Clarion Community Garden

Garden planning &

companion planting
What to plant, how and where?
 Before planing our garden

What to plant - seasonality

How to plant it - companion

planting

Where to plant it - square

foot gardening

 Crops seasonality
Sunlight, soil type, water, temperature - dictates what grows and when.

Garden calendars are easily available (i.e. Google Country/city name+growing

zone+planting chart)

Indoors or outdoors sowing

Seedlings or seed to soil growing

 Companion planting

How plants can mutually benefit from growing together

or in close proximity.
Support

Repelling of pests

Attraction of beneficial insects

(p.e. pollinators)

Providing nutrition

Retining moisture

 Examples - Companion planting

3 Sisters Cucumbers and Tomatoes and
Corn/Beans/Squash Radishes Basil

- Support
- Basil gets a bit of
- Nutrition
- Helps control shade
- Avoid predators/pests
cucumber beetles - Basil deters tomato
hornworms

 Herbs and Flowers - Companion

planting
• Herbs and flowers help by repelling pests and attracting
beneficial insects (pollinators)

Mint: smell repels aphids, ants

and flea beetles
Dill: attracts ladybugs that eat
aphids and spider mites
Chervil (french parsley): keeps
slugs away from leafy greens

Marigolds: repel beetles

Lavender: attract bees and repel wild
animals
Nasturiums: used as a trap crop to attract
aphids or bugs

 Foes - Companion planting

Foes: crops that should not be combined
Nutritional
Competition needs
Mint

- Extensive root
- Lateral growth
systems - Peas fix
- Crowd out
- Vertical growth Nitrogen
other crops
- Attract same - Garlic needs
diseases
- Needs
- Water or sunlight
Phosphorus
contention - Different
nutritional
needs

 Square foot gardening

How to divide the growing area into square sections
(one foot size). Typically useful for raised beds

Growing more in less space

Diversifying crops

Attracting beneficial insects

(p.e. pollinators)

Providing nutrition

Retaining moisture

 Square foot gardening

Knowing how to space your plants is key

Some crops might need trellises for support (i.e cucumbers, peas, tomatoes)

Large plants grow better in separate larger containers or directly onto the
soil (i.e. corn, potatoes, sunflowers)

Add herbs and flower in the same box or near to deter pests and attract
pollinators

https://carlsbadcommunitygardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Square-Foot-Gardening-Cheat-Sheet.pdf

 Class exercise: Planning our

garden beds
1. Select 4 crops from the UAE planting varieties list
2. Search if your selected crops combine well. Add companion
plants if not. Use the Companion Planting list
3. Add the names of your crops in the garden beds below using
the square foot space planner guide
186 cm ~ 6.1’

74 cm ~ 2.4’