In mixed cultivation, different types of vegetables are cultivated at the same time in the same bed. They then grow in rows next to each other or can also alternate within a row. However, this cultivation method does not work equally with all plants, as some harmonize better with each other than others.
When creating the vegetable garden, it is important to pay attention to which plants get along well and which do not
Some vegetables go better together than others
Certain neighboring plants harmonize with each other and even promote each other's growth. Centuries of experience have shown that, for example, carrots growing next to onions are less frequently attacked by the carrot fly, and vice versa, the onion fly is also less common. Since the ingredients in onions and garlic curb fungal and bacterial diseases, they are planted in the bed next to plants that are at risk. In addition, there are intense or strong scents, for example of tomatoes and herbs, which confuse pests when they fly to their host plants and can thus deter them. Gaseous and root excretions of plants are also known in science, which have an impact on the plant neighbors as well as on pathogens in the soil.
Mixed culture prevents large-scale pest infestation
Nowadays, especially in commercial agriculture, monocultures are to be found. However, these have the problem that they are completely infested when fungicidal or bacterial infections occur and when there is a pest infestation. In a mixed culture, however, the often specialized pathogens are far from being able to spread to such an extent that the entire harvest is not destroyed if the worst comes to the worst.
Good Neighbors / Bad Neighbors
The table below shows which types of vegetables you should plant together - and which combinations are not a good idea.
| Good neighbors | Bad neighbors | |
|---|---|---|
| beans | Strawberries, cucumbers, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, beetroot, celery, tomatoes | Peas, fennel, garlic, leeks, onions |
| strawberries | Beans, endive, garlic, lettuce, leeks, radishes, spinach, onions | cabbage |
| cucumbers | Beans, peas, fennel, garlic, cabbage, lettuce, leek, onion, beetroot, celery | Radish, Radish, Tomato |
| garlic | Strawberries, cucumbers, carrots, beets, tomatoes | Beans, peas, cabbage |
| chard | Cabbage, carrots, radishes, radish | - |
| carrots | Peas, garlic, chard, leeks, radishes, radishes, tomatoes, onions | potatoes |
| leek | Endive, strawberries, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, carrots, celery, tomatoes | Beans, Peas, Beetroot |
| Beetroot | Beans, cucumbers, garlic, cabbage, kohlrabi, zucchini, onions | Potatoes, leeks, spinach |
| celery | Beans, cucumbers, kohlrabi, cabbage, leeks, tomatoes | endive, potatoes, lettuce |
| spinach | Strawberries, potatoes, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, radish, celery, tomatoes | - |
| tomatoes | Beans, garlic, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, carrots, leeks, radishes, radishes, beets, celery, spinach | Peas, fennel, cucumber, potatoes |
| zucchini | exporter of Peas, Beetroot, Onions | - |
| onions | Strawberries, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, beets, zucchini | Beans, peas, cabbage, kohlrabi |
tips
Often the likes or dislikes affect entire plant families. Plants that do not harmonize with onions or garlic usually do not get along with leeks either. The same is true for lettuce, which is closely related to iceberg, romaine, and pickle lettuce.