Types of Companion Planting

Spatial Interaction

Spatial interactions involve placing certain plants that affect other plants in the same vicinity. These interactions can be chemical in nature, benefiting the growth of the other plant or they could attract beneficial insects to your garden. More of this is discussed later.

Nurse Cropping

Methods of nurse cropping include the Seven Layer System, where some larger plants shield the smaller ones.

Three Sisters Method 

This is the method discussed earlier with the planting of three different veggies together with each plant benefitting the others. Corn, beans and squash are the typical combination used in the Three Sisters Method, but there are others as well.

Container Gardens

Container gardens consist of simple plastic five gallon buckets with or without an automated watering system built in. These container gardens minimize weeds, help you eliminate problems with poor soil with the added benefit of being able to rearrange certain plants after they begin growing.

Square Foot Gardening

The square foot gardening method, popularized by Master Gardener Mel Bartholomew, protects plants from the typical problems through a combination of soil management, spacing and using companion planting to enhance the harvest of a garden in cramped quarters.

Seven Layer System

The seven layer system utilizes the size and type of plants in what is called a ‘forest garden’. These plants and trees grow together with each benefiting the others.

 
  1. The Canopy Layer: is made up of large fruit or nut trees (not walnut trees). These trees provide the shade or canopy that protects the sixth layer plants (the ground cover) from too much sun exposure and from excess winds. These trees also provide support for the seventh layer of plants which are the climbers or vine plants.
  2. Low Tree Layer: includes the dwarf fruit trees that sit under the canopy of the larger trees.
  3. Shrub Layer: consists of the bushes that grow berries and other types of fruits. These are protected by both the larger trees and the low tree layer.
  4. Herbaceous Layer: are the beets or herbs that grow in the shade of the shrubbery.
  5. Rhizosphere Layer: Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes and more are the Rhizosphere Layer. They benefit from the shade and the water that the larger trees bring up from the water table.
  6. Soil Surface: These are the ground cover discussed in the first layer. These include strawberries. The ground cover prevents weeds from infiltrating the ecosystem and provides yet another beneficial fruit in your garden.
  7. Vertical Layer: Also discussed in the first layer, the Vertical Layer includes cucumbers, grapes and other vine fruits and vegetables.