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.