History of Companion Planting
China
History shows that Chinese farmers have used companion gardening for over a thousand years. Specifically, they use a plant called the Mosquito Fern to help their rice crops. The mosquito fern takes nitrogen from the air and puts it into the ground water where the rice is grown. The height of the Mosquito Fern also helps block light from getting to any plant other than the rice plants. They wait until the rice plants are taller than the fern.
Native Americans
Corn was a crop that was vital to the diet of Native Americans. The early Americans learned from the Native Americans to plant corn, beans and squash in the same hole with the disposed parts of a fish.
The corn grew tall and strong, the beans grew using the corn stalk for support while providing nitrogen for the corn and the squash grew under the cover of the shade providing a ground cover that prevented weeds from taking over while the prickly spines on the squash frustrated raccoons and other predators from getting to the corn.
All three plants benefited the other and increased the harvest. Some call this the “Three Sisters Method” where the crops are grown from the same hole. But these three are not the only combinations that can benefit your garden! In some combinations, you could actually do more harm than good. We will discuss the interaction between some species of plants so that you don’t make a mistake in planning your garden.