Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #16   Report Post  
Old 15-01-2008, 02:45 PM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2007
Posts: 141
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

Chookie wrote:

I've never seen that work. The squash is too rampant here. However, both Dad
and I have had good results by combining corn and cucumber plants (Sydney clay
belt).


Well, I'm happy to try that as well.
We actually have 2m tall corn plants.Just waiting for the silk to arrive.


In summary, we just tend to try everything with everything and see what
happens. In reality swmbo always produces too many seedlings that get
shoe horned in everywhere.


That's the way I garden, too. I try to be a bit more organised, but Things
Happen!


It makes for a more interesting garden too.

  #17   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 05:41 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2007
Posts: 141
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

0tterbot wrote:

does anyone have any comments about good or bad companions?

SWMBO says that she finds the notes we downloads from the Canberra
Organic Growers society most useful.

http://www.cogs.asn.au/
  #18   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 08:45 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"0tterbot" wrote in message

getting back to my question - have you made any concrete discoveries yet?


Jackie French doesn't seem to be convinced by most of the companion
planting info around IIRC. She has writtent hat most of it doesn't work
or is untested. Will try to dig out some of her writings ont his and do a
report back to you but don't holdyour breath on that as I've got a bit on
my plate ATM (perhaps by the time we do lunch?)


ok!

tbh, i've had a gutful of jackie french & never intend to read anything
she's ever written, ever again! (also, i came to realise recently that it
was she who patronised me at the tea urn during a meeting one time). i'm
just so over that blase approach she's got where no new info is added - it
just gets more & more blase. as though if you're having trouble with
something, you must be an idiot.

i'd have to back doesn't work &/or untested, however - i'm just strongly
suspecting that it hasn't been in any organised way. (not least because of
so much contradictory info - but then again, much garden info is directly
contradictory, isn't it?)

kylie


  #19   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 08:46 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"Terryc" wrote in message
...
Chookie wrote:

But the better solution is to deliver the cats to the RSPCA for the cost
of petrol...


pfut, it would work out more expensive in the long run.
The idiots around here let them breed and run wild so there is a
continuous supply.

The only thingthat would work is to frebomb the "owners"


i really think you should be able to put together a good chicken set up for
far less than $700!!! we have 16 chooks atm, 3 chook houses which i made,
and a great deal of fencing & it can't have cost more than $200 (which is a
generous guess indeed).
kylie


  #20   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 08:54 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...

She believes that the local
wedgetails have designs on little Poopsie and Fluffina and she had sighted
one
cruising around.


(i'm pretty sure wedgetails have better taste than that ;-)


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.


i doubt actually the entire concept could be covered in just one study,
though :-) taking an educated guess, i'd hazard some combinations would be
beneficial or actively harmful, & often there wouldn't be a difference one
could detect. however, as you say below:

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.


that's exactly it. even in one garden there are a multitude of factors. to
therefore extend that advice to everyone is probably pushing it. however, i
will from time to time conduct a few experiments & see if i can find any
good ideas which seem to genuinely work (i'm totally dropping basil & toms,
though! i've just seen no evidence in favour of it over 3 seasons, which is
enough for now.) if i find something i really feel genuinely works, then
i'll do it. why not?

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.


that's right. better to take a more flexible approach, i find, unless &
until one has enough time & dedication to really take good notes on some
aspect that is of interest, & decide for oneself.

i'm not saying that planting by the moon doesn't necessarily NOT work - just
that putting faith in it cos someone says so is not in & of itself enough to
make me a believer, & plus, extremists of all kinds bother me very badly. i
don't care what kind of extremist they are - i disapprove equally of them
all :-)
kylie




  #21   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 09:05 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"Terryc" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

does anyone have any comments about good or bad companions?

SWMBO says that she finds the notes we downloads from the Canberra Organic
Growers society most useful.

http://www.cogs.asn.au/


thanks terry, i'll have a look.
kylie


  #22   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 09:12 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,358
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
"0tterbot" wrote in message

getting back to my question - have you made any concrete discoveries
yet?


Jackie French doesn't seem to be convinced by most of the companion
planting info around IIRC. She has writtent hat most of it doesn't work
or is untested. Will try to dig out some of her writings ont his and do
a report back to you but don't holdyour breath on that as I've got a bit
on my plate ATM (perhaps by the time we do lunch?)


ok!

tbh, i've had a gutful of jackie french & never intend to read anything
she's ever written, ever again! (also, i came to realise recently that it
was she who patronised me at the tea urn during a meeting one time).


That would be enough to put one off. But I still think she is one of the
better garden writers for Oz, although I do like a chap called Harry Grover
(such a good name for a gardener too).

i'm
just so over that blase approach she's got where no new info is added - it
just gets more & more blase. as though if you're having trouble with
something, you must be an idiot.

i'd have to back doesn't work &/or untested, however - i'm just strongly
suspecting that it hasn't been in any organised way. (not least because of
so much contradictory info - but then again, much garden info is directly
contradictory, isn't it?)


Indeed. How to control for all the variables would be a nightmare.


  #23   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 09:38 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2007
Posts: 141
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

0tterbot wrote:

i really think you should be able to put together a good chicken set up for
far less than $700!!! we have 16 chooks atm, 3 chook houses which i made,
and a great deal of fencing & it can't have cost more than $200 (which is a
generous guess indeed).


I want to do something other than pokie small. We have two sheds,which I
want to fit it between with a central hutch so I can control access to
either sides.

It also has to be strong enough to withstand the occassional small gum
limb. so the price was based on having to buy 2" pipe and mesh.
  #24   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 09:40 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"0tterbot" wrote in message
...
"Terryc" wrote in message
...
Chookie wrote:

But the better solution is to deliver the cats to the RSPCA for the cost
of petrol...


pfut, it would work out more expensive in the long run.
The idiots around here let them breed and run wild so there is a
continuous supply.

The only thingthat would work is to frebomb the "owners"


i really think you should be able to put together a good chicken set up
for far less than $700!!! we have 16 chooks atm, 3 chook houses which i
made, and a great deal of fencing & it can't have cost more than $200
(which is a generous guess indeed).
kylie


not that it matters, but upon reflection, we only have 15 atm. 14 hens (half
of whom are totally mental) and a rooster.

gawd, things are grim when you can't even remember how many chooks you've
got!!
/goes to look up "brain transplants" in the yellow pages
kylie


  #25   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 09:56 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"Terryc" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

i really think you should be able to put together a good chicken set up
for far less than $700!!! we have 16 chooks atm, 3 chook houses which i
made, and a great deal of fencing & it can't have cost more than $200
(which is a generous guess indeed).


I want to do something other than pokie small. We have two sheds,which I
want to fit it between with a central hutch so I can control access to
either sides.


i'm not sure what you mean here, but my point was that chicken wire is
relatively cheap, and chicken houses you build yourself even more so. the
chooks can have a tiny house, that you don't go into (but organise access
via lifting roof or wall). they enjoy lots of room for strolling about, but
that's where wire is cheap, so no problems there. with a bigger shed, they
can use it as extra living space, but they really like the sun on all but
the absolute hottest days, so they mightn't use it much except at night &
during bad weather.

It also has to be strong enough to withstand the occassional small gum
limb. so the price was based on having to buy 2" pipe and mesh.


hmm, our yards are under some old gums ( i wasn't really thinking things
through when deciding the location!) several small gum limbs have fallen. we
have nylon fruit-tree mesh over the top (supported by fencing wire going
across) & the chooks are fine - no falling limb has ever done any damage so
far. the other thing is that chooks will nervously hang around their home
spot (shed, house or whatnot) in windy weather, so provided the roof of
their housing is all right, they should be fine even if a limb does come
down on them & reach ground level. the roofs of our chook houses are made of
old tin with star pickets for the legs, arranged over each house for
shelter.

anyway, your decision entirely of course, but it's really not expensive to
organise chooks & their living quarters, as a general rule. if you want to,
you can go as expensive as you like, but there are always cheaper ways to do
things - which includes allowing for the possibility all the chooks will be
killed by a falling limb (or that a limb will knock over the fence you
laboriously put up!! which would be kind of worse, as chickens are actually
pretty cheap to buy. well, that sounds awful, but you understand my point,
i'm sure.)
kylie




  #26   Report Post  
Old 17-01-2008, 11:10 PM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...

tbh, i've had a gutful of jackie french & never intend to read anything
she's ever written, ever again! (also, i came to realise recently that it
was she who patronised me at the tea urn during a meeting one time).


That would be enough to put one off.


i actually think it's a bit peurile of me. she probably didn't mean to be
patronising. but i detected the same blase tone that annoys me in her
writings!!

But I still think she is one of the
better garden writers for Oz, although I do like a chap called Harry
Grover (such a good name for a gardener too).


not heard of him! haven't found any australian person who really stands out
for me, although i've read some books i liked. i probably need a new
garden-crush ;-)
kylie


  #27   Report Post  
Old 23-01-2008, 05:10 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2008
Posts: 2
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

0tterbot wrote:

is anyone up for some information exchange about companion planting?

because i generally 1: can't be bothered 2: am both ill-informed and
disorganised, i don't companion-plant (also, wouldn't it mess with
rotation systems? that might be a different issue though) it's not
something i pursue. however, for 3 years i have put basil with the
tomatoes in good faith because EVERYONE says this is a good thing.

however, over the 3 years i've noticed that the basil doesn't come on if
it's with the tomatoes - the plants are always small (although the
tomatoes are happy). last year i thought the basils were probably too
shaded, so i gave more space this year, but the basils are still small &
flowering early. my other (seperate) basils are as big as i would expect,
though (so it's not dud seed or anything like that).

while i don't normally have any tomato diseases (so far - i am quite a
newbie gardener though) i can't be sure if this is because of the basil,
or if they'd have been healthy anyway (as, after all, tomatoes really
aren't that difficult, are they?)

so in a nutshell, i'm going to give up on this particular arrangement.

i have one tomato plant, though, that was planted quite close to spring
onions, & it's a tiny plant. i'm taking out the spring onions as we need
them, & the plant's finally getting a bit bigger now. i wonder if the
onions are bothering the tomato plant. the other, self-sown toms which are
various places are just dandy, despite considerable neglect AND no basil
nearby (and no staking, and little watering, etc).

does anyone have any comments about good or bad companions? have any of
you investigated this seriously? is it even worth pursuing? if anyone's
found any really excellent companions, i'd be quite interested, because
i'm starting to think it's just one of those things people say because
everyone else does, but has rarely been investigated thoroughly &
scientifically. thanks!!
kylie


I start with a chart,
http://www.google.com.au/search?as_q...filetype=p df

When you group them into families you can see that there are families that
don't like each other and there are families that are OK with most other
plants.

You can get it down to 3 or 4 groups, say red, green, blue and grey, with
red and blue being the most antagonistic to each other.

Then you write your plant names on matching colored paper squares that
corespond to the size of the plant/patch you need.

Once you have that worked out you can start laying out the plants on a plan
of your garden. Keep in mind that you will still need to account for each
plants microclimate requirements and height to account for shading etc.

Or you could just prance naked through your garden at midnight with a large
bag of mixed seed, flinging them gaily at the full moon, then see what pops
up and grows well.

I assure you, at leaset one of the above methods works well for me.
;-)



  #28   Report Post  
Old 26-01-2008, 09:03 AM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2006
Posts: 68
Default companion planting - let's have it out!


"Dan" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

is anyone up for some information exchange about companion planting?

because i generally 1: can't be bothered 2: am both ill-informed and
disorganised, i don't companion-plant (also, wouldn't it mess with
rotation systems? that might be a different issue though) it's not
something i pursue. however, for 3 years i have put basil with the
tomatoes in good faith because EVERYONE says this is a good thing.

however, over the 3 years i've noticed that the basil doesn't come on if
it's with the tomatoes - the plants are always small (although the
tomatoes are happy). last year i thought the basils were probably too
shaded, so i gave more space this year, but the basils are still small &
flowering early. my other (seperate) basils are as big as i would expect,
though (so it's not dud seed or anything like that).

while i don't normally have any tomato diseases (so far - i am quite a
newbie gardener though) i can't be sure if this is because of the basil,
or if they'd have been healthy anyway (as, after all, tomatoes really
aren't that difficult, are they?)

so in a nutshell, i'm going to give up on this particular arrangement.

i have one tomato plant, though, that was planted quite close to spring
onions, & it's a tiny plant. i'm taking out the spring onions as we need
them, & the plant's finally getting a bit bigger now. i wonder if the
onions are bothering the tomato plant. the other, self-sown toms which
are
various places are just dandy, despite considerable neglect AND no basil
nearby (and no staking, and little watering, etc).

does anyone have any comments about good or bad companions? have any of
you investigated this seriously? is it even worth pursuing? if anyone's
found any really excellent companions, i'd be quite interested, because
i'm starting to think it's just one of those things people say because
everyone else does, but has rarely been investigated thoroughly &
scientifically. thanks!!
kylie


I start with a chart,
http://www.google.com.au/search?as_q...filetype=p df

When you group them into families you can see that there are families that
don't like each other and there are families that are OK with most other
plants.

You can get it down to 3 or 4 groups, say red, green, blue and grey, with
red and blue being the most antagonistic to each other.

Then you write your plant names on matching colored paper squares that
corespond to the size of the plant/patch you need.

Once you have that worked out you can start laying out the plants on a
plan
of your garden. Keep in mind that you will still need to account for each
plants microclimate requirements and height to account for shading etc.

Or you could just prance naked through your garden at midnight with a
large
bag of mixed seed, flinging them gaily at the full moon, then see what
pops
up and grows well.

I assure you, at leaset one of the above methods works well for me.
;-)



I go for the last method - works for me :-)


  #29   Report Post  
Old 26-01-2008, 04:02 PM
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2008
Posts: 8
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff & Heather View Post
"Dan" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

is anyone up for some information exchange about companion planting?

because i generally 1: can't be bothered 2: am both ill-informed and
disorganised, i don't companion-plant (also, wouldn't it mess with
rotation systems? that might be a different issue though) it's not
something i pursue. however, for 3 years i have put basil with the
tomatoes in good faith because EVERYONE says this is a good thing.

however, over the 3 years i've noticed that the basil doesn't come on if
it's with the tomatoes - the plants are always small (although the
tomatoes are happy). last year i thought the basils were probably too
shaded, so i gave more space this year, but the basils are still small &
flowering early. my other (seperate) basils are as big as i would expect,
though (so it's not dud seed or anything like that).

while i don't normally have any tomato diseases (so far - i am quite a
newbie gardener though) i can't be sure if this is because of the basil,
or if they'd have been healthy anyway (as, after all, tomatoes really
aren't that difficult, are they?)

so in a nutshell, i'm going to give up on this particular arrangement.

i have one tomato plant, though, that was planted quite close to spring
onions, & it's a tiny plant. i'm taking out the spring onions as we need
them, & the plant's finally getting a bit bigger now. i wonder if the
onions are bothering the tomato plant. the other, self-sown toms which
are
various places are just dandy, despite considerable neglect AND no basil
nearby (and no staking, and little watering, etc).

does anyone have any comments about good or bad companions? have any of
you investigated this seriously? is it even worth pursuing? if anyone's
found any really excellent companions, i'd be quite interested, because
i'm starting to think it's just one of those things people say because
everyone else does, but has rarely been investigated thoroughly &
scientifically. thanks!!
kylie


I start with a chart,
http://www.google.com.au/search?as_q...filetype=p df

When you group them into families you can see that there are families that
don't like each other and there are families that are OK with most other
plants.

You can get it down to 3 or 4 groups, say red, green, blue and grey, with
red and blue being the most antagonistic to each other.

Then you write your plant names on matching colored paper squares that
corespond to the size of the plant/patch you need.

Once you have that worked out you can start laying out the plants on a
plan
of your garden. Keep in mind that you will still need to account for each
plants microclimate requirements and height to account for shading etc.

Or you could just prance naked through your garden at midnight with a
large
bag of mixed seed, flinging them gaily at the full moon, then see what
pops
up and grows well.

I assure you, at leaset one of the above methods works well for me.
;-)



I go for the last method - works for me :-)
u bunch of pillarks we created you and i will destroy all of you u dont ur country is full of criminals u all need a life
  #30   Report Post  
Old 27-01-2008, 11:48 PM posted to aus.gardens
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 713
Default companion planting - let's have it out!

"Dan" wrote in message
...
I start with a chart,
http://www.google.com.au/search?as_q...filetype=p df

When you group them into families you can see that there are families that
don't like each other and there are families that are OK with most other
plants.

You can get it down to 3 or 4 groups, say red, green, blue and grey, with
red and blue being the most antagonistic to each other.

Then you write your plant names on matching colored paper squares that
corespond to the size of the plant/patch you need.

Once you have that worked out you can start laying out the plants on a
plan
of your garden. Keep in mind that you will still need to account for each
plants microclimate requirements and height to account for shading etc.


well, thank you (and it appears that nothing much likes onions! which does
make sense. except for the plants which purportedly do....)

however, i'm starting to think i need a total personality transplant to even
get that organised. i've also realised why my rotations don't work easily,
(which is another issue entirely!). i will try to think about melding the
two issues with all my other issues (just the gardening ones, of course ;-).

i was easily able to try celery-with-beans just recently, as there were good
spots for bush beans between the celery trenches. beans aren't up yet, but
we'll see what happens there. one small experiment at a time is the way it
is going to have to be!

Or you could just prance naked through your garden at midnight with a
large
bag of mixed seed, flinging them gaily at the full moon, then see what
pops
up and grows well.


this sounds a bit more like my style ;-)
kylie


I assure you, at leaset one of the above methods works well for me.
;-)





Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
to let spike or not to let spike? J Fortuna Orchids 15 05-12-2005 04:38 AM
Do I have to let seeds dry before planting them? samuel Edible Gardening 3 13-03-2005 07:23 PM
Studies on companion planting David Hare-Scott sci.agriculture 3 26-04-2003 01:23 PM
Looking for a Companion Planting Reference guide Australia 1 05-04-2003 07:34 AM
NOT companion planting Julie Gardening 1 04-04-2003 06:08 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:17 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017