It is a common practice to pair up plants when building your garden. However, the placement of the plants is important as some plants can hinder the growth process. In the proper pairing of plants for your garden not only will you create a beautiful landscape but reap the benefits.
Can You Plant Carrots and Parsnips together? Planting Carrots and Parsnips together is not ideal. Carrots are extremely vulnerable to disease and pests. The parsnip can get infected thus rendering the parsnip ineffective in protecting your garden.
Any honest gardener will advise against this pairing. But what are the benefits of planting plants together? It’s also critical to know what organic or natural remedies exist for warding off pests and disease in plants too.
What Should Be Planted with Carrots and Parsnips
Parsnips and carrots are both susceptible to similar pests and diseases. If you have them paired up nearby then you’re not allowing your plants to have the best shot of success. Again, take into consideration that carrots are vulnerable to disease/pests.
Now that we covered why you should grow them apart. Let’s cover what you should plant with Carrots or Parsnips.
What Can Be Planted with Carrots?
Carrots bring a beautiful color that brightens any dish so to pack in that flavor plant them with tomatoes. Tomatoes will enhance the flavor of the carrot. A bold rich flavor is a gift to your palate. Another few options for carrots are rosemary, sage, leeks, pole beans, onions, and peppers.
What Can Be Planted with Parsnips?
Parsnips make excellent companions with greens peas, lettuce, bush beans, peppers, rosemary, and sage. If you notice both rosemary and sage can be planted with carrots and parsnips, however, not together.
Which leads to the next question of what can be paired together to maximize the benefits of your garden. Let’s take a look at what is commonly called Companion Planting.
Companion Planting is the proper pairing of plants/fruits/vegetables, so each will benefit in the growth process.
What Are The Benefits Of Companion Planting?
There are several benefits to companion planting. Here are a few options, so let’s start with a popular one. Spacing the plants appropriately will allow the plants to produce the proper amount of nectar and pollen in which attracts the right kind of insect to ward off the pests that will destroy your crop. This is called positive hosting. The proper host will ensure their guests are comfortable and thriving.
Another benefit is trap cropping. Trap Cropping is one of the best natural ways to ward off those pests who are set out to destroy your harvest. This will allow you to grow your garden without the use of harsh or toxic chemicals. Most people prefer this method if they are focusing on a clean green diet. A clean diet will assist in preventing sickness, cancer, and other ailments by ingesting preservatives we find in our food source.
Crop protection/shielding is an excellent way to pair up different plants in which one will provide shelter from the harsh conditions of the weather for the other surrounding plants.
Each of these methods will assist in creating beautiful, healthy crops.
Companion planting is an important concept and practice. It is a trade secret among gardeners, plus it allows gardening in a smaller space. When plants are paired properly your garden will thrive.
It is best to know which plants make the proper companion while others can prohibit the growth and deemed toxic to your garden. Some plants when paired properly can provide nutrients to the soil, thus in return attracting the insects to assist the growth of your plants, fruits or vegetables.
On the opposite side of the scale, an odd pairing can attract the wrong insects but can kill the other plants in your garden. Toxins and insects are not the only problems when improper pairing, but water plays an important role. Some plants will take an obsessive amount of water away from the other plants. Starving the other plants will make your harvest dry, brittle, and yes, rotten.
For a complete detailed list of companion pairing and tips, Marinas Garden offers excellent information. Companion planting is only the first step in producing a garden where you will reap the maximum benefits.
Organic or Traditional Gardening
This may seem silly to mention; however, not all gardens are organic. If a garden uses pesticides, toxins, or harsh chemicals to either
- Aide in growth
- Ward of pests
- Irrigation system using “dirty” water
Then the garden is not organic. Organic gardening is the use of natural or clean methods with the absence of ANY pesticides, toxins, or chemicals. Many gardeners using or practicing organic methods assist in protecting the environment, providing a healthier diet alternative and allow a natural flow of the eco-system.
Also, this is an excellent way to produce beautiful plants, bold flavor tasting fruit and vegetables. Organic promotes clean food, clean practice, and overall maximum benefits not only for you but for our Mother Earth.
Organic is everywhere these days so it is no surprise to see gardeners whether they are professionals or armatures adopting this practice. However, just by placing the word “organic” doesn’t necessarily mean it is. The fruit and vegetables you buy in your local supermarket can be full of pesticides, toxins, mishandled care of the product and unstable growth environments. It is odd to consider our fruits and vegetables non-organic since they do come from the earth.
Most of our food is engineered for faster growth, bigger results, and longer shelf life, aka preservatives. When our food source is altered in any way the design, flavor, and quality compromises the true nature of the fruit or vegetable.
When these methods are practiced then we, the consumer, are not benefiting from the health properties it offers. Modified foods are nothing more than empty fillers lacking any health benefits. This is a waste of time, money, and consequently, bad health in the future.
What Are Organic/Natural Remedies for Warding Off Pests and Disease In Plants?
There are many remedies. Here are a few:
- Catnip for repelling mice
- Natural dish soap
- Pepper
- Garlic
- Horticultural oil
- Turmeric
- Eggshells
For further remedies here is a detailed list of Natural Remedies.
How Would I Start An Organic Garden?
Preparing soil, proper compost, and companion planting are key ingredients to start you off for your organic garden. To ensure you do not deplete any of the soil’s nutrients take that first step preparing the soil. This allows the soil to provide water and nutrients to your garden as nature intended.
Second, is make your compost. Compost helps preserves the water respectfully to its proper plant, provides nutrients, and cleaner (organic) waste which will absorb naturally back into the ground or soil. Compost can be made up of grass clippings, eggshells, coffee just to name a few. However, be careful your source does not harbor pesticides, toxins, or potential threats to your garden.
It is extremely important to know what you are putting in your garden and that includes everything. Soil, compost, type of water (dirty or clean), type of remedy in protecting your garden, the pairing of plants are all part of producing a well-balanced garden.
All your hard work will be wasted if you do not take care in this process. Many gardeners unknowingly planted a toxic garden and were unable to call their garden organic. They had later discovered that one misstep as easily as using an irrigation system with city water will destroy the organic purity.
Know your source since this will save you heartache, money and time in the end. There is nothing more heartbreaking when a gardener builds their crop with their soul and loves only to discover a key element was missed. So, whether you are planting carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, or strawberries the proper plant companion will maximize the quality of your garden. You are well on your way to be the envy of the neighborhood with implementing these tricks of the trade. You will reap the benefits health-wise, keep the natural in nature, and optimize each plant for its designed purpose.
