To discover the beginnings of companion planting one must go back to the cottage gardens, those small, closely planted gardens where vegetables were often mixed with both flowers and herbs. Cottage gardening had been evolved slowly in Europe over many centuries. It grew up as a matter of necessity; plants were needed to keep the family alive. Initially gardens, or more likely primitive enclosures near the house,...

When faced with a new or neglected piece of ground, there is a strong temptation to go at it as fast as one can to get it planted and in production. This can spell disaster since the ground is bound to be full of weeds. Time spent during the first season cleaning and thoroughly preparing the soil will certainly bear dividends in the long term. Although this is true for both vegetable and flower borders, it is...

Of all garden tasks, soil preparation is probably the most important. This includes adding vital nutrients and humus, in the form of compost and manures, to the soil to replace that used up the previous year. Well rotted compost adds nutrients and texture to the soil. It can be incorporated as the soil is being dug. Dig out one spade full of earth and place some compost in the trench that has been formed. Dig...

One of the lessons that the cottager learned was that it is better to mix crops, be it vegetables or flowers. A lot of different types of crops were likely to provide an overall better harvest, or, in the case of flowers, a better show, than planting larger areas of just a few. Concentration on one crop could spell disaster. The classic example of this was the total reliance on the potato as the food crop in...

Sowing seed is one of the fundamental techniques of gardening. Choosing the right seed and getting it off to a good start can make all the difference to the final harvest. Most vegetables are grown from seed. This can be either purchased from seed companies or kept from one’s own plants. There is no rule of thumb as to which of these will grow well in your own area. Talk to other gardeners and find out...

Companion planting, the gardening technique that carefully chooses and grows compatible plants with one another for their mutual benefit, is enjoying a revival. It began centuries ago in European cottage gardens but now can be found all over the world - in vegetable gardens, in flower borders, and in gardens that are delightful mixtures of all sorts of edible and ornamental plants growing happily together: vegetables...

Plants can give protection to one another in ways other than against the weather; they can provide physical protection, particularly against animals. After all, hedges were first used to keep livestock either in or out of a field or garden. One of the most effective animal proof hedges is of quick thorn, or hawthorn, (Crataegus rnonogyna). This forms a dense prickly hedge that does not need too much attention,...

One of the greatest challenges in gardening is the constant battle with the elements. In some places it is a question of modifying the existing climate by sheltering plants from the wind, providing shade or moisture; in others it is anticipating sudden swings from one temperature extreme to another. In one part of the country or another, there seems to be a constant stream of the “coldest winter,”...

Plants need protecting from adverse weather, particularly strong winds. Hedges are the most attractive way of providing shelter. A strip 4ft (1.2m) wide along the line of the hedge must be thoroughly prepared, preferably double-dug and incorporating plenty of organic material. Planting should be at any time between late fall and spring when weather allows. Distances between plants vary according to type but...

Soil can be enriched and conditioned in a number of ways. In the garden, doing it organically, with the use of live material (green manuring) and dead material (compost, manure), is safer to human health and in many cases less expensive than using inorganic, or chemical, fertilizers. Using certain crops as green manure has been practiced for generations. It involves growing a crop on idle land and then digging...