Garden friends and foes: companion planting

There is a review of “Garden friends and foes” in this weekend edition (July 13-14) of the Wall Street Journal, talking about the companion planting.  It begins with “Relationship can be tricky in the garden world, too.  Some plants thrive in each other’s company; some just don’t get along. . . .”

It also reports that “Marigolds are a garden workhorse, keeping away pests like microscopic nematodes, major enemies of tomatoes, potatoes, peas and peppers.”

Like many gardeners we have been planting tomatoes and basils together, but some say this is just an old wives tale and there is no protective effect to tomatoes, nor do basils make tomatoes sweeter as many claim.

I already have some idea of how tomatoes will be planted next season; we’ve learned from our experience, which according to Oscar Wilde, is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.  Taking care of so many living  and growing things in the garden is not an easy task.


basils and tomatoes



tomatoes and basils