Companion Planting
Companion planting can improve crop yield, pest immunity, growing season, hydration, and general tastiness of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. But when I was researching companion plants, I found it difficult to compare larger groups of plants. I know Carrots get along with Tomatoes, and Tomatoes get along with Basil, but does Basil get along with Carrots?
So, I made this tool to quickly see good and bad relationships between common garden crops. This has allowed me to find creative new Plant Guilds to experiment with!
GREEN lines indicate good companions, RED lines indicate bad companions. There are lots of reasons for good and bad relationships between plants. Sometimes similar plants like Tomatoes and Potatoes can share diseases, and so they are best kept apart. Onions and Chives are friendly with a lot of plants because they are good at keeping away pests. Fennel, as you can see, is universally disliked, because it produces strong chemicals that inhibit the growth of others.
When thinking about companion plants, consider the shape of the plants as well. Corn, Squash, and Beans are the famous Three Sisters - they work so well together partly because their shapes are complimentary. The tall Corn supports the climbing Bean, and the explorative Squash shades the soil and covers the ground. Their roots also drink from different depths and entangle in a friendly way.