Twenty perennial vegetables. What to plant in the garden - a list The best "neighbors" are considered

Plant once and enjoy forever!

Perennial vegetables are crops that you plant once and harvest year after year - a rarity in North American gardens.

With the exception of asparagus, rhubarb, and artichoke, most gardeners are unaware of the tasty, undemanding, and generous crops that can produce when most annuals are just starting to grow.

A Brief History of Perennial Crops

According to Eric Toensmeier's Perennial Vegetables, most North American gardening and farming traditions come from Europe, where there are few permanent crops at all, except for fruits and nuts. In a cold and unstable climate, the Eurasian Agriculture is concentrated around animal husbandry, cultivation of annual grain and leguminous crops. And the first European settlers to North America simply brought with them seeds and cultivation methods, as well as draft animals to work in the fields.

However, in most areas of the temperate and tropical climatic zones of the world, including most of North America, perennial root crops, starch crops and fruits were widely distributed, actively cultivated, and subjected to selective selection.

These perennial crops were popular, probably because they required less care to grow, and another reason was the lack of large livestock, since only hand tools were available to farmers.

But regardless of why these lovely plants, we should not ignore these useful and fruitful crops further. Perennial vegetables should be much more widely distributed, especially compared to annual crops, as they are more nutritious, easier to care for and more environmentally beneficial, as well as less dependent on water and other external factors.

Benefits of Perennial Vegetables

Perennial vegetables are unpretentious. Imagine vegetables that require no more care than flowers or shrubs - no annual digging of beds and sowing. They thrive and produce abundant and nutritious fruits regardless of the season. Once planted in the right place and climate, perennial virtually indestructible, even if left unattended. Established perennial crops are often much more resistant to disease, pests, drought and weed attack.

In fact, some perennials grow so well on their own that only timely and frequent harvesting is required as maintenance to prevent self-seeding. Ease of cultivation and a bountiful harvest are the main reasons to start growing them.

Perennial crops lengthen the harvest time.

The growing season for perennial vegetables often differs from the growing season for annuals, which helps increase the amount of food you gather from your own garden throughout the year. While you are planting seedlings of annual vegetables in your garden or waiting out the summer heat, many perennials are already grown and ready to harvest.

Perennial vegetables can perform a variety of functions in the garden.

Many perennials are, among other things, wonderful, ornamental plants that can brighten up your landscape, among other things. Perennials can serve as a hedge, act as a groundcover, or protect slopes from erosion. Other perennial vegetables can serve as fertilizer for themselves and other plants by enriching the soil with nitrogen. Some may provide habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators, while others may curl around the trellis, providing shade for other crops.

Perennial vegetables help structure the soil

Perennial crops are simply amazing for the soil. Because they don't require annual digging, perennials help create healthy and holistic soil food chains, including providing a habitat for a vast array of animals, fungi and other important soil micro-organisms.

If perennials are well mulched, then they help improve soil structure, increase the content organic matter, porosity and soil moisture retention capacity.

Cultivation of perennial vegetables structures the soil the way nature intended, allowing plants to naturally accumulate more and more soil organic matter through the slow and gradual decomposition of their leaves and roots. As they develop, they also help form the topsoil and sequester atmospheric carbon.

Disadvantages of perennial vegetables:

Some perennial vegetables develop slowly and may take several years before they start producing. good harvest(asparagus - best example this)

Like many annuals, some green perennials become bitter after flowering, so they are only usable early in the season.

Some perennials have a strong smell that some may not like.

Some perennials are so undemanding that they can quickly become weeds and fill your garden, or "escape" and settle in a neighbor's garden (Daylilies - good example this)

You need to carefully approach the choice of a permanent place for planting perennials in your garden. How to separate plantings of perennials and annuals

Perennials can have specific problems in controlling diseases and pests, as you won't be able to apply crop rotation to minimize the problems. If a perennial plant once got sick with something, then it is often almost impossible to get rid of the disease, and the plant will have to be removed.

Perennials grown as annuals.

Some perennial crops are grown as annuals because they are easier to care for then. For example, potatoes are technically a perennial, but we grow them as an annual because pest and disease problems force us to rotate crops frequently. On the other hand, some plants that we grow as annuals can be successfully cultivated as perennials, such as cabbage.

Growing perennial vegetables.

One option for introducing perennial vegetables into your garden is to expand the area of ​​an existing vegetable garden. Just dig an extra meter and a half and plant perennials along the border.

Or, if you already have an ornamental shrub hedge, consider including perennial vegetables such as beetroot chard or sorrel. Many perennials have attractive leaves or flowers that can brighten up a garden.

You can also make use of currently unused spaces by selecting the appropriate conditions for perennials. There are perennial vegetables such as leeks, which will grow wonderfully in a shady, damp or cool place, where it is usually not possible to grow vegetables.

If you're already growing perennials and want to take your garden or yard to the next level, consider Permaculture.

By mimicking natural ecosystems, this approach promotes the best interaction between plants, soil, insects and microorganisms. In permaculture projects, edible vegetables, herbs, fruit bushes and creepers grow as an undergrowth of second-tier fruit and nut trees. This technology is sometimes also referred to as "tiering".

Tiers need to be formed within a couple of years. In the first year, plant fruit trees as the outpost of your property. This year and the next few years, use sheet mulch to prepare the planting area under the trees for undergrowth plants. Leaf humus mulches seedlings within a radius of 0.5-1 m in the first year and, accordingly, increases the radius of mulching as the tree grows. In the second year, you can start planting perennial vegetables, berry bushes and grapes on the spaces mulched around the tree.

There are many perennial crops known and loved by gardeners around the world, including these ten well-known ones:

Blueberries, lingonberries and other berry bushes

Cabbage (usually grown as an annual)

Garlic (usually grown as an annual)

Italian chicory radicchio (usually grown as an annual)

Artichoke

lovage

Watercress

But in fact, there are hundreds more types of perennial fruits and vegetables that can grow in the temperate and warm climates that North America is found in.

Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier is undeniably the bible on this subject. This book describes over a hundred perennial crops that you can grow at home. You will be delighted and inspired to try something new in your garden every spring! For each plant in this guide there are maps with the distribution area, color photographs, climatic and historical information, complete instruction about how to grow, care for and harvest, and even recipes and ideas for new dishes.

Perennials make great additions to annuals in the garden. Here are ten delicious, easy-to-grow perennial vegetables that you may not have heard of before.

We selected these from a variety of perennial vegetables described in the Perennial Vegetables book based on criteria such as taste, ease of cultivation and preparation, and a wide range of climates.

Some of these perennials are found in nature in many parts of North America, but because they are too heavily harvested or grow in fragile landscapes, it is better and safer to grow them on a piece of land near your home. You can also plant special cultivars (cultivars) of these wild edible plants, selected for traits such as taste and adaptability to garden conditions. No serious gardener or landowner considering growing their own food would be complete without perennials in their garden.

1. Egyptian or multi-tiered bow. (Allium cepa var. Viviparum)

Some types of onions such as winter green onion or the Egyptian onion, continue to produce a crop, even if some of it has already been harvested. The Egyptian onion forms small air bulbs at the top of the shoots in late summer. You can use these miniature bulbs on their own, or you can plant them in the fall to grow even more Egyptian onions. For zones 4-8.

2. Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.)

As gardeners say, daylilies will flourish if they are not cared for. So much so that they have naturalized all over the United States. While in North America they are grown primarily as ornamental plants, in Asia they are grown as a vegetable crop, their many buds are harvested daily and used as green beans. Flowers are added to salads, baked in batter or fried. For zones 2-10.

3. Whole-leaved marijuana (Chenopodium bonus-henricus)

Whole-leaved mari is a traditional European vegetable, known for its delicious shoots, leaves and buds. This spinach relative grows in full sun or part shade in moist, well-draining soil. Collect tender shoots in spring. Frost hardy up to zone 3.

4. American peanut (Apios Americana).

Native to eastern North America, the groundnut is a nitrogen-fixing plant, the six-foot-tall vine carries high-protein tubers that taste like nut-flavored potatoes. The peanut vine grows alongside shrubs that provide support. Grows in damp places, prefers sun or partial shade. Frost hardy up to zone 3.

5. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).

Belongs to the same family as the sunflower. Jerusalem artichoke is grown for its underground tubers. They can be eaten raw or cooked like potatoes. Their charming yellow flowers attract beneficial insects to your garden. Jerusalem artichoke is a vigorous plant, spreads by underground roots and can be difficult to eradicate. Some gardeners consider them aggressive. Zone 4-6.

6. Ostrich fern. (Matteuccia struthiopteris).

Many gardeners grow the fern for its high ornamental value, not realizing that it can be grown for the delicious, early spring fern shoots that are a coveted delicacy in high-end restaurants across the country. They love cool, shady places and are very hardy. For zones 2-8.

7. Ramson or wild onion (Allium tricoccum).

Ramson is a relative of the onion, grows wild in deciduous forests east of the Mississippi, appears every spring. It is a local delicacy that many people gather from the forest (in the wild). Isn't it easier to grow it in your garden? Both leaves and bulbs are edible. Grows on the border of the shade in moist loams or under trees. Frost-resistant up to zone 4.

8. Red beans (Phaseolus coccineus).

Red beans are commonly grown as garnish in most gardens, but are just as edible and nutritious as green beans and dry beans. Flowers, young leaves and tubers are also edible if cooked. It is known that red bean plants can grow in one place for more than 20 years, practically gaining dominance in the garden. Frost resistance up to zone 4.

9. Seaside katran (Crambe maritime).

Sometimes grown as ornamental plant, thanks to its gray-blue leaves and white flowers on a bush up to one meter. Shoots, young leaves and flowers are also edible. Frost hardy up to zone 4.

10. Sorrel.

Perennial herb with leaves that have a tart-lemon taste. The leaves are used to make soups, stews, salads and sauces. Two species of sorrel are grown, the common sorrel Rumex acetosa and the French sorrel Rumex scutatus. They are relatives of rhubarb and the leaves contain a small amount of oxalic acid, which is not harmful as it is present in small amounts (unless, of course, you are allergic to oxalates). Sorrel leaves taste best in early spring, and with the onset of warm weather, it becomes bitter. Sorrel is a delicacy that is hard to find in stores because it wilts quickly once picked. Garden sorrel is frost-resistant up to zone 5, French sorrel - up to zone 6.

Carrots grow well after cabbage, and beets grow well after parsley and parsnips. Knowing such wisdom, you can get an excellent harvest of vegetables.

It's time to plan what and where to plant on the site. Remember that the correct alternation (fruit rotation) of vegetable crops not only increases productivity, but also protects plants from diseases and pests.

Each vegetable has its own mineral

Various vegetables consume minerals during growth, depleting the soil. But each plant has its own\"menu \". Potatoes and cabbage lean on potassium and nitrogen. But cabbage also loves phosphorus, just like tomatoes and radish... Therefore, if you plant the same crop several times in a row, even if you apply fertilizer, the soil is still one-sidedly depleted.

Any crop planted in a garden bed that prefers the same minerals as its predecessor will feel uncomfortable. For example, tomatoes planted for the second season in a row on the same bed or planted immediately after cabbage will lack phosphorus. In addition, each plant releases substances into the soil that inhibit the growth of the same crop next year, which also leads to a decrease in yield.

Another danger lies in the accumulation in the soil of pathogenic bacteria and pest larvae, "specializing" on a particular plant. For example, a tomato or pepper is not recommended to be planted after potatoes. And vice versa. Why? All of them belong to the nightshade family and can get late blight. If phytophthora spores enter the soil, then they are viable for several more years. And, repeating the sowing of crops susceptible to phytophthora at this place, we thereby only "feed" the disease.

Yes, and the Colorado potato beetle, waking up after hibernation, in the absence of potatoes, will willingly switch to tomatoes and even peppers.

They grow poorly one after another in any combination: cabbage, radish, turnip, radish. All of them can get kyla. But with the correct sequence of planting, it is much easier to resist diseases and pests.

Rotating vegetables also helps control weeds. Plants with well-developed, fast-growing foliage (cabbage, potatoes, beans, squash, and others) have the ability to suppress weeds. Conversely, crops that slowly develop a small rosette of leaves (carrots, beets) are very vulnerable to weeds. So these two groups of plants are good to alternate with each other.

A special place in the garden should be reserved for perennial vegetable plants (rhubarb, asparagus, sorrel). Usually they are placed at the end of the site or along its perimeter, so that they do not obscure the rest of the plants.

Attention

Related cultures with similar needs:

peas, beans, beans, rank, chickpeas (bean family);

potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers (nightshade family);

radish, turnip, rutabaga, radish, cabbage, watercress, horseradish, mustard, rapeseed (cruciferous family);

carrots, dill, celery, parsley, parsnips, cumin, coriander, anise (umbrella family);

beets, chard, spinach (family haze);

cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash, zucchini (pumpkin family);

sorrel, rhubarb (buckwheat family);

basil, peppermint, lemon balm, marjoram, thyme (laminaceae family);

leaf lettuce, head lettuce, estragon (Asteraceae family);

onion, garlic (lily family).

By the way

Onions and carrots are "friends". Planted side by side, they are successfully protected from pests. Each of them has its own pest - the fly, respectively, carrot and onion. But the onion fly does not tolerate the smell of carrots, and the carrot fly disappears if onions grow nearby.

It is better not to plant tomatoes and cucumbers nearby. For successful growth, tomatoes need dry hot air, rare but plentiful watering. Excessive soil moisture provokes late blight in tomatoes. Cucumbers prefer warm dampness. These vegetables have a completely different approach to fertilizers. Unlike the cucumber, the tomato does not tolerate manure. Therefore, even in open ground you should not arrange beds with cucumbers next to the beds of tomatoes, and there’s no need to talk about greenhouses. But it is possible to alternate them with each other.

Onions, potatoes, carrots can be grown in one place for a long time if the soil is not infected with pathogens.

adviсe

The seven rules of crop rotation:

1 It is not recommended to plant crops that require early planting after crops that have been harvested late. For example, carrots, parsley, cabbage, and some other crops are in the ground until hard frosts. Naturally, during the winter, the frozen soil will not have time to recover.

2 Make sure not to plant crops of the same species and family one after another in the same place.

3 It is best to return plants from groups that are unfavorable to each other to their former \"place of residence\" in 3-4 years. main culture

can be returned to the previous bed earlier if cereals (wheat, rye, oats) or green manure are sown after it.

4 It is useful to alternate cultures with deep and shallow roots, then the former can get their food from the deeper horizons of the soil.

5 Rotate plants according to their ability to resist weeds.

6 It is advisable to divide the plot into two halves so that on one half it is possible to grow vegetables that grow well after manure is applied, and on the other - crops that do not tolerate manure. With this division, you will ensure that a wide variety of crops can be grown annually.

7 Must be included in crop rotation legumes as they enrich the soil with nitrogen. They are good predecessors for almost any culture.

When purchasing a summer cottage or a house on the ground, the owners begin to think about how to organize a vegetable garden and a garden. I want to make it not only useful, but also beautiful, blooming, fragrant. Many aspiring gardeners get lost, don't know where to start and make many mistakes in their "growing career".

A bountiful harvest depends on proper crop planning. It is not enough just to stick the seeds in the ground and wait for the harvest. It is necessary to correctly compose the soil mixture, choose a suitable place, organize watering and caring for plants. It is better to know about all these features of laying out a garden in advance than to be disappointed later in the results of your hard work. Here the gardener will find everything helpful tips experienced growers to organize suburban area, plant compatibility and many other useful information.

Garden layout: consider the size and composition of the soil

Before planting a site, pay attention to its size and soil. If the territory is small, especially with the planting of crops, do not scatter. That's why experienced gardeners it is advised to break up a garden so that you can mix plants with each other - arrange beds where two or three types of vegetables will grow in one place. Of course, you should not grow trees in small gardens. Their root system will "envelop" the entire plot, vegetable crops will grow poorly and slowly. If the territory is more than 12 m?, you can no longer worry about the advisability of mixed plantings. Here the gardener plans standard-sized beds and determines a place for growing fruit trees and shrubs.

When planning a garden, rely on the basic rules of its organization:

• Consider the size of the plot
• Decide what crops you want to grow
• Gather all the information about them to know what growing conditions they need.
• Divide the site into zones depending on this.
• Explore the soil. If necessary, add compost, humus, peat or sand
• Immediately decide if you need it and choose the best place for it

An important item on the list is the study of the soil. Why is it so important? The thing is that there are types of soil on which it is impossible to grow certain vegetable crops. Knowing the composition of the soil, its level of acidity will help not to waste time growing crops that simply will not grow. Checking acidity is very simple at home. To do this, take some earth - a couple of spoons - fill it with vinegar and look at the reaction. If the substrate begins to foam and hiss, then the acidity is moderate. If no reaction occurs, the soil is acidic, it must be deoxidized with slaked lime and ash.

Most vegetable crops do not tolerate acidic soil.

Compost, humus and sand are added to clay soil. If the site is damp, it is necessary to arrange good drainage under the beds - constant puddles do not contribute to the growth of vegetables. Complex and rotted humus are introduced into soddy-podzolic soils. Only after planning the zones and improving the soil, you can start cultivating beds and planting vegetables, flowers and trees.

How to make beds: choose vegetables

The organization of beds requires certain knowledge from the gardener. First of all, this is the orientation to the cardinal points. The beds should be arranged in a direction from north to south. This the best option for cultures. It is advisable to choose areas that are flat, without ridges and bumps.

The area with vegetables should be open, free from trees and shade.

Most crops love sunlight, air movement - aeration and soil moisture. With this in mind, the beds should be broken. Many are now organizing a place for vegetables like a high ridge. What's happened? The place is delimited by boards - a rectangle is built above ground level. The substrate necessary for the culture is added to it.

Such high bed has a number of advantages:

• It is easier to work with it - weed, water, thin out
• Earth keeps warm longer
• Careful appearance gardens - everything is organized

But if there is no desire to build such structures, cultivate ordinary beds. The optimal width will be approximately 90 cm. Do not make too wide areas for vegetables. They are difficult to take care of. We have to violate the integrity of the ridge when weeding and. Between the beds there should be a distance sufficient for the free movement of a person with a small garden cart. Narrow passages do not allow normal work with plants - watering, weeding, fertilizing.

On the beds you can grow any kind of crops. Everything will depend on the diet of the family and the wishes of the owners themselves. It is important to consider the order of planting vegetables and their compatibility. Landed first, and. A little later, the rest of the cultures -,. The latter are usually grown from seedlings, planting in the ground occurs when there is no threat of frost. This is the middle or end of May, depending on the region. When choosing vegetable crops for cultivation on your site, always consider the diet of the family. What will be eaten and what households do not favor. Wasting time on plants that will then be thrown out is not worth it. This is a waste of space and a waste of time.

The concept of plant compatibility is relevant for small garden plots. As a rule, it is on them that a mixed method of growing crops is used. Several types of vegetables and herbs are planted on the same bed in order to save space. For this, plant compatibility should be taken into account. What to plant with what? The following are pairs of cultures that can be combined:

• Potatoes are well adjacent to, and
• gets along with, peas,
• likes to grow up with catnip
• coexist with, spinach, and
• get along well with celery, peas and
• is friends with, catnip
• better to plant with and
• with , and

In this order, you can combine vegetables and safely harvest bountiful harvests. Pay attention to flowers such as marigolds. This is enemy number one for vegetable crops. Therefore, experienced gardeners are advised to plant them around the perimeter of the beds. Often vegetables are mixed with herbs - parsley, dill, lettuce. These plants are the so-called "mediators". They help the main crop grow.

By observing these simple compatibility pairs, you can harvest a good harvest even from a small garden plot. However, one should observe not only the rule of "friendship" of plants, but also crop rotation.

The crop rotation rule boils down to one thing - one and the same place cannot be endlessly grown one type of crop. They definitely need to be replaced. Otherwise, the soil will be depleted and impoverished. We will have to enrich her and give her rest, which, as a rule, is not included in the gardener's plans.

So, a beginner summer resident should consider the following rules:

• Potatoes are planted in the place where they grew

Proper placement of plants in the beds affects their yield more than it seems. The fact that some crops grow better if they are planted together, while others, on the contrary, interfere with each other, was also noticed by the Indians who plant pumpkins, beans and corn together. Now many gardeners and summer residents know about the successful and unsuccessful neighborhood of vegetables in the beds. The table of "friends" and "enemies" of each vegetable has been studied in detail and is available to everyone.

Good neighbors in the garden

Joint planting of vegetables not only makes full use of the available land, but also positively affects the growth and yield of both plants. As a nice addition, such beds will look very nice from the outside. Smart garden planning and the interaction of plants in it combines many nuances that have been studied by both scientists and farmers in their own experience.

It is known that many plants emit chemical compounds that can both promote the growth of neighbors and suppress it. In addition, they can provide each other with protection from the heat, providing shade, enriching the soil, inhibiting the growth of weeds that are dangerous to another species, or repel pests. Each culture has its own list of useful and harmful companions in the garden.

Benefits of co-planting

Rules for joint planting of cultivated plants designed primarily to increase productivity. Observing them, a person receives the following benefits:

Different neighbors are good for each plant, so you need to carefully consider the layout of the garden before proceeding. mixed landings vegetables in the garden. An example of a successful neighborhood: cucumber and corn, when cereals protect the vegetable from the scorching sun and at the same time serve as a support for it. Corn is also good in the vicinity of tomatoes, but it is better not to plant tomatoes with cucumbers themselves - they require completely different amounts of moisture and fresh air for optimal growth.

Vegetables can be planted not only next to others edible plants but also with fragrant herbs or even flowers.

For example, basil improves the taste of tomatoes, while mint improves the taste of white cabbage. Almost all crops can be planted next to garlic and onions, because these odorous plants emit a large amount of phytoncides that work well on many vegetables.

All plants need pollinators, which can be attracted by planting flowers next to vegetables - they will not only benefit, but also serve as a garden decoration. In addition to them, herbs such as mint, lemon balm and marjoram will help attract pollinating insects. Earthworms also have a good effect on most crops - they loosen the earth, increasing the amount of oxygen available to plants. They like herbs such as chicory, valerian and green onions.

Universal neighbors that are useful for almost any vegetable are legumes. Nodule bacteria live on their roots, processing nitrogen from the air, which the beans can supply to closely growing plants. The most nitrogen-rich soil remains after the end of their growth, therefore legumes also serve as a good predecessor for crops demanding this parameter, for example, pumpkin or cabbage.

Another plant that is friendly with so many vegetables is spinach. It releases special substances that help plants better absorb useful elements from the garden. In addition, spinach leaves grow quickly and cover the ground, protecting it from drying out and preventing weeds from developing, while neighboring vegetables are still small and occupy the entire garden.

All cultures prefer different friends - there are many factors to consider in order to understand what to plant with what in the garden. The compatibility table of the most popular vegetables looks like this:

Pest protectors

Many plants repel or lure feeders to themselves. vegetable crops insects or animals. They can be combined in plantings with vulnerable plants or planted between rows for preventive purposes. If you do it right, you can significantly reduce the use of chemicals in the garden or completely eliminate them. Different cultures help protect the garden from such pests:

Warring vegetables

In addition to friend plants that strengthen and support each other in the garden, there are neighbors that are very bad for some species, which inhibit their growth and have a bad effect on the crop. The consequences of joint planting of such "enemies" are often the attraction of pests, diseases, waterlogging, due to which fungi develop, or even the complete cessation of growth of one of the crops. Enemies of the most common garden plants:

Rules for successful combination

In order to get a rich harvest, it is not enough just to plant suitable crops nearby and protect their enemy plants - many more factors must be taken into account. It is best to combine species favorable to each other both horizontally and vertically, and plant them at the right time so that vegetables that grow too early do not ruin their neighbors.

Plants in a joint bed should first of all be combined according to preferences for temperature and amount of water. It is also worth considering the structure of their root system - you need to plant vegetables with different root depths nearby so that they do not intersect and there is no competition.

Another important parameter is the amount needed by the plant. nutrients. The culture most in need of them is planted in the center of the planting, and the less demanding crops are planted on the sides. You can never plant crops with the same height and width of leaves on one bed - one of them will definitely destroy a neighbor.

For proper cultivation vegetables you need to know and after which crops they can be planted.

Onions, for example, prefer cucumbers, legumes and early varieties potatoes as predecessors, but does not like it when celery, radish or carrots grew in front of him in the garden. Both in small and large crop rotations, you should not use plants of the same family twice in a row: this is especially true for beets, chard and spinach.

In a greenhouse, vegetables grow faster - this is also worth considering if you want to create joint landings there. Before starting work, you need to carefully consider the layout of the beds - take into account the cardinal points (some crops, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, are grown on the southern sunny side of greenhouses), find those plants that are suitable for the same humidity and temperature, and make sure that none of them did not interfere with others.

Joint planting of vegetables is very effective and useful way , which will help to grow a good crop even under adverse conditions or in a small area. Using various tables, you can easily create your own combinations suitable plants and enjoy delicious and juicy vegetables from the garden every year.

Compatibility of vegetables in the beds

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What, already O Lito?.. Then I have a toast.

May all those who thought of this get stronger and prosper!

Chapter 6
Viviparous combs of Vladimir Rozum

Vladimir Nikitich Rozum is a resident of the Ternopil region. Its soil is light yellow loam, turning into concrete in summer. There is no chernozem even in the upper layer. Droughts are common. Little water for irrigation. So what can you grow here? Rosum grows everything. And his students, too. And the yields are excellent.

It's all about the magic beds. They are similar to the beds of Oleg Telepov, and work on a similar principle. But there are serious differences. Vladimir Nikitich wedge-shaped deepens every second path for the accumulation and decay of organic matter on a bayonet - it turns out a compost ditch 55–60 cm wide. On the sides he makes two ridge beds 30–35 cm wide. double. Such is the bed: "comb - compost - comb" (Fig. 35). Between the beds - passages of 50-60 cm, covered with living grass turf.

Rice. 35

These beds, of course, need to be dug up and filled with organic matter. But the work is the same as just digging up a garden bed. And organics refuel for a very long time: below - thick branches and poles, above - weeds and grass-leaves, and then green manure and tops (Fig. 36). Laid once, the main organic matter includes humification for many years. Literally in the second year, the soil turns black, and in the third it gives excellent yields. Of course, neither the beds nor the aisles are ever bare, and by autumn it is a continuous carpet of green manure (Fig. 37).

Rice. 36

Rice. 37

An important plus of the Rozumovsky beds is the shallowness and wedge-shaped compost moat. In such a moat, organic matter does not sour, does not wander without air - everything happens here with the help of aerobic microbes and fungi, which ensure the process of fertility. Heat from the condensation of morning moisture and from the decay of organic matter is given to the soil in the root zone - it is not lost. Moisture under the layer of compost and foliage is always there and is used without loss. Plant roots feed on both sides of the feast of worms and microbes all summer long.

Convex ridges accommodate almost double the number of plants - there is a place, there is enough light. Everything grows just like I.E. Ovsinsky: plants, feeling tightness in the roots, tend to spread out into a free place - and they have it. Everywhere there is an edge effect.

Rice. 38

Hence the new opportunities to combine landings. On fig. 38 - a piece of just one comb. How good it is for vegetables here, you can see by the beets.

Chapter 7
You can compact landings

Everything has everything.

Wisdom!

The main thing: if you already know how to grow good vegetables and are satisfied with their result, you do not have to combine something at all. It is hardly necessary for those who are not prone to invention: finding a good way to combine is not an easy task. You have to think, plan, keep records. In general, for an amateur.

I see a lot of value in the combination. First, you can manage to squeeze two beds into one. Harvest carrots on a narrow bed - good. But growing a trellis of cucumbers here, even with an average yield, is even better. Most Russian summer cottages are 4-6 acres. Just think about it! Secondly, plants can protect each other from pests. In a combined garden, the pest is not so comfortable. "Combined" allows you to do almost without poisons - this is very important if you are trying to turn the site into a sustainable ecosystem. Thirdly, the combination gives a more permanent and dense vegetation cover, and this is better for the soil. Finally, it's fun to experiment! In general, this is a very reasonable path, full of pleasant finds.

Successfully combining plants is much easier in theory than in practice. Here I already "broken a lot of firewood." The hardest part is figuring out when to plant what. It is necessary to ensure that the plants do not jam each other. For example, if you plant seedlings of cabbage and cucumbers at the same time, the cucumbers will hopelessly lag behind - the cabbage will crush them. Among the plants there are "sprinters" that break ahead. There are also "invaders" rapidly occupying the area. But they also behave differently in different weather and on different soils. All this can only be found out by experience.

Here is the main combination fact: you will get the most luxurious and productive plant if nothing else grows on a whole square meter! Therefore, the combination is, in fact, a compromise between the freedom of plants, the scarcity of land and our unwillingness to work hard. And only for thinking gardeners - the art of making the most of the sun and soil.

Generally cultivated plants do not tolerate very close proximity. Once in the ring of neighbors, they are greatly inhibited in growth, and the more light-loving they are, the more they lag behind. However, having burst into the light, many quickly gain power. These are pumpkin, salads, tall tomatoes, cabbages. Cucumbers and climbing beans retain their vigor if they manage to stick out the tops of the thickets. In general, in order for all plants to receive and then give their own, it is necessary to divide between them not so much space as time.

The simplest and most reasonable thing is to combine vegetables in narrow beds, growing them in two rows. It is possible in three rows, the middle of which is a trellis. But there are good options for wide ridges. I came to the conclusion that it is much more convenient to combine rows or stripes than individual plants. It is even easier to combine "spots", plots of different vegetables the size of one and a half square meters. In the south, the “amphitheater” method works well. There are other observations as well. I offer them to you.

Conclusions on "square foot"

This method of placement, or rather, a way of understanding the placement of plants in a small area, was invented by the American Mel Bartholomew. His book This Extraordinary Square has been translated into many languages.

Mel offered the ultimate simple model combined beds - a square of 30 by 30 cm (square foot). It is very easy to place several plants of different heights on it, see the result and understand how they get along. For example, in the center there is a pepper bush, in the corners there are four carrots, and between them there are four parsley bushes.

I took a square half a meter closer to us. You can fit more here. For example, in the center - a tall tomato, a couple of cucumbers or four bean bushes on one vertical rack, the stems of which are exposed from below as quickly as possible; in the corners - four beets or four nests of three carrots; and between them along the edge of the square - three or four bushes of parsley, cilantro, cress or radish.

You can stretch the square in time. First, grow a radish from below - 30-40 bushes, in five rows, about 5 cm in a row. Then plant cucumber seedlings, sow carrots or beets. And after removing the root crops, sow radishes or lettuce again in September (Fig. 39).

Rice. 39

I tried to make a bed of 1 by 4 meters from such squares and failed: the plants that fell into the middle lagged behind and did not develop at all. The narrow bed won! Now I can say something to those who liked the idea of ​​squares.

1. Fact: A fenced and mulched square works best when it is alone, on its own, and the area is empty. Then all plants are well developed. Conclusion: no need to combine vegetable squares into large arrays. But you can make a strip of them one square wide. The central, high row in the strip will no longer be compacted by other plants. We got a narrow bed.

2. Plants that fall on the north side of the square will be underdeveloped due to the shadow of the central, taller plant. This means that tall plants should be planted from the northern side of the square. This is already a small "amphitheater".

3. If a wide bed consists of squares, it is better to plant only the smallest vegetables and undersized flowers. Zucchini, pumpkins, chard and all cabbages, except for kohlrabi, are not suitable for compaction: they crush everyone in a row with their “burdocks”.

4. Squares with spreading plants growing for a long time should also be staggered. If a flower garden is broken into squares, it is better to turn it into a “chessboard”, the light squares of which are rugs of bent grass, stonecrops or other unpretentious cover plants.

5. A box with squares, and especially a flower bed, it is better to immediately draw beautiful light slats. It is more convenient to plant in such a “net”, and you can better see what you are doing. But most importantly - the look is elegant!

The method of squares is good for experiments and a better understanding of alignment. Suitable for winter gardens, loggias and patios. It is also very good for small rectangular wall flower beds, where mostly the most compact plants are planted. In an ordinary garden, it is hardly applicable. A strip of squares is applicable - a narrow bed.

Triangles are better

This is about how to rationally fill the area.

Our machinery can sow, plant and cultivate only at right angles. That is why the "square" landing is more familiar to us. But she is not the most rational. There are no squares in nature, but there are hexagons: they use space more rationally. In our country, agronomists Vladimir Petrovich Ushakov and Petr Matveevich Ponomarev investigated this. Biointensifiers have long compacted plantings by placing vegetables in the corners of hexagons.

Sitting in the corners of a square, a bush striving for roundness is under pressure from its neighbors on four sides. It is enough to shift the rows relative to each other by about half the interval, and the bushes are in hexagons - we saw this in Fig. 28. The space of each bush increases, the pressure of neighbors decreases, and there are fewer unoccupied gaps. In narrow beds, it is recommended to plant bulky plants - cabbages, peppers and eggplants, zucchini. And the rest of the vegetables are not harmful to plant. And seedlings. On a large area, for example, for potatoes, the effect can be significant: on the same area, under the same conditions, it fits almost 20% more plants. So much less space is left for weeds - also good!

It is also better to make individual rows of plants not with a line, but with an "accordion" - a two-row winding strip. If the strip of plants is open in both directions, then the accordion can be moved more, almost to right angles between the plants (as in Fig. 29). On free space(say, along the tracks) it is always more rational to plant in two lines with a shift than in one.

Vertical alignment

Doctor! Give pills for greed. Yes, more, more!!!

Theoretically, it is possible to fill not only the area, but also the maximum volume - both above the garden bed and on the sides. So much air, and in vain disappears! It's so tempting that I keep experimenting all the time.

In a narrow garden, two or three crops can be combined. On the sides, with a shift, sit cabbages, beets, carrots, Pekinka, lettuce, peppers, and bush beans. And along the central line, cucumbers, tomatoes, climbing beans, cowpea, or sweet corn grow on the trellis. Three crops in a narrow bed are better at repelling pests than two. For example, on one side of the trellis - dill, and on the other - carrots. The main thing here is not sparing, quickly remove the lower shoots and leaves of vines. Otherwise, no combination will work: the vines will crush everything on the sides.

In practice, greenery most often sprouts by self-sowing, and the bed itself becomes a colorful lettuce carpet (Fig. 40).

If the bed is elongated from north to south, trellis plants should be planted one and a half times less than usual. Light must pass freely through them, otherwise each row of low vegetables will be in the shade for half a day. If the bed is extended to the east-west, the trellis should be placed along the northern edge. And this is already an “amphitheater”.

Rice. 40

The main problem: the central trellis is thermophilic, and the side rows are often cold-resistant. Therefore, early vegetables, planted on the sides as early as March-April, often jam the climbing "southerners" planted later. And once under the canopy of a cabbage leaf or in a bush of peas, a cucumber or bean just freezes and hopelessly lags behind. Even among the tops of carrots, cucumbers sit quietly waiting for freedom. Tomatoes are a little more hardy - they still knock out, but they linger in growth.

What do we have to do? 1) First, sow "ephemeral dwarfs": radish, watercress, cilantro. Then plant seedlings of vines. And sow the side rows even later, when the central plants are already climbing onto the trellis. 2) Make sure that the side rows are as far away from the trellis as possible. In a narrow bed, this is 20-25 cm in each direction. 3) Plant high-quality potted seedlings with intact roots in the center so that they do not stand idle. 4) Thin out the side rows in time and carefully so as not to retard the plants in growth.

Conclusion: the easiest way is to combine climbing vegetables with those that can be sown all summer, or it is not recommended to sow very early because of the flowering. These are beets, radishes, bush beans, Chinese cabbage, daikon, carrots, salads, kohlrabi, turnips, peas, chard, herbs.

Special mention must be made of onion: as it turned out, he does not tolerate any shading neighborhood at all. But we found a neighbor for him too: after the onion has begun, we sow carrots in the aisles. Onions are soon selected for food - carrots remain. But garlic gets along well with any trellis - it is shade-tolerant, it almost does not shade itself, and it leaves early (Fig. 41).

Rice. 41

Provided that the trellis is confidently ahead of the side rows, spreading cucumbers, zucchini, squash, zucchini, broccoli, and bush tomatoes are also suitable as lower crops. Bush beans are especially good under a trellis of tomatoes. Having dodged, I managed to grow another radish between them (Fig. 42).

Rice. 42

It is very convenient to sow side crops already in June, when early harvest the greenery around the edges has been removed, the central vines are already without lower leaves, and the bed is essentially free. Here you can sow all the early ripening vegetables that grow normally in summer - they are listed above. It is only necessary to achieve good seedlings by frequent watering, and then mulch the soil.

The combination of longitudinal rows in a wide bed is much more difficult than in a narrow one. The main thing: no matter how the bed is located, the row spacing should not be less than 15–20 cm. For example, on a bed 120 cm wide, you can fit three rows (strips) on each side of the center line. The rows closest to the trellis are dill, basil, marjoram: they can be plucked mercilessly so as not to interfere with the extreme rows.

It is useless to plant peppers or carrots here: squeezed in the middle, they do not produce a crop. Their place is in the extreme, side rows.

Vegetable "amphitheater"

It is even more difficult to combine three crops in a wide garden. The only simple way is stepped: a) the bed is extended to the east-west, that is, it is illuminated “in the face”; b) the trellis is on the north side of the garden; c) vegetables vary greatly in height. The bed resembles a stadium stand.

The main "rule of the amphitheater": the higher, "back" rows should be ahead of the growth of the lower "front" neighbors (Fig. 43). On fig. 44 cucumbers are just sitting from the north - in a week they will crawl out onto the trellis. First, seedlings are planted for the trellis - the "balcony". When she went to growth, the average culture is planted or sown - the "amphitheater". The last, ten days later, "parterre" is sown. Radishes, watercress or coriander just ripened in its place - they are removed.

As medium crops for the amphitheater, only peppers (sweet and bitter), eggplants, bush tomatoes on stakes and herbs: basil, catnip, dill are suitable. They are planted when cucumbers or beans grow a curly stalk. Tomatoes planted with beans are first choked. Peppers don't choke. Vigna and some varieties of curly beans are so thermophilic that they begin to grow only in the heat of June, although they sprout along with bush beans. Tomatoes and cabbages grow more powerfully and earlier than all.

It is better to separate the rows of vegetables in the amphitheater from each other by 30–40 cm. A high, back row is along the very edge: there is no need to leave room for weeds. After 30-40 cm - the middle row. Further, after 20 cm, there may be rows of carrots, beets. Bush beans can only grow from the edge - its bushes require a lot of free space and always fall apart on the path. The bow is also on the edge, it needs light.

Rice. 43

Rice. 44

The harvest of the "amphitheater" is definitely no more than with a monoculture. And yet it is quite a productive garden bed. Besides, it's beautiful. Best of all, the "amphitheater" looks near the house. The semicircle, open to the south, framed by tiles, is very beautiful.

The simplest - stains!

In fact, planting all the beds, of course, does not have enough patience. And all the methods mentioned are applied on a case-by-case basis, as the land is liberated from earlier crops. I want something simpler: I wave my hand once or twice - and so that everything is in the right places!

The closest thing to this simplicity is sowing with “spots” in wide boxes. This applies to "little things": greens and salads, root crops, onions, bush beans. The bed is sown with compartments with transverse rows, as in fig. 45. A meter of radishes, half a meter of lettuce - and something else can be sown in the vacant places. Ten rows of beets, ten rows of carrots, six rows of onions, three rows of parsley - and very simple, and colorful enough for pests. You just need to make sure that one does not crush the other: leave space on the border of the "spots" and use the edges of the beds more. In this mode, perennials along the edges of the beds get along well.

Rice. 45

A very simple combination

“He waved his hand”, like Vasilisa the Wise in a fairy tale - the dream of a lazy person! And I made it happen. There are very few weeds on compost beds, but I agree to weed thoroughly once. In the spring, at the end of March, I cut the bed with a rake and cover it with a film. After a week or two, I cut off the carpet of young weeds with a flat cutter. After a couple of days, I take the seeds of radishes, cress, cilantro and lettuce - and just scatter them around the garden as I have to. I close up with a rake, spill, cover with a film. After a couple of weeks, I sit down on the plank, slowly weeding and tearing through all that is superfluous. It remains to regularly choose young greens for the table - primarily from the central strip, where cucumbers or tomatoes are soon planted.

Do they want to live together?

Relatives are unrelated people who periodically gather to be counted and have a tasty meal on the occasion of a change in their number.

A. Knyshev

The more diverse the community, the more stable it is. It is difficult for pests to work in a diverse environment: it is more difficult to find their plant, there are many unpleasant and frightening odors, and there are many enemies. However, the plants themselves strongly influence each other: shade, produce aggressive volatile substances and root secretions.

Let us recall the experiments of L. Moser. He clearly showed that some plants stimulate the growth of grapes, while others suppress it, regardless of their size and with a guaranteed excess of nutrition and water. It is a proven fact that plants actively communicate chemically and by means of electromagnetic signals. There is even a science about this - allelopathy. However, it contains such a mass of data, moreover, often contradictory, that it is difficult to apply anything in practice. I tried to collect the data available to me in one bag, shook it a little and squeezed it. Here's what happened as a result.

1. Do not get along together: a) plants of the same height and lopiness, if planted very closely; b) representatives of the same family, that is, relatives. This is natural: you want the same thing, and similar things are thrown out. It’s the same with us: often relatives are the worst friends. Umbrellas quarrel especially strongly with each other: dill, parsley, celery, parsnip, lovage, cilantro. Only carrots are very loyal.

2. Oppress all, without exception, fennel and wormwood.

3. Onions and garlic are aggressive towards legumes and cabbage.

4. Carrots, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes - basically everything makes no difference.

5. Lettuce and spinach release substances that activate the roots of other plants and shade the soil. General helpers and breadwinners!

6. Protect everyone from pests: beans, parsley and herbs from the labiate family: lemon balm, basil, savory, thyme, catnip, hyssop, marjoram. As well as spicy flowers decorating the garden: calendula, nasturtium, marigolds, chrysanthemums, zinnia, kosmeya. Onions and garlic curb fungal diseases.

7. Corn, Jerusalem artichoke, sorghum and millet shade everyone, protect from the wind and create a good microclimate. Sunflower, on the contrary, can be aggressive towards many vegetables, and it is better to move it to the edges of the garden.

T. Yu. Ugarova cites some couples that help each other well to resist pests. These cultures can be placed in adjacent rows. Carrots and onions protect each other from carrot and onion flies. Celery repels whites from various cabbages. It is planted between cabbages, and it grows after the cabbage is removed. Spread cucumbers and dill get along great in one place - provided that there is not so much dill. Basil and tomatoes work well together. Not bad coexist in the same row kohlrabi and lettuce: the latter is removed earlier than kohlrabi. Cucumbers weaving on corn or sunflowers feel great and bear fruit until cold weather. Beans on poles get along well next to low cucumbers and tomatoes. It is good to sow radishes where zucchini, zucchini and other late vegetables will be later. But this is a matter of timing.