"0tterbot" wrote in message
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"Terryc" wrote in message
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0tterbot wrote:
is anyone up for some information exchange about companion planting?

Yes. Generally there is very little useful information. The few books we
have tend to not mention many of the veges we grow,

We are currently trying the corn, beans and squash trilogy.

you can also do corn, squash and baby chickens!! (the idea being that when
the chicks are tall enough to pop out from the leaves, they are too big to
tempt eagles. or something like that. but clearly you have your hands full
as it is.)


I was visiting a neighbour a few weeks ago who has two tiny fluffy white dogs,
put on a handle and they would make a toilet brush. We went out to the
verandah and the dogs scampered into the garden. She was really paranoid and
then she scooped up the dogs and put them inside. She believes that the local
wedgetails have designs on little Poopsie and Fluffina and she had sighted one
cruising around.

To get on topic I am unsure about companion planting. I think that it *might*
work but the evidence is scanty. The local organic growers society members
will tell you all the combinations that are supposed to be beneficial but when
you ask them how they know they cannot tell you. I believe there has been at
least one study showing it didn't do anything but I cannot find the reference
right now. I would like to see that study and how it was done at least before
making up my mind.

One of the problems with such things is determining cause and effect. There
are so many factors which affect how plants grow and if pests are a problem at
any given time. Unless a factor is really strong and has a very obvious result
under all circumstances you are left to wonder or to plant large numbers in
latin squares and all that.

To take an example of this problem some members of the society believe in moon
planting. We were told by one that she had planted one lot of seedlings by
the moon and another not. The ones by the moon did somewhat better therefore
it's great. I didn't ask how she controlled for differences in soil, sun,
water, etc, etc nor how many plants did better and how she determined this.
Such things can become a religion and you don't want to go there.

David