Garden 2025 Update #3: Companion Planting

At the beginning of every garden season I like to take a refresher course on companion planting. There are so many combinations of herbs, flowers, fruits & veggies that you can do that it's hard to remember them all and some years you want to change things up a little! 😀 Not to mention, this is only my 6th year seriously growing so I'm not exactly a professional. One of the most enjoyable things about it is continuing to learn how it all works the way God designed it to work. 

My sources on this vary from books at home to YT videos from seasoned gardeners & homesteaders. The latest one I watched was from Grace Walk Farm - Companion Planting for Beginners She explains it well: 

"Companion planting is my favorite way to manage pests and improve the quality and quantity of harvests from our backyard farm." 

Companion planting of herbs & flowers around your garden has a wide variety of benefits from improving the soil heath, attracting bees & butterflies as well as attracting other beneficial insects that ward off pests.  It's also a really great way to add pops of lovely color and make your garden even more enjoyable to spend time in.

My short list of companion planting I'll be doing this year: 

• TOMATOES with Basil, Marigolds & Cosmos 
• STRAWBERRIES with Sage
• PEPPERS: Thyme, Marigolds & Yarrow
• CUCUMBERS: Dill, Echinacea & Sunflowers
• LEMON BALM: English Lavender

Companion plantings are usually the last thing I plan after I have the rest of the garden planned out for what will go where.  Now that this is done, the garden planning for 2025 is done (mostly!) & ready for the snow to melt. 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this helps you in some way as you begin to plan your 2025 garden.  Please feel welcome to leave a comment or question & have an awesome day! 🌺

 

Garden 2024 Update #12

Mid August is also mid season for harvesting & canning. I've been busy with a lot of both, from my own garden & the local farmer's market for the freshest possible goodness. 😍 Canned so far this season have been garlic dills, bread & butter pickles, peach sauce, blueberry sauce, fruit syrups, peaches & pickled carrots.

Well then, let's go on a walk through the garden:

I couldn't be more delighted with this year's blackberry yield so far. 

This is year 3 and so far it's produced 1.5 pounds of berries. 

By comparison, last year it produced a handful. Literally 😂 

Looking forward to enough for a lovely, late summer blackberry pie. 

Lemon Balm on the left, was growing in a pot. 

The one one the right, I planted from seed last year, indoor greenhouse overwintered, 

then planted in the raised bed in the spring. If plants could talk? 

The yellowing one on the left would say "I'll have what he's having!" 😀

My Scarlet Runner beans never fruited this year but they did provide this lovely, living decor 

over the arch trellis. Over the last few seasons this trellis has had pumpkins, squash & beans.  

Next year, I'm looking forward to trying something different.  

Some days the harvest looks like this. 

Tomatoes, sweet roasting peppers, jalapenos, pickling dills and some chamomile flowers. 

I counted and tried to be accurate and I *think* there are 46 jalapenos here on these 12 plants. 

I've already harvested a handful so that's a pretty good return. I'm seed saving this year so, 

next year, Lord willing, the entire bed of peppers will be 100% homegrown. 

I finally got my act together (mostly) and tidied up the dining room canning shelf. 

I'm going to add another shelf to divide the section 2nd from the top. 

(More space for jams, jellies and sauces!)

Home grown & home canned food is not only better for you, it's also really pretty sitting there on 

your pandemic era lockdown project #436 "canned food shelves" mostly with lumber you had on hand. 😁 

My new Hibiscus Mars Madness bloomed today. 

Flowers will be used for tea blends. 

Concord grapes and sweet potatoes are both doing really well this year. The grapes will be 

generously pruned this fall and the grow bags for the sweet potatoes were just a test. 

I may be replacing them with a permanent raised bed this fall or next spring. 

First time Elderberry grower. I have 2 plants, and they're both doing amazing.

Terracotta Yarrow early blooms. So adorable. 💗

Thanks for stopping by and going on a pictorial trip through the garden. I hope it encourages you to use whatever space you have to grow what you love!