NEW-Companion Planting for Beginners: Pair Your Plants for a Bountiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden

by Brian Lowell

If you want a vibrant, chemical-free vegetable garden, companion planting is the solution.Did you know tomatoes produce a natural insecticide that can help protect carrots against pests? Or that planting mint near lettuce can repel slugs? Every gardener knows that the key to an abundant harvest in their vegetable garden is controlling pests and disease, while still maintaining a healthy growing environment. But it is possible to have a healthy, thriving vegetable garden without using dangerous chemicals? It is, as long as you know how to pair up the right plants. Organic gardeners have known for years that planting the right plants together is the key to minimizing pests, improving soil quality, and increasing the yield of their gardens, and almost any vegetable you can grow likely has a beneficial companion. Companion planting is the ideal way to avoid using chemicals, while still increasing the efficiency of your garden. Expert organic gardener Brian Lampkins will teach you how to use plants to create a beautiful, vibrant vegetable garden that will be free of toxic chemicals.Here's what you'll find - Handy companion planting pairings for all of the most common garden vegetables- Practical, simple photography and colorful illustrations for dozens of beneficial planting configurations- Expert advice from a master gardener that is specifically designed for beginners- Loads of troubleshooting tips for fixing common issues with companion-planted gardens- Tips for setting up the perfect vegetable garden , including practical advice on watering, soil management, troubleshooting, and more

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Plants

176 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful with all aspects of gardening without being overwhelming.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting stuff in here and a nice starting point. It wasn’t exactly well written but I enjoyed it and will be using some techniques in my garden.

[Hanna Armbruster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired to rearrange my garden this year to plant plants by their companions.

[Haru · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the type of book that I wanted to read about (gardening). It's very easy to read and beneficial, especially for organic gardeners.
Companion planting is not only useful for attracting pollinators but also for improving your crops. (E.g :for nitrogen-hungry plants, legumes are a better choice as companions because legumes pull nitrogen from the air and fix it in their root systems, leaving extra nitrogen in the soil for other plants)
So, if you do companion gardening , sometimes you may not even need to add fertilizer.
Thank you for the writer — I really enjoyed this book, I think I need to reread it many times.

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هذا الكتاب الرهيب يتكلم عن " الزراعة المصاحبة " وهي طريقة تُستعمل في الزراعة العضوية ( المنزلية خاصة ) حتى تُفيد النباتات بعضها بعضًا ، بأن تزرع النباتات جنب بعض لمشاركة الفوائد ( تحسين التربة او التغذية او لطرد الحشرات والآفات او لجذب الحشرات الملقحة وغيرها )
فمثلًا هنالك نباتات ( شرهه للنيتروجين ) كالورقيات او الخس مثلًا ، النباتات المصاحبة المثالية لها هي ( البقوليات ) لأن البقوليات تسحب النيتروجين في الهواء وتنقله للتربة ، مما يجعل النباتات التي حولها تتغذى بدون سماد
أو ممكن زراعة بعض النباتات بجانب بعض لتعزيز النكهه ، كالطماطم والريحان
أو كزراعة الثوم بجانب بعض النباتات لطرد الآفات
كتاب رائع بأسلوب سهل ممتنع ، وأظن أنني أحتاج لقراءته أكثر من مرة للإستفادة منه

[Zanny Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only beautiful, it’s insightful and helpful. It covers different styles of gardening (raised beds, no till, etc), composting, common pests, cover crops, trap crops, and so much more. I learned new terminology and the most important thing to address (based on the title) is how to companion plant. To use natural characteristics of plants and putting them together to help your main crops thrive. Who knew basil was such a good tomato partner?! And also how delicious to have tomatoes and basil for your kitchen. This book has a permanent place in my bookshelf. Even my kids loved flipping through and looking at the photos and drawings. I can’t say enough good things. It’s a must have.

[Brian Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for gardeners both new and experienced!

This book is extremely informative, easy to use, and easy to understand. Brian has a way of explaining companion planting and gardening basics that makes it fun, interesting, and easy to apply. The tips and tricks he outlined in the book only validate is expertise and knowledge as an experienced gardener. This book is a must have if anyone is new to gardening or wishes to continue learning new methods, especially companion planting. This book was a small investment for the results I'm going to see after reading this. Brian truly sets you up for success, highly recommended!

[emyrose8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book is packed with helpful information. It's well laid out and easy to comprehend with great visuals. I wish I had read this before I planted my garden: how to get your garden started (i.e. prepare the ground), which plants to plant together to prevent insects/attract insects/add nutrients to the soil, building up the soil, cover crops, pest control without chemicals, weed management, and a reference section for specific vegetables.

[Sharon Reamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay beginner gardener's book but I bought it because of the title. I found relatively vague instructions about companion planting and the range of plants was limited. I've viewed a few of the author's YT videos and they were better, much better, than the book. Very nice pictures and I'll probably refer to it again. But found this book disappointing overall.

[Bree Sotirovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an abundance of information in this book with lots of photos or graphics to help showcase what the author means. All plants are broken down into their own page to share information about when to plant, harvest, and what to grow with it. Other sections include weed control and insects. I would purchase this to have at my finger tips when needed.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was disappointed that only a small portion was devoted to companion plants! It should be noted that it's a great book if you're very, very new to gardening and need to know exactly how to plan one. Maybe Gardening, for Beginners?

[Auxsceinna Cates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found it very informative and helpful. I applied a lot of his advice in my own garden this year. It was my first year having my own garden and I had a great yield overall.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly informative. A variety of information with excellent photos. There are also a variety of pictures illustrating the points. My only dislike it the book is printed on glossy paper which makes taking notes inside the book nearly impossible.

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfectly written for beginner gardners. It was very helpful. My 8 year son was able to grow his own organic garden using this book.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very basic book for beginners on how to garden, improve soil, use companion plants, look for diseases and insects that are both good and bad for achieving better gardening results.

The title is the book says Companion Planting for Beginners. I wasn’t sure what to expect on the subject. This book has a lot of information on basic gardening, not just companion planting so it is a good book for beginners.

As an experienced gardener, I didn’t find anything new. The book is very basic and I had it read rather quickly. The book is for beginners as the title of the book says. It was an easy book to read to be reminded of good gardening practices with a lot of pictures in an easy to find way.

There are many other books out there on just companion planting like “Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting for the Vegetable Garden by Jessica Walliser, that would be better for a more experienced garden to read on the subject of companion plantings. Jessica’s book is similar to this book but has a lot more detail.

[Deanne Deuermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for me. I put in raised beds last fall, started some seeds, and was wondering what I need to do next to be successful.

This book is easy to read, interesting, and provides the information I was looking for to hopefully be successful with my first vegetable garden.

I suggest getting some graph paper to use with the book to help you layout your plants and a calendar to track dates on when to start your seeds.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is by one of my favorite gardening YouTubers!