Vegetable guilds

[David Trout]

Comment by David Trout yesterday
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Here is a list of my vegetable guilds so far.  These guilds are based on companion planting books and charts that I have studied.  There seems to be some science behind companion planting, particularly regarding the attraction of insect predators, and the intermixing of plants whose roots reach into variable layers of soil, taking advantage of nutrients and minerals by drawing them in and storing them in their leaves.  When those plants die and are left to decompose in situ, these nutrients may be made available to other plants in the garden bed.  Plants like comfrey may be cut back severely several times a year and their leaves used to mulch fruit trees and other garden beds.  
Not all companion charts agree on every association and there are discrepancies.  Much of the information concerning companion may simply be folklore.  However, planting in this way encourages diversity in the garden, and the addition of many flowering annuals and perennials intermingled with the vegetables.  At the very least, this results in an attractive garden to diverse forms of wildlife, AND the human eye!

Tomato guild
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
Petunias
Bee balm (Monarda didyma)
Basil
Asparagus
beans
celery
chive
cucumber
garlic
head lettuce
marigold
mint (Keep parsley and mint away from each other.)
nasturtium
onion
parsley
Sage
pea
marigold
pot marigold French, mexican
sow thistle
Gooseberry
Turnip
Poached egg plant (limnanthes douglasii)
Hot pepper
Mums
Dahlia

Pepper guild
Consider putting some peppers close to the wall of the house to benefit from the heat
Plant a thick parsley bed
Cilantro
Parsley
Carrots
Onions
Marigolds
Nasturtium
Parsnips

Potato guild
Horseradish (Plant in containers in the potato patch to keep away Colarado potato bugs. Horseradish increases the disease resistance of potatoes.)
Hyssop (Companion plant to cabbage and grapes, repels cabbage moths and flea beetles.)
Latium (Repels potato bugs)
Cilantro repels beetles
Cabbage likes borage!! :)
Oregano (Can be planted with most crops but it is especially good for cabbage.
Plant oregano near broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower to repel cabbage butterfly.
Plant Oregano with cucumbers to repel cucumber beetle.)
Alyssum makes a perfect living mulch.
Parsnips
Cabbage (Keep marigolds away from cabbage.)
Beets
Onions
Geranium
Clover
Chamomile
Onions
Dill
Comfrey (When comfrey is established, wrap each potato seed with a leaf as you plant it.  This will provide the necessary nutrients to help potatoes flourish)
Mums
Flax
Nasturtium (Although they might attract cabbage flea beetles.)
Marigold Mexican
Petunia
Sweet potato

Any suggestions would be appreciated

David

[Frank Callo]

Are you using ALL the plants in every guild list.  If so, you must have a LOT of bed space.  Anyway, these look pretty consistent with things I've seen before.  Squashes do well with beans and corn (three sisters) squash can be melon or cucumber or pumpkins too.  Squash like a ring of radish planted around them to protect them from vine bores.  I have been working on getting clover established in ALL of my beds, its nitrogen fixing, keeps moisture close to the soil, keeps soil cool and protects against erosion.

I use a book called Carrots Love ?Tomatoes but there are lots of companion planting lists on line.  I've just started working with guilds in the past two seasons myself but I can already see that there is some intuition as well as some science.  

I didn't know you were this heavy into gardening.  We should get together and geek out about it sometime.