Companion planting (aka interplanting, bio-diverse planting)

Evidence has been found of this planting method being used for thousands of years all over the globe: the Roman Empire, the Americas and Asia. For example, about 2,000 years ago the Roman agriculturalist, Varro, declared “Large walnut trees close by, make the border of the farm sterile.” The ancient Romans also found that orchards grew with less disease and pests if they planted grains alongside their fruit and nut trees. Interplanting was also a fundamental practice in Asian cultures.

The most well-known example of companion planting is the Three Sisters Garden (planting corn, pole beans and squash together). While our folklore traces this back to the Iroquois Indians, it has been connected to the ancient indigenous peoples of South America as well. In this planting strategy, the corn provides support for the pole beans, the pole beans enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen from the air into the root zone converting it into a form that is easily taken up by the corn’s roots (a heavy nitrogen feeder). The squash’s big leaves then shade the feet of the corn and beans to slow the evaporation of moisture from the soil.

Though this method has been handed down from generation to generation throughout our history as agrarians and all around the globe, there is little significant university research that has conclusively proven that it works or even begins to explain how.

The premise of companion planting is that certain plants repel insects, or attract beneficials that attack the insects.  There is no significant data to prove the value of companion
planting or intercropping, but it is thought that certain plants may produce substances which confuse insects, altering their impact as a pest. Some evidence also shows that planting
flowers among vegetables attracts beneficial wasps seeking the flowers’ nectar, and those wasps lay their eggs in the larva of certain pest species. Oklahoma State University

Thai Basil planted among tomatoes

Despite the lack of definitive proof, as an organic gardener who happens to be a Master Gardener, I have witnessed the benefits of this planting strategy throughout my life/career and consider it one of the most important components of my organic gardening practice aside from sound soil food web management. When considering an organic approach to gardening, it is important to note that organic gardening practice is composed of many elements effecting a whole interconnected system which depends on insects, birds, shade, sun, and all other aspects of a “community” of living things. The elements of organic practice include soil food web management, planting strategies (bio-diverse, bio-intensive, interplanting), fertilizers and pest/disease management.  Keep in mind that applying just one facet of  organic practice will not achieve a goal of a balanced garden. When all elements of organic practice are followed, the result over time is high yield and better taste while allowing you to avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides and reducing your use of fertilizers.

By using good, sound organic practice including an interplanting strategy – planting numerous types of crops (companion planting) rather than the traditional “Ag” approach of planting in monocultures (one type of crop) – you create habitats for beneficial insects or animals, keep the number of problem pests in check, promote bio-diversity and enrich your soil to create a living ecosystem of beneficial bacteria and helpful fungi (important elements of a healthy soil food web). For me, and the clients I garden with, this IS the only way to garden…in concert with, instead of fighting Mother Nature.

To help you get started, I’ve gathered together some resources that I found to be very helpful. I hope you do too.

This is a very good worksheet I use when I’m teaching companion planting to upper grades in elementary school through middle school science students:

Click on image to download PDF

Click on image to download PDF

Here is a very helpful article from Oklahoma State University about important cultural practices (including companion planting):

Click on image to download PDF

Companion Planting Poster

Click HERE to download poster.

Add companion planting to your organic practice toolbox. Try these companions and see how they work for you. You may find that some of the ‘bad’ companions may not misbehave in your garden. Fennel, for instance, is usually thought to be “uncooperative’ in an interplanting scheme, however, fennel is and will continue to be a focal point in my home and restaurant gardens. It might be my parenting skills , but they certainly play well with others in my experience! So…go on and experiment.  You can do it…with a little help from your friends!

This “glimpse” is an excerpt from the HGEL ebook “Starting and Maintaining a School Garden Program: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” which will be available for purchase from the HGEL Groedibles.com store opening Spring of 2011. This “Toolbox” book will include standards-based lesson plans.

I’ve been a consultant to school districts and individual schools (www.millerkamm.com), running a school garden program, designing native and edible gardens and lecturing to my fellow Master Gardeners about school gardens for years now. I have heard many happy stories about school garden start-ups but, unfortunately, I have come across many more about those that didn’t succeed or fizzled out after a couple of years. I have come to realize that the successful programs began with two elements in common: a collaborative beginning and strong stakeholder buy-in. Stakeholders are defined as “individuals or organizations who stand to gain or lose from the success or failure of a system” as in this case; teachers, administrators, staff, students, and parent groups.

Taking the time to build this strong foundation of stakeholder support WILL take time, no doubt, but it WILL make the difference in whether or not your program flourishes and survives difficult times like the present challenges of budget cuts, low volunteerism (parents going back to work) and increased pressure on teachers (increased class size). Many well-intentioned community members or parents who tried to “just do it” by “throwing seeds in the ground” found that without that strong foundation of collaboration and buy-in, their programs were the first to be abandoned when the focus of the school needed to concentrate on larger, more pressing issues like maintaining or reaching academic goals. Teachers and administrators MUST be confident that you can address three critical questions when proposing your garden program:

1. IS THERE A STANDARDS-BASED CURRICULUM LINK IN ALL GARDEN ACTIVITIES?
Many gardens start with the narrow focus of nutrition education. While that is a much needed and important aspect, it should not be the only focus if you wish your program to become a lasting and integral part of your school’s curriculum toolbox. Make the garden an invaluable teaching tool to help achieve academic goals in science, math, language arts and social studies and you are making your program virtually “recession proof”.

2. WHO WILL RUN THE PROGRAM?
This depends on your school. Designing, implementing and managing a garden program is a large job. You and your stakeholders must decide on a program structure that best suits your school’s volunteer capacity, teacher interest, and financial situation. There are many ways schools run their programs and we’ll feature some of these different formats in later episodes.

3. WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR SUSTAINING THE PROGRAM?
Stakeholders want to know that you’re ready with a long term plan for sustaining your program. Nobody wants to support an idea that may not be there next year. Have a plan for who will run the garden during the summer months and in future years (especially important if you’re completely volunteer run without teacher involvement), a plan for fundraisers and potential grants to support the garden financially, and a plan to “grow” the program (set goals for growth that mirrors the goals of the school – i.e. incorporating a school-wide composting/recycling program, expanding curriculum to include environmental sciences, etc.)

I will go into more details on how to address these three questions in the next chapters.

WHERE TO START-

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS:
“ Projects will succeed or fail primarily based on the actions of people who care enough to defend or oppose them. ”
As any skilled marketing professional will tell you, you must know your target audience’s NEEDS, FEARS, HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS before you attempt to “sell” them your product (yes “sell”). Knowing these details about your stakeholder group is IMPERATIVE in designing a program that will be embraced wholeheartedly by all!

Although the following link is to an article talking about software design, its principals of addressing the needs of stakeholders in order to succeed is exactly what must be applied when designing your garden program: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/understanding_organizational_stakeholders_for_design_success. In all my years of helping schools develop internal structure that facilitates over-all institutional success, the idea of bringing together all stakeholders around a central objective is THE most important element. Here’s an excerpt from this article that beautifully explains the importance of stakeholder analysis:

“One of the goals of stakeholder analysis is to anticipate reactions to the project, and build into one’s plans the actions that will help win support for the project. User experience projects have often had a difficult time winning support from management and development teams. This issue often arises later in the project cycle, by which point stakeholders already have had a chance to stake out their positions.

Our experience is that conducting stakeholder analysis early in the project gives us a chance to anticipate potential objections and take care of them upfront. Stakeholders, when shown the results of a project, are not surprised, and recognize their own input into the project. This personal investment makes them more likely to accept the results.”

Ok, now you know the “WHY” of stakeholder analysis….here are suggestions on the “HOW” of it:

1. You’ve been called to the Principal’s Office!
Meet with the Principal. Though you won’t have the fully articulated curriculum design, come prepared with an outline and program options that address Questions Two and Three (above). Leading with the question “What do you want to get out of this program?” is exactly how you start the dialogue. Make it clear that you intend to design the program with input from administration and staff to ensure that the program meets the academic needs of the school. Get the Principal’s guidance on how best to approach the teaching staff.

2. Go to the Head of the Class!
Meet with the teachers. How you do this depends on the recommendations of the Principal. You might be able to make a presentation at the weekly staff meeting and follow up by meeting with the grade level chairs individually. As you did with the Principal, after explaining the program broadly, leading with the question “What do you want to get out of this program?” is exactly how you start the dialogue. These meetings will be the first step toward designing your standards-based lessons.

3. Meet the Parents!
Meet with the parent leadership of all parent groups on campus (PTA, Booster, etc) to explain the preliminary plan, your support from the administration and teaching staff. Though you won’t have a definitive budget yet, be prepared to talk about ideas you have about fundraisers and potential grant sources to support the program. You may make presentations at the general meetings, speak at the volunteer recruitment meetings, etc.

These are the essential steps in getting started. Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to success!

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