So you’re setting up your indoor garden and
thinking, “How will I have space for all these plants??”
You have several options, but one of the most
fun is companion growing. Companion
growing is when you grow a vegetable and herb in the same pot; this allows you
to save space and improve the growth and flavor of the veggies. Herbs tend to
have more shallow roots than vegetables, so they can grow in the upper layers
of soil, while the vegetables take the deeper layers.
Here are some combinations to try:
Basil and tomatoes
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| Photo by Dennis Klein on Unsplash |
Anyone who’s stewed homemade tomato sauce
knows basil and tomatoes are a fabulous pair. They also grow great together and
need similar care. If you’re starting the tomatoes from seeds, wait till
they’ve germinated to transfer each seedling to the middle of a 12-inch (5 gallon) container. Then sow the
basil seeds around the edge.
Dill and cucumber
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Photo
by Katka Pavlickova on Unsplash
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Cucumber and dill make a mouth-watering
combination. Try sprinkling salt and dill over sliced cucumber and serve it up
on toast spread with cream cheese or mayo. So
delicious, and if you’re growing them indoors, you don’t have to wait for
summer!
You do need height to grow cucumbers indoors,
which works well with dill, because this herb also grows a bit tall. If you
have a grow tent, you can set up a trellis inside for the cucumber plant
to climb on.
After starting your seeds in a 12-inch (5 gallon) container, let them
germinate, then thin to two per pot. Add the trellis early on, and plant the
dill in a ring around the outside. Dill is ready to harvest when it has more
than one set of leaves and before it begins to flower. Cut one shoot off flush
with the stem to encourage regrowth.
Oregano and cauliflower
Check out this recipe from showmetheyummy.com
The mild taste of cauliflower pairs well with
the flavorful punch of oregano. Also helpful is the way oregano keeps close to
the soil, as cauliflower does not grow very tall. This enables you to grow them
in the same pot without the herb blocking the light from the vegetable.
Cauliflower is a cool-weather crop, and
oregano can handle this as long as it gets plenty of light. If you have other
indoor garden vegetables, you may need a special location for this pot. Try
using a grow light plus a sunny window in your home,
but avoid overheating. Outdoors, cauliflower prefers 60 degree weather.
Cilantro and spinach
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Photo
by Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash
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Together, spinach and cilantro make a
delicious and nutritious addition to everything from salads to quesadillas to
curries. Try spinach and cilantro with your eggs in the morning and experience
the energy derived from these power plants.
Spinach is very versatile. Do you want to
grow baby spinach? Then you only need a couple inches between each plant. If
you hope to grow large leaves, thin them till there are up to five inches
between each plant. Around the edge, plant your oregano seeds. Because spinach
develops quickly, you can plant the oregano and spinach at the same time. The
oregano should not need thinning.
Another element that makes these two plants a
good pair is that they don’t need a very deep pot. Even spinach only needs 6–8
inches. So choose a wide, window-box style planter or a shallow circular pot.
Be sure to use excellent potting soil to provide sufficient
nutrients and drainage for delicate spinach.
This is just the beginning of the
possibilities for companion planting herbs and vegetables! To make your own
combination, double check that the plants are compatible in size, shape, and
care. Also, it’s generally recommended that you start the vegetable seeds first
and plant the herb seeds around the edge of the container after you’ve
established some seedlings. Enjoy!
