Interplanting
-Interplanting is growing two or more vegetables in the same place and the same time
-Interplanting (aka Intercropping) is also the practice of planting a fast-growing crop between a slower-growing one to make the most of your garden space.
-The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of resources that would otherwise not be used by a sole crop
•allows for intercrops to more completely absorb available growth resources and convert them into plant matter as a result of their difference in competitive ability for growth
•resilience to disturbances, increased protection of individual plant species from their host-specific pests and diseases, encourage biodiversity by providing a habitat for a variety of insects and soil organisms, reduce erosion and protects top soil, attract more beneficial insects, minimize development of weeds, improved product quality
Types
-Row Planting: When you have at least two types of vegetable with at least one in rows.
-Mixed Intercropping: involves mixing crops in any available space when you plant two crops together and do not use rows, like when you have two different sized plants.
-Relay Planting: When you sow a second crop in time to mature after a first crop has produced
Examples
-By growth patterns : planting smaller plants at the base of larger plants ie radishes at the base of beans or broccoli 🥦
-Shade tolerant: planting lettuce, spinach or celery in the shadow of taller crops like corn or tomatoes 🥬 🌽 🍅
-Reducing insects: pest usually are crop specific (deal with one vegetable or a particular family) - mixing up varieties of crops can help deter/control pest Invasion 🐛🕷
•some chemical repellent
•some create a physical barrier
Planning is Key 🔑
Factors to consider :
•length of plants growth period
•grow pattern (tall/short above/below ground)
•negative effects on other plants
•preferred season
•light, nutrient, and moisture requirements