The Benefits of Companion Plantings and How the Pros Make Landscapes Thrive in the Parker and Castle Rock, CO Area
Companion planting is the practice of planting different plants together to achieve certain benefits. In Parker and Castle Rock, CO, companion plantings can be a popular way to establish a thriving landscape that is both beautiful and sustainable. Here are some of the key benefits of companion plantings.
Natural Pest Control
Companion planting can help manage insect populations in three primary ways. First, plants can emit odors that either repel, attract, or mask the odors of other plants, which can be used to either trap pests away from other crops, repel them from the area, or make it difficult for insects to locate the target plants.
Second, companion plants can attract predators or parasitoids, such as insects that eat other insects or lay their eggs inside other insects. By providing habitat and food for these beneficial insects, they can be attracted to the garden to help manage pest populations.
Lastly, companion plants can be visually distracting to insects that use visual cues, such as leaf shape or color, to locate their target plants. By planting a variety of plants with different heights, colors, and textures, insects may have a harder time finding the target plants than if a whole plot was filled with the same plant.
Improved Soil Health
Companion plantings can help to improve soil quality by adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil. This creates a more balanced ecosystem that supports the growth of healthy plants. Planting species with different root structures together can help promote aeration and nutrient absorption. For instance, taproot or tuberous plants like carrots and potatoes can break up soil compaction, while deep-rooted crops like tomatoes and melons can pull nutrients and water from deeper in the soil profile.
Adding legumes such as peas, beans, and clover to the garden can further maximize soil health. Legumes are known to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, which can reduce the overall need for fertilizer. They can be planted as a crop for harvest or used as a cover crop underneath the main crop, such as sowing cowpeas under sweet corn in a garden bed.
Mutual Support
Companion planting can also provide mutual support to plants, eliminating the need for additional staking or trellising. One of the most famous examples of this is the Three Sisters model, which involves the intercropping of corn, beans, and squash. Corn provides a sturdy stalk for beans to climb and acts as a visual deterrent for pests that may harm squash, such as squash vine borer. Beans fix nitrogen in the soil, providing a natural fertilizer source for the other plants. Squash can deter vertebrate animals like raccoons that often feed on sweet corn.
Designing a Landscape with Companion Planting in Mind
It can be a challenge to come up with the right combination of plantings for your landscape. An expert landscape team can come up with a plan that could include everything from raised planting beds to layered landscapes, with leafy plantings, vibrant florals, and everything in between.
About the Author
Since 2008, we have shared our passion for the great outdoors by creating award-winning landscapes that inspire our customers to spend more time outside. As a first-generation company, we’ve persevered through entrepreneurial challenges, put our strong Midwestern work ethic to good use, and got our hands and boots dirty to become what we are today—a successful business with four locations spanning across Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Tennessee.
