Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden

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Chapter two takes a look at how companion partnerships can improve soil via cover cropping, nitrogen transfer, and the breaking up of heavy soils. As an organic gardener of some 10 years I was delighted to received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please see our full article on Flowers for Vegetable Gardens for a detailed illustrated guide. Support network

I have to say, this section cleared up a big, dark cloud of confusion that has been hanging over my head as to why some species are allelopathic in some cases but not in others.I wanted the actual names of plants with the best combinations of companions. And the geeky part of me wanted to know why they performed this way. I wanted needed the science that supported these PLANT PARTNERS. This scientific approach has multiple benefits – it allows us to use proven combinations in our own gardening endeavors, but also to understand the why and how of successful combinations, enabling us to make our own companion groupings.

She also encourages us to see that plants are not passive inhabitants of our edible landscapes, but are instead actively affecting each other through various means: chemical messaging, fungal associations, and allelopathy, as well as sharing resources, attracting pest predators, and improving nutrient availability and absorption. Based on this reference in Plant Partners, there is no scientific support for using sweet alyssum to keep aphids away from lettuce. This, I feel, gets to the roots of Pavlis' conflict with the book. The title Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies... implies a fait-accompli, when in fact we've barely scratched the surface of this field. If you're willing to roll with that reality, then this becomes a very useful read. In the research for “Plant Partners,” Jessica sought an increased understanding of the key connections between plants and how they interact with each other. She looked at both how two plants in close proximity benefit each other and how more diversity in general benefits the entire garden.Those who know what to expect from Jessica Walliser’s previousworkwill not be disappointedin this important book. Here, in easy-to-understand language, is the science-based knowledge vegetable gardeners need to make informed choices when combining plants. Who knew I should be planting nasturtiums with my summer squash?This book can turn your favorite hobby into a way to make the planet a better place.”