with chlorpropham (CIPC), an herbicide and growth regulator that inhibits sprouting. Planting Together Tomatoes and garlic make great companions, and both enjoy a full sun location with moderate amounts of water. But when planting, you want to keep an eye on spacing and placement to ensure plants aren’t competing for nutrients, have enough room to grow, and to prevent the taller plants from casting a shadow on the garlic. To plant out, prepare the garden soil by loosening it to a depth and width of 18 to 24 inches, incorporating enough room for both species. Mix in a shovelful of compost to enrich the soil plus a shovelful of grit to improve drainage if needed, using materials such as pea gravel or stone chips. Use a tablespoon of bone meal per plant to give the roots a strong, healthy start and improve bud set. Plant and space S. lycopersicum as outlined in our guide to growing tomatoes. If growing indeterminate varieties, set cages or stakes in place for each plant as needed. Grow the A. sativum on the south side of the bed or in front of the tomato plants to ensure they receive full sun. Plant out as per our garlic growing guide and space the cloves six inches apart and six to 12 inches in front of the toms. In areas with very hot summers, you can orient the garlic to the west or southwest so they’ll receive some light afternoon shade cast by the taller plants as the sun travels. After that, water, fertilize, and mulch the combined plants as you would for individual crops. If you like to grow your tomatoes in containers, simply pop two to four cloves six to 12 inches in front of the toms when planting, placing them on the sunny side of the container. Beneficial Buddies Planting garlic and tomatoes together as companion plants is a smart and easy way to keep pesky pests at a minimum. Locate the cloves at the front of the tomatoes so they get full sun or give them a western orientation for some light afternoon shade. This companion planting system gives excellent protection for your Solanum plants, and planting softneck varieties at the same time is the best way to give them potent cover for the entire growing season. What types of garlic do you folks use for interplanting with tomatoes? Let us know in the comments section below. And for more information about growing garlic in your garden, check out these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', ' fbq('init', '176410929431717'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link