There are many things to consider when starting your vegetable garden. Companion planting is a very important one, and has more benefits than just allowing you to plant more in your garden. Companion planting is the technique of combining two plants for a particular purpose. That purpose is often pest control. Some companion plants work to hide, repel, or even trap pests.
Garlic and onions release odors that deter some insects from visiting their companion vegetables, such as tomatoes or strawberries. Mint keeps cabbage loopers off cabbage; basil discourages tomato hornworms from tomatoes-plus it tastes good on your tomatoes or in the tomato sauce that you will be making later!
Other companion plants have a different role-to attract, feed, and provide shelter to beneficial insects. Beneficial insects will consume the pest insects that we want to eliminate from vegetable or flower gardens. Or they may lure pests away. Nasturtiums lure aphids away from vegetables (and roses for that matter) and they have the added benefit of having an edible, peppery flower.
Some plants are complementary to each other and thereby are great companions; they like being close together in small space. For example, you may plant deep-rooting squash close to shallow-rooting onions. Their roots occupy different soil levels and don’t compete.
Some plants need many soil nutrients (cabbage, corn, eggplant, and squash) and these can be combined with light feeders such as garlic and beans. So take the time to plan out and arrange some companion plants for your vegetable garden today, and enjoy the fruits of your labor during the harvest season.