No matter if you are setting up a garden in containers on a deck or creating a larger backyard garden plot, diversity is the most important aspect in organic gardening.

Companion planting can help you obtain a balanced eco-system within your garden. Many plants have natural substances in their roots, flowers, leaves etc. that can repel harmful pests, attract helpful insects, and even enhance the growth and flavor of certain other varieties. In nature, every ecosystem is full of a diversity of plants, insects, animals and other organisms that work together in natural balance. A complementary system like the ones found in nature requires no foreign additions such as pesticides or herbicides to thrive.

Many people think that organic gardening is merely growing without any use of chemical pesticides but it is comprised of many aspects that make up an entire interconnected system which relies on insects, animals, shade, sun and all of the diversity found in nature. With companion planting you can grow numerous types of crops that create habitats for helpful insects, deter problem pests and improve your soil to create an ecosystem of helpful bacteria and favorable fungi.

Companion planting is based on the knowledge and experience of farmers and gardeners dating back centuries. These time-tested planting methods are sometimes dismissed as myth but there is evidence of farmer in ancient Roman times using similar techniques. Native American also employed companion planting with the “Three Sisters”, combining squash, corn, and beans for their mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Although there is very little scientific research pertaining to companion planting, there is evidence from gardening experiments that exhibits the potential benefits of this technique.

Some of these benefits include:

• Disguising a crop from pests
• Emitting aromas that deter or confuse pests
• Supplying trap plants which draw insects away from other crops
• Acting as nurse plants that create breeding grounds for helpful insects
• Providing food to nurture advantageous insects
• Establishing a habitat for favorable creatures, bacteria and fungi

With hundreds of ideas and schemes out there, companion planting is an art that needs to be refined with each season. Some techniques that work in one location may not be as successful in another. Take the time to experiment and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Check out these companion plant tables for ideas on different vegetables, herbs and flowers to start planting in your garden.