Putting Plant Relationships to Good Use in Gardening

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

You might think that organizing a vegetable garden entails having each vegetable in a single plot. For instance, herbs are planted in one section of the garden while the cabbage is placed in another. In your eyes, this may look great. However, it may not be the ideal and practical thing to do. The ideal and most beneficial way to plant crops is companion planting.

Companion planting is a technique which makes use of how nature works. Some organisms have symbiotic relationships wherein both the species involved are benefited. By using this technique, a gardener creates a suitable environment for plant growth.

There are different types of plant relationships which a gardener can use in organizing and maintaining a vegetable garden. One of these involves nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen is an element that is essential for the production of protein, a bi-molecular necessary to sustain life. However, nitrogen isn’t readily available to these plants. Nitrogen in the atmosphere comes in a form which is unusable. So, there is a need to convert nitrogen gas into a form that can be used in protein synthesis.

Not all the plants are capable of this conversion. Only some plants can take up nitrogen gas in the air and convert it to a usable form, which is ammonia. Some of these plants are legumes and rye. These plants provide shelter to Rhizobium bacteria which have the capacity of converting nitrogen gas to ammonia. Ammonia is then absorbed by the plant and is converted to ammonium nitrate, which becomes the nitrogen source the plant. So, if you are thinking of growing nitrogen-loving crops such as broccoli and kale, you might as well plant them with beans or peas.

Another symbiotic relationship that a gardener may want to consider is the production of insect-repelling chemicals. Some plants produce all chemicals, which are insect repellants. For instance, caterpillars are repelled from diamondback moths by the chemicals that tomatoes produce. This will then prevent the destruction of cabbage, which are the food sources of these moths.

Some plants are capable of protecting nearby plants by attracting insects that feed on pests. A classic example is the beans. Beans release chemicals that attract insects that survive by consuming corn pests.

Planting each crop in separate plots may be good to your eyes. However, this isn’t the most beneficial to plant crops. Before planting your vegetables, it is always best to look at various symbiotic relationships that exist among your vegetables. Then, you should try companion planting and see how this technique can save you not only money on fertilizers and insecticides but also time.