Spring 2011 garden, and a little about companion planting

After many moons after toiling over what will be planted this spring, I finally have my master plan! I have spent hours shuffling seed packets around, paying attention to which plants get along and which ones can't be near each other (for example corn can't be by tomatoes because it attracts a bug that feeds on tomatoes). All this while taking into consideration those that need trellises, full sun, partial shade and those that need extra space. Whew! A lot of thought went into it, that's for sure! Here is my 8x6 bed:

Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean
Oregano Oregano Oregano Rosemary Rosemary Rosemary
Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot
Sweet pepper Sw papper Sw pepper Sw Pepper Sw pepper Sw pepper
Basil Basil Basil Lavender Lavender Lavender
Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato
Sage Sage Sage Lemon balm Lemon balm Lemon balm
Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion

The rows with similar plants (IE the green bean row) run north to south for maximum sun exposure. The green beans need trellises so they are on the end. Here is my 6x6 bed, right next to this bed:

Corn Corn Corn Cucumber Cucumber Cucumber
Corn Corn Corn Cucumber Cucumber Cucumber
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia

I just realized that I wrote these rows down backwards- the first north to south row should be corn, corn, then 4 lemon balms. No biggie, just turn your head sideways! Anyway, I was going to do the veggies in one bed and the herbs all in another, but space constraints combined with some plants not getting along made me reconsider. I had no idea some plants competed for the same nutrients! I had to seperate the tomatoes from the corn and dill, the cucumber from the sage (it stunts it's growth), and the carrots from the dill. However, I also found out that some plants work as a team together. The lemon balm will welcome the shade provided by the corn, dill attracts benefical insects to the cucumber, and rosemary and basil make everything around it happy. I read about a tale of Native Americans and the Three Sisters crop: they would plant corn, string beans and squash together. The corn would provide shade for the squash and support for the beans; the squash would control weeds and the beans would fix the nitrogen in the dirt. The ultimate companion plants!

I plan on doing another bed sometime in late March. I will amend the dirt and plant my summer crop: zucchini, squash, watermelon, and eventually pumpkin. I want to have that for Halloween, so I will probably plant that one in June.

That's all for now! Until next time, keep your hands dirty :)