A wasted space will only become wasted when it’s not used.
Take a look at your garden. Do you see a lot of empty spaces? Do you suddenly feel like you weren’t able to maximize all the healthy soil in it?
Grow more in less space.
Growing tomatoes can be done in many places throughout the year. However, there might be something tomato growers have been missing.
If you’ve noticed you’ve got bare soil around and under your tomatoes, you’re going to find this info very useful. Plant more plants.
Occupy those blank spaces with food, flowers, and herbs that grow well with tomatoes. The list of plants that fit this bill might just be longer than you think.
Intercropping.
According to Wikipedia:
“Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves growing two or more crops in proximity. In other words, intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of resources or ecological processes that would otherwise not be utilized by a single crop.”
With intercropping, you are not just harvesting more but also protecting your plants from pests, harsh weather, and much more. However, the process should be done with careful planning because instead of success, you might end up destroying your crops.
Choosing the right plants to intercrop with tomatoes.
Chemistry is a huge factor in intercropping, so you must select the best plants to mix and match. Intercropped plants must benefit from each other and not the other way around.
According to Permaculture Research Institute (News):
“For example, tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes are all from the nightshade family, so they don’t work well for intercropping. For one, they use similar nutrients. As well, they attract similar pests and are susceptible to similar diseases. Intercropping with things from the same family is asking for nutrient depletion while promoting troublesome insects and illnesses through a lesser version of, though not far off from, mono-cropping.”
Simple, it is a make it or break it kind of process so you better do your homework before doing it.
Do you want to know what you can intercrop with tomatoes?
There is actually a lot to mention but this guy named Luke, from MIgardener mentioned a few plants you can mix with tomatoes.
For the outside area surrounding the tomatoes, you can go with beans.
As he mentions, beans do love the sunlight and do not consume much nitrogen from the soil, instead, they give nitrogen back to the soil. That means they will not interfere with the tomatoes’ growth and will not compete when it comes to soil nutrients absorption.
For the understory of your tomato plants, you can intercrop thyme, sage, oregano, basil, lettuce, radishes, parsnips, carrots, beets, marigolds, and onions.
Pick plants that do not compete with your tomatoes’ food and do not restrict airflow.
Apart from the gardening tips, one online viewer also appreciates the “friendly vibe” of the man in the video:
“I like Luke’s intros. He establishes a personal, friendly vibe that gives the feel of chatting with a neighbor, rather than a textbook.”
Find out about all the info on intercropping Luke has to offer in the video below!
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Featured image credit: Samuel Mann/Flickr
