Organic Vegetable Gardening – Plant Families
In organic gardening you try to use natural methods to produce the highest yield form your garden. Avoiding pesticides by producing the healthiest plants you can is another goal. A healthy plant also defends itself from insects and disease.
One way to have the healthiest plants is to make sure that the plants that are planted together don’t hinder each others growth. Basically, were talking about good neighbors or plants form the same plant families.
Plants in the same plant family either have a positive or neutral effect on each other, the only exception is in the tomato family.
While tomatoes and potatoes grow well next to peppers and egg plants, tomatoes and potatoes do not grow well next to each other.
With that said, here are some of the main plant families for vegetable gardening:
Plant Family——-Vegetable/Herb
Beet——-Spinach, swiss chard
Buckwheat——-Red orach, rhubarb
Cabbage——-Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, horse radish, kohlrabi, mustard, pak choi, radish, rutabaga, turnip
Carrot——-Celery, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, parsley, parsnip
Cucumber——-Gourd, melon, summer squash, winter squash
Grass——-Corn
Mallow——-Okra
Mint——-Basil, marjoram, oregano, sage
Morning Glory——-Sweet potato
Onion——-Asparagus, chive, garlic, leek, scallion
Pea——-Bean, peanut
Sunflower——-Artichoke, endive, Jerusalem artichoke, lettuce, radicchio, tarragon
Tomato——-Egg plant, peppers, potato (remember exception), tomatillo
This list is by no means all inclusive, but gives you a general idea to get you started with your organic planting. For more information on plant families or a specific plant not listed here, do a little research at your local library or on the Internet.
