Nasturtium | Photos by the writer
To create a truly and happily sustainable garden is to follow nature’s example of a ‘mix and match’ which, in fact is not as random as many people consider it to be.
Nature has evolved some incredibly close relationships between plants: much as it links every single tree in a forest — recently scientifically proven to be true — via an intricate network of below-ground mycelia (fungal networks), trees are not only interlinked but actively communicate and share things such as water and carbon. Thus, nature has developed helpfully positive relations between plants.
Take something as simple and well-known as ‘tagetes’ or French marigolds, for example. These exude a certain fragrance and natural chemical compounds that greatly assist in keeping certain pests and diseases away from tomatoes, for instance, whilst the lovely herb borage brings phosphorous up into its leaves from below ground and then droops these leaves to feed tomato plants with one of the main nutrients needed to encourage them to flourish and fruit.
Companion planting uses one species’ advantages to help nourish another, creating a natural harmony in your garden
Such a relationship between tagetes/French marigolds, tomatoes and borage is just one of many examples of plants helping other plants to survive and multiply without the need for any artificial inputs — read noxious chemicals — at all.
Known as ‘companion planting’, this natural system has nothing at all to do with planting anything in regimental straight rows at certain distances apart, and everything to do with replicating the selectively mixed clumps and masses of healthy plants observed thriving in wild conditions.
Companion planting is a fascinating subject which, unfortunately, we don’t have space to go into in depth here. But, to get you hooked, here are some well-known examples of which plants are beneficial to each other’s health and wellbeing.
As mentioned above, tomatoes relish the company of tagetes, French marigolds and borage but they like basil and capsicums too. They do not, however, like to be anywhere close to aniseed, so do keep that in mind.