Yes, I'm already starting to plan my garden this year! I had a bit of success last year with the companion & organic gardening, and I'm hoping to repeat my success, then some this year!
January thru mid-February I'm going to get my garden prepared. This involves bringing in more dirt, stirring the dirt that is there to aerate it, bringing in some compost, etc.
Mid-February I'm going to start the leaf lettuce, spinach, snap peas, carrots, and radishes outside - they're quite tolerate to being snowed on, iced on, and frosted. Inside I'm going to start the broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage plants to plant in late-February/early March, they're also cold hardy and didn't seem to mind last year the couple of frosts and freezes we did get.
Late-February I'm going to start my other main plants : tomatoes, oregano, cilantro, parsley, chives, bell peppers, etc inside, in my mini green house.
By the end of March the weather should be such that I can transfer all my plants outdoors and get to start watching them all grow!
YUMMY!
When my snap pea plants are done producing I'm going to be pulling them out and replacing them with green beans. Once it gets hot enough that the lettuce, spinach, etc has gone to seed I'll be replacing them with okra & potato plants.
I'm not going to be doing onions or celery this year...last year they just took too long and I was quite disappointed overall. SO I have about another 20 square feet of space to fill in with things I can either can or freeze - most likely freeze, just not quite sure what would go well in that area, unless I build the "walls" up a little higher and get quite a bit more dirt. This is a shallow area (only about 6 inches deep) so I'm not sure yet...
In the fall, after summer has shown signs of cooling I'll be planting my cooler weather plants again: lettuce, radishes, spinach, broccoli, & cauliflower. Well, last year I neglected to remove two of my broccoli plants after they went to seed and the grasshoppers ate them to nubs, but by mid-fall I noticed their leaves had become vibrant again and they were again producing broccoli heads, so I'm going to try to see if that works this year too...maybe...
Dates and such are all dependent on if this Oklahoma weather cooperates!
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Cost Cutting that I Use
This is my recipe for laundry detergent. It makes 2 1/2 gallons of detergent, initial cost is maybe $15-20, depending on the prices in your area, however when you break it down the cost is only about $1 per bucket of detergent, and last us - including the detergent I made for my mom, so 6 people - around 9 months. It is also AWESOME if anyone has skin allergies, I can't comfortably use any other detergent, even "free and clear" ones because they all break me out to some degree, I've never had an issue with the stuff I make.
Other things I do that cut down on costs is I buy the whole 5 lb processed ham, at WM and take it to the deli and have them slice it for me, then when I get home I separate it into 1lb freeze bags, freeze all but one bag of it at a time - $7(maybe) for 5lbs of sandwich ham, instead of $3 per 1/2lb.
Coupons - when my printer has ink.
I buy the ink refill bottles for the printer...it works wonderfully until you screw it up and put the colored ink in the black and black in the colored...
I make my own cleaners using vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and rubbing alcohol...there's quite a few different ones listed on here : http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/153/1/Earth-friendly-oven-cleaning.html Maybe about $5 a month as opposed to my "normal" $30-ish.
Of course generic items.
I also try to go to the local butcher and buy most of my meats there, they're fresher and are generally cheaper. In the spring I build up a garden and freeze or can a great portion of it - Spaghetti Sauce & Salsa especially. I also bake a lot of my own bread.
I do have a bit of an advantage out here where I live because I have an awesome neighbor who brings me a flat (2 1/2 dozen) of eggs every week or so that his chickens have laid. He also has some hogs & a cow he's going to be taking to slaughter this spring and will just split the processing cost with him to fill our freezer - roughly $400 (maybe) for half an "organic, free range" cow and one or two full hogs, all cuts of both.
I limit my driving to just what's necessary and do all my running in the same day, planning the trip out so I don't have to back track most of the time. We (as a family, I'm quite sure Brian eats out more often than he admits) don't go out to eat more than *maybe* once a month.
I bake something daily, and cook dinner nightly. I also have a stock pile(that needs to be refreshed) of freezer safe plastic containers that I'll fill with lunch size meals, from any leftovers we have, and put them in the freezer for later. Brian then takes them to work with him - when he thinks about it - for lunch there or we'll have them here for lunch - just something we can pop in the microwave, much like any other TV dinner, but without all the "preservatives and sodium". I don't buy many snacky junk type foods - soda, only if we're having a gathering here at the house; snack cakes - not at all, I make them instead - well cookies, cakes, the like; chips are a rare purchase, maybe one or two bags a month, maybe, instead I do buy crackers for those salt cravings, but most don't go through crackers like they do chips; etc etc.
Other things I do that cut down on costs is I buy the whole 5 lb processed ham, at WM and take it to the deli and have them slice it for me, then when I get home I separate it into 1lb freeze bags, freeze all but one bag of it at a time - $7(maybe) for 5lbs of sandwich ham, instead of $3 per 1/2lb.
Coupons - when my printer has ink.
I buy the ink refill bottles for the printer...it works wonderfully until you screw it up and put the colored ink in the black and black in the colored...
I make my own cleaners using vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and rubbing alcohol...there's quite a few different ones listed on here : http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/153/1/Earth-friendly-oven-cleaning.html Maybe about $5 a month as opposed to my "normal" $30-ish.
Of course generic items.
I also try to go to the local butcher and buy most of my meats there, they're fresher and are generally cheaper. In the spring I build up a garden and freeze or can a great portion of it - Spaghetti Sauce & Salsa especially. I also bake a lot of my own bread.
I do have a bit of an advantage out here where I live because I have an awesome neighbor who brings me a flat (2 1/2 dozen) of eggs every week or so that his chickens have laid. He also has some hogs & a cow he's going to be taking to slaughter this spring and will just split the processing cost with him to fill our freezer - roughly $400 (maybe) for half an "organic, free range" cow and one or two full hogs, all cuts of both.
I limit my driving to just what's necessary and do all my running in the same day, planning the trip out so I don't have to back track most of the time. We (as a family, I'm quite sure Brian eats out more often than he admits) don't go out to eat more than *maybe* once a month.
I bake something daily, and cook dinner nightly. I also have a stock pile(that needs to be refreshed) of freezer safe plastic containers that I'll fill with lunch size meals, from any leftovers we have, and put them in the freezer for later. Brian then takes them to work with him - when he thinks about it - for lunch there or we'll have them here for lunch - just something we can pop in the microwave, much like any other TV dinner, but without all the "preservatives and sodium". I don't buy many snacky junk type foods - soda, only if we're having a gathering here at the house; snack cakes - not at all, I make them instead - well cookies, cakes, the like; chips are a rare purchase, maybe one or two bags a month, maybe, instead I do buy crackers for those salt cravings, but most don't go through crackers like they do chips; etc etc.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe
This is the recipe that I use, there are other variations and it's fairly easy to variate it according to your personal needs.
You will need :
**1 good sized clean bucket, with a lid, I use the Scoop Away kitty litter buckets
**Arm & Hammer Washing Soda - this is different than Baking Soda, do not inter use the two! For those of you who are local folks, I have been able to find it at Reasor's in Langley, you might be able to find it at the Amish Stores in Chouteau, but I don't know for sure????
**Borax 20 Mule Team - easy to find at Wal-Mart, etc
**Bar Ivory soap
**Large pan for boiling - I use an old stock pan that I don't make use of otherwise.
**Funnel
**Wooden spoon, paint stir stick, something durable that you can stir with, plastic doesn't seem to do quite as well as wooden.
**Old laundry detergent bottle(s)
**Optional :
OxyClean powder, including the OxyClean does make the price a bit higher, but for badly grimy clothes it works great as a booster to the detergent itself.
Essential oils, scent of your choice
Directions :
1. Put pan on the stove, add a half gallon of water.
2. Grate the bar of Ivory soap, add it to the water, start it boiling.
3. Boil the water, with the soap, until the soap is completely liquefied - VERY important! You do not want to see any solid flakes, at all. I use an old wooden spoon to stir & check for
4. After the bar of soap is liquefied, add 1 cup of the washing soda, 1 cup of the Borax, & one scoop of the OxyClean, if using the OxyClean, and add in another half gallon of water, boil until all ingredients are dissolved.
5. In your bucket have 1 gallon of cold water waiting.
6. Add the boiling water to the cold water.
7. Mix well.
8. Add in another half gallon of water, mix.
9. Add in 10-15 (or so) drops of the essential oils - basically whatever your desire is on strength of scent.
10. Use the funnel to pour into old detergent bottles, but leave room to shake the bottle.
11. As the detergent cools it has a tendency to separate & thicken - shake well before each use to remix.
12. Store any left over detergent in the bucket with a lid, stir well before refilling your container.
Estimated initial start-up cost is less than $20. When making the detergent without the OxyClean the cost per 2 1/2 gallons of detergent is roughly $1.25. Two and a half gallons of Tide will run you an average of $60. Adding the OxyClean ups your start up cost to roughly $30, and the price per 2 1/2 gallons is about $2.50. This, in my person opinion & experience, out preforms Tide & similar products.
Enjoy!
You will need :
**1 good sized clean bucket, with a lid, I use the Scoop Away kitty litter buckets
**Arm & Hammer Washing Soda - this is different than Baking Soda, do not inter use the two! For those of you who are local folks, I have been able to find it at Reasor's in Langley, you might be able to find it at the Amish Stores in Chouteau, but I don't know for sure????
**Borax 20 Mule Team - easy to find at Wal-Mart, etc
**Bar Ivory soap
**Large pan for boiling - I use an old stock pan that I don't make use of otherwise.
**Funnel
**Wooden spoon, paint stir stick, something durable that you can stir with, plastic doesn't seem to do quite as well as wooden.
**Old laundry detergent bottle(s)
**Optional :
OxyClean powder, including the OxyClean does make the price a bit higher, but for badly grimy clothes it works great as a booster to the detergent itself.
Essential oils, scent of your choice
Directions :
1. Put pan on the stove, add a half gallon of water.
2. Grate the bar of Ivory soap, add it to the water, start it boiling.
3. Boil the water, with the soap, until the soap is completely liquefied - VERY important! You do not want to see any solid flakes, at all. I use an old wooden spoon to stir & check for
4. After the bar of soap is liquefied, add 1 cup of the washing soda, 1 cup of the Borax, & one scoop of the OxyClean, if using the OxyClean, and add in another half gallon of water, boil until all ingredients are dissolved.
5. In your bucket have 1 gallon of cold water waiting.
6. Add the boiling water to the cold water.
7. Mix well.
8. Add in another half gallon of water, mix.
9. Add in 10-15 (or so) drops of the essential oils - basically whatever your desire is on strength of scent.
10. Use the funnel to pour into old detergent bottles, but leave room to shake the bottle.
11. As the detergent cools it has a tendency to separate & thicken - shake well before each use to remix.
12. Store any left over detergent in the bucket with a lid, stir well before refilling your container.
Estimated initial start-up cost is less than $20. When making the detergent without the OxyClean the cost per 2 1/2 gallons of detergent is roughly $1.25. Two and a half gallons of Tide will run you an average of $60. Adding the OxyClean ups your start up cost to roughly $30, and the price per 2 1/2 gallons is about $2.50. This, in my person opinion & experience, out preforms Tide & similar products.
Enjoy!
Homemade Laundry Detergent vs Store Bought
At least in my home...
Back in February I started making my own laundry detergent, I've used it without fail until about 3 weeks ago...I'd ran out of washing soda & had not been able to find any anywhere in the last (almost) year. So I ended up having to buy laundry detergent.
Comparison #1: I spent $12 on this one bottle, a bottle that is quickly coming to an end. I only spent $12 on the last almost whole year's worth of homemade laundry detergent.
Comparison #2: The SMELL! Oh.my.word! I buy unscented, dye free laundry detergent, when I do buy it, because it'll break me out just to touch it otherwise, much less wear it. But after using homemade detergent, which just has a very light, plain clean smell to it, scented if I add some essential oils to it, but very neutral overall...then using this dye free, perfume free detergent -
I can honestly smell all the chemicals in it! FTR, I've been using the ALL Free & Clear.
Comparison #3: The FEEL of my clothes. I could actually tell that my cotton clothes were cotton, etc, they just felt like fresh crisp clothes with the homemade laundry soap. With store bought detergent - I can feel the detergent ON my clothes
I don't use much detergent either, mainly because of my skin problems, but also because it is so darn expensive!
Comparison #4: Did I mention the smell??!! I'm in the process of drying the last load of this week's laundry escapade and it just STINKS! Yes, it smells like laundry detergent, but it smells chemically!
I'd put a comparison #5 for how well they each clean, but they both do a decent job at getting out the dirt, grease, etc in the clothes, without a pretreatment.
SO! With that list I am so happy to of been able to find, quite by accident, that the grocery store down the way, opposite of the way I go, in the next county over, actually has washing soda in stock!!!
I can go back to washing my clothes in MY detergent!!!!
I really can't see myself going back to store bought detergents, it's just completely not worth it!
Back in February I started making my own laundry detergent, I've used it without fail until about 3 weeks ago...I'd ran out of washing soda & had not been able to find any anywhere in the last (almost) year. So I ended up having to buy laundry detergent.
Comparison #1: I spent $12 on this one bottle, a bottle that is quickly coming to an end. I only spent $12 on the last almost whole year's worth of homemade laundry detergent.
Comparison #2: The SMELL! Oh.my.word! I buy unscented, dye free laundry detergent, when I do buy it, because it'll break me out just to touch it otherwise, much less wear it. But after using homemade detergent, which just has a very light, plain clean smell to it, scented if I add some essential oils to it, but very neutral overall...then using this dye free, perfume free detergent -
I can honestly smell all the chemicals in it! FTR, I've been using the ALL Free & Clear.Comparison #3: The FEEL of my clothes. I could actually tell that my cotton clothes were cotton, etc, they just felt like fresh crisp clothes with the homemade laundry soap. With store bought detergent - I can feel the detergent ON my clothes
I don't use much detergent either, mainly because of my skin problems, but also because it is so darn expensive!Comparison #4: Did I mention the smell??!! I'm in the process of drying the last load of this week's laundry escapade and it just STINKS! Yes, it smells like laundry detergent, but it smells chemically!
I'd put a comparison #5 for how well they each clean, but they both do a decent job at getting out the dirt, grease, etc in the clothes, without a pretreatment.
SO! With that list I am so happy to of been able to find, quite by accident, that the grocery store down the way, opposite of the way I go, in the next county over, actually has washing soda in stock!!!
I can go back to washing my clothes in MY detergent!!!!I really can't see myself going back to store bought detergents, it's just completely not worth it!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Organic Gardening
I'm HUGE into gardening. Number one reason is because its so completely rewarding to be able to grow your own fruits & veggies. Reason number two is it is soooooooooooooo much cheaper than buying veggies, even from a cheap roadside stand. For the $5 I spent on 4 packets of tomato seeds I was able to use less than half the seeds, and got 97 plants to sprout...now I'll never use that many, so have shared a great deal of them with family & friends...I have also killed 30 plants due to being overly anxious to get to planting, so I killed maybe 50 cents worth of crop...and still have many more to replace them with. Last year I spent $10 on three tomato plants and had MORE than enough tomatoes for my family & friends...this year with 10 plants I'm hoping to be able to do a lot of canning & freezing to last me until the next year's crop. I did not spend a dime on fertilizer this year...last year I bought one bag of Mircle Grow Garden Soil & just mixed it in with the ground dirt available in my yard. This year I have two large raised beds...getting dirt & horse manure from a friend's field, at no cost to me. Even the timbers I used to make my raised beds were free as I got them from a friend of mine moving out of her place, with no room for them at her new place.... I'll do further posts about my garden in the coming days, weeks, & months...
This post is about some companion gardening hints that I have been given from another friend of mine, as well as tidbits given to me by experienced persons....
Now, most veggies will do just fine, regardless of where they're placed in the garden, this is merely a list of different companion plants that seem to do best close to each other, as well as a list of other plants that will help repel insects & rodents. I got most of these things from a small book that was published in the late 70s ('78 I think) and it's titled The Best Gardening Ideas I Know written by the Editor of Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine, Robert Rodale.
Some is also from the word of my grandfather who has been gardening since the late 30s and my uncle who has not only been gardening for the last 50 years, but is also the supervisor of the city parks in Tulsa, OK, and has been with the parks department there for at least 20 years.
I'll list the plant & beside it I'll list the companion plants, avoidance plants, if there are any, and the effects of the companionship, if the book lists any, and any deterrent properties of the plants.
Asparagus - good with Tomatoes, Parsley, & Basil
Basil - Good with Tomatoes (improves growth & flavor); said to dislike Rue; repels flies and mosquitoes
Beans - Good with Potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, summer savory, most other veggies and herbs; also great to start in house plant pots, then transplant later...improves the nitrogen in the soil
Bush Beans - Sunflowers (beans like partial shade, sunflowers also attract birds & bees which helps with pollenation), good also with Cucumbers (combination of light & heavy feeders) Potatoes, Corn, Celery & Summer Savory
Beets - Good with Onions and Kohlrabi
Borage - Good with Tomatoes (attracts bees, deters tomato worm, improves growth & flavor)also good with Squash & strawberries
Cabbage Family - Good with Potatoes, celery, dill, chamomile, sage, thyme, mint, pennyroyal, rosemary, lavender, beets, onions...aromatic plants deter cabbage worms
Carrots - Good with Peas, lettuce, chives, onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, & tomatoes
Catnip - plant in borders, protects against flea bettles
Celery - Good with Leeks, Tomatoes, Bush Beans, Cauliflower, Cabbage
Chamomile - good with cabbage & onions
Chervil - good with radishes (improves growth & flavor)
Chives - good with Carrots; plant around the base of fruit trees to discourage insects from climbing trunk
Corn - Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash
Cucumbers - good with Beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers
Dill - good with Cabbage (improves growth & health), carrots
Eggplants - Beans
Fennel - most plants are said to dislike it, so plant alone & away from other plants
Flax - good with carrots & potatoes
Garlic - Good with Roses & Raspberries (deters Japanese beetles); plant with herbs to enhance their production of essential oils; plant liberally throughout garden to deter pests....although where I planted my garlic bulbs is exactly where my neighbor's cats like to dig for their own personal "litter box"...grrr
Horseradish - Good with potatoes (deters potato beetles); plant around plum trees to discourage curculios
Lamb-quarters - Nutritious edible weed; allow to grow in modest amounts in the corn
Leeks - good with onions, celery, carrots
Lettuce - makes a STRONG companion team with both carrots & radishes; also great with strawberries & cucumbers
Lovage - plant here and there in garden, not bad with anything
Marigolds - keeps soil free of memotodes to discourage many insects, plant freely throughout garden, one of the best pest deterrents.
Marjoram - good throughout the garden
Mint - good with Cabbage family, tomatoes...deters cabbage moths
Mole Plants - deters moles and mice if planted throughout the garden, as well as around property
Nasturtiums - good with Tomatoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, plant under fruit trees; deters aphids & pests of cucurbits
Onions - good with beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce (protects against slugs) beans (protect against ants) summer savory; not good to plant with peppers, known to stunt growth & prevent fruitage of plant.
Parsley - good with Tomatoes & asparagus
Peas - Squash (when squash follow peas up trellis), plus grow well with almost any vegetable, add extra nitrogen to the soil
Petunias - attracts ants away from veggies, plant close to garden, you want some of the root/bulb area to be exposed to attract ants best
Pigweed - Brings nutrients to topsoil; beneficial growing with potatoes, onions & corn; keep well thinned
Potatoes - good wtih Horseradish, beans, corn, cabbage, marigolds, limas, eggplants (as trap crop for potato beetles)
Pot Marigolds - help tomatoes, but plant throughout garden as a deterrent to asparagus beetles, tomato worms, and many other garden pests
Pumpkins - Good with Corn
Radishes - good with peas, nasturtiums, lettuce, cucumbers; a general aid in repelling insects
Rosemary - Good with Carrots, beans, cabbage, sage; deters cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies
Rue - Good with Roses & Raspberries; deters Japanese beetles, do not plant near Basil
Sage - Good with Rosemary, carrots, cabbage, peas, beans; deters some insects
Southernwood - Good with cabbage; can plant here and there in garden
Soybeans - Good with everything, helps everything
Spinach - Good with Strawberries
Squash - good with Nasturtiums, corn
Strawberries - good with Bush beans, spinach, borage, lettuce (as a border)
Summer Savory - Good with Beans, onions; deters bean beetles
Sunflowers - good with cucumbers
Tansy - Plant under fruit trees; deters pests of roses and raspberries, flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, & ants
Tarragon - good throughout garden
Thyme - throughout garden, deters cabbage worms
Tomatoes - Good with chives, onions, prsley, asparagus, marigolds, nasturtiums, carrots, limas...also as they're growing if you pinch off the "suckers" you'll get better growth & production, the suckers are the parts of the plant that grow between a branch & the stalk, where they "Y" together, pick the middle "new branch"; also every once in a while purposely break a few leaves on the plant, tomatoes produce a hormone when they're bruised that causes fatal indigestion in some beetles & their hatchlings
Turnips - good with peas
Valerian - good anywhere in garden
Wormwood - As a border, keeps animals from the garden
Yarrow - Plant along borders, near paths, near aromatic herbs (enhances essential oil production of herbs)
If you set out a shallow dish, or even an old jar lid, & fill it with stale beer it will attract slugs away from your plants & they'll either drown in the beer, or become too drunk to escape the dish & end up drowning.
Aluminum "mulch" in strips placed along plant rows confuses aphids, they see the sky reflected & fly out of the garden.
Good bugs to have around, as they will both pollinate & eat bad bugs are : Lady bugs, praying mantis, lacewing larva, and Trichogramma wasps, but for a small home garden bringing in these bugs isn't necessary with some of the companion growing.
I'll be adding more tidbits as I come across them & have time to type them up. And don't hesitate to add your own findings, tips, etc.
This post is about some companion gardening hints that I have been given from another friend of mine, as well as tidbits given to me by experienced persons....
Now, most veggies will do just fine, regardless of where they're placed in the garden, this is merely a list of different companion plants that seem to do best close to each other, as well as a list of other plants that will help repel insects & rodents. I got most of these things from a small book that was published in the late 70s ('78 I think) and it's titled The Best Gardening Ideas I Know written by the Editor of Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine, Robert Rodale.
Some is also from the word of my grandfather who has been gardening since the late 30s and my uncle who has not only been gardening for the last 50 years, but is also the supervisor of the city parks in Tulsa, OK, and has been with the parks department there for at least 20 years.
I'll list the plant & beside it I'll list the companion plants, avoidance plants, if there are any, and the effects of the companionship, if the book lists any, and any deterrent properties of the plants.
Asparagus - good with Tomatoes, Parsley, & Basil
Basil - Good with Tomatoes (improves growth & flavor); said to dislike Rue; repels flies and mosquitoes
Beans - Good with Potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, summer savory, most other veggies and herbs; also great to start in house plant pots, then transplant later...improves the nitrogen in the soil
Bush Beans - Sunflowers (beans like partial shade, sunflowers also attract birds & bees which helps with pollenation), good also with Cucumbers (combination of light & heavy feeders) Potatoes, Corn, Celery & Summer Savory
Beets - Good with Onions and Kohlrabi
Borage - Good with Tomatoes (attracts bees, deters tomato worm, improves growth & flavor)also good with Squash & strawberries
Cabbage Family - Good with Potatoes, celery, dill, chamomile, sage, thyme, mint, pennyroyal, rosemary, lavender, beets, onions...aromatic plants deter cabbage worms
Carrots - Good with Peas, lettuce, chives, onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, & tomatoes
Catnip - plant in borders, protects against flea bettles
Celery - Good with Leeks, Tomatoes, Bush Beans, Cauliflower, Cabbage
Chamomile - good with cabbage & onions
Chervil - good with radishes (improves growth & flavor)
Chives - good with Carrots; plant around the base of fruit trees to discourage insects from climbing trunk
Corn - Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash
Cucumbers - good with Beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers
Dill - good with Cabbage (improves growth & health), carrots
Eggplants - Beans
Fennel - most plants are said to dislike it, so plant alone & away from other plants
Flax - good with carrots & potatoes
Garlic - Good with Roses & Raspberries (deters Japanese beetles); plant with herbs to enhance their production of essential oils; plant liberally throughout garden to deter pests....although where I planted my garlic bulbs is exactly where my neighbor's cats like to dig for their own personal "litter box"...grrr
Horseradish - Good with potatoes (deters potato beetles); plant around plum trees to discourage curculios
Lamb-quarters - Nutritious edible weed; allow to grow in modest amounts in the corn
Leeks - good with onions, celery, carrots
Lettuce - makes a STRONG companion team with both carrots & radishes; also great with strawberries & cucumbers
Lovage - plant here and there in garden, not bad with anything
Marigolds - keeps soil free of memotodes to discourage many insects, plant freely throughout garden, one of the best pest deterrents.
Marjoram - good throughout the garden
Mint - good with Cabbage family, tomatoes...deters cabbage moths
Mole Plants - deters moles and mice if planted throughout the garden, as well as around property
Nasturtiums - good with Tomatoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, plant under fruit trees; deters aphids & pests of cucurbits
Onions - good with beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce (protects against slugs) beans (protect against ants) summer savory; not good to plant with peppers, known to stunt growth & prevent fruitage of plant.
Parsley - good with Tomatoes & asparagus
Peas - Squash (when squash follow peas up trellis), plus grow well with almost any vegetable, add extra nitrogen to the soil
Petunias - attracts ants away from veggies, plant close to garden, you want some of the root/bulb area to be exposed to attract ants best
Pigweed - Brings nutrients to topsoil; beneficial growing with potatoes, onions & corn; keep well thinned
Potatoes - good wtih Horseradish, beans, corn, cabbage, marigolds, limas, eggplants (as trap crop for potato beetles)
Pot Marigolds - help tomatoes, but plant throughout garden as a deterrent to asparagus beetles, tomato worms, and many other garden pests
Pumpkins - Good with Corn
Radishes - good with peas, nasturtiums, lettuce, cucumbers; a general aid in repelling insects
Rosemary - Good with Carrots, beans, cabbage, sage; deters cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies
Rue - Good with Roses & Raspberries; deters Japanese beetles, do not plant near Basil
Sage - Good with Rosemary, carrots, cabbage, peas, beans; deters some insects
Southernwood - Good with cabbage; can plant here and there in garden
Soybeans - Good with everything, helps everything
Spinach - Good with Strawberries
Squash - good with Nasturtiums, corn
Strawberries - good with Bush beans, spinach, borage, lettuce (as a border)
Summer Savory - Good with Beans, onions; deters bean beetles
Sunflowers - good with cucumbers
Tansy - Plant under fruit trees; deters pests of roses and raspberries, flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, & ants
Tarragon - good throughout garden
Thyme - throughout garden, deters cabbage worms
Tomatoes - Good with chives, onions, prsley, asparagus, marigolds, nasturtiums, carrots, limas...also as they're growing if you pinch off the "suckers" you'll get better growth & production, the suckers are the parts of the plant that grow between a branch & the stalk, where they "Y" together, pick the middle "new branch"; also every once in a while purposely break a few leaves on the plant, tomatoes produce a hormone when they're bruised that causes fatal indigestion in some beetles & their hatchlings
Turnips - good with peas
Valerian - good anywhere in garden
Wormwood - As a border, keeps animals from the garden
Yarrow - Plant along borders, near paths, near aromatic herbs (enhances essential oil production of herbs)
If you set out a shallow dish, or even an old jar lid, & fill it with stale beer it will attract slugs away from your plants & they'll either drown in the beer, or become too drunk to escape the dish & end up drowning.
Aluminum "mulch" in strips placed along plant rows confuses aphids, they see the sky reflected & fly out of the garden.
Good bugs to have around, as they will both pollinate & eat bad bugs are : Lady bugs, praying mantis, lacewing larva, and Trichogramma wasps, but for a small home garden bringing in these bugs isn't necessary with some of the companion growing.
I'll be adding more tidbits as I come across them & have time to type them up. And don't hesitate to add your own findings, tips, etc.
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