Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden

by Jessica Walliser, Jeff Gillman PhD (Foreword by)

Overview

Companion planting has a long history of use by gardeners, but the explanation of why it works has been filled with folklore and conjecture, often at the expense of sound science. This makes it difficult for gardeners to decipher which plant partnerships are truly successful and which are not worth the time and effort. Plant Partners delivers a science-based boost to this ever-popular growing technique, shedding light on the latest research and offering gardeners dozens of ways they can use scientifically tested plant partnerships to benefit the garden as a whole. This guide’s enhanced understanding of companion planting draws on emerging information about how plants interact with and influence each other, from the chemical signals they pass back and forth to the thread-like fungi help them access otherwise unavailable nutrients. Then it offers specific plant partnerships that growers can use to solve common gardening problems, improve soil health and weed control, decrease pest damage, and increase biodiversity, resulting in real and measurable impacts in the garden.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635861334
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	12/22/2020
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	78,973
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jessica Walliser is a horticulturalist and the author of several gardening books, including Plant Partners and Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden. In addition to cohosting The Organic Gardeners, an award-winning radio program in Pennsylvania, she is the co-owner of the popular gardening website SavvyGardening.com and a regular contributor to Fine Gardening, Urban Farm, and Hobby Farms, and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Walliser is the recipient of an American Horticultural Society Book Award. 

Jeff Gillman, PhD is director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens and best-selling author of The Truth about Garden Remedies and Decoding Gardening Advice.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jeff Gillman, PhD
Introduction
1 The Power of Plant Partnerships: How Does Modern Companion Planting Work?
2 Soil Preparation & Conditioning: From Cover Crops to Living Rototillers
3 Weed Management: Using Living Mulches and Allelopathy to Combat Weeds
4 Support & Structure: Plants That Act as Living Trellises
5 Pest Management: Luring, Tricking, Trapping, and Deterring Pest Insects
6 Disease Management: Suppressing Disease through Plant Partnerships and Interplanting
7 Improved Biological Control: Plant Partners That Attract and Support Pest-Eating Beneficial Insects
8 Improved Pollination: Bringing More Pollinators to the Garden through the Perfect Plant/Pollinator Matches
Epilogue: The Companion Planting Journey
Acknowledgments
Resources
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

09/07/2020

Horticulturist Walliser (Gardener’s Guide to Compact Plants) takes a well-supported and helpful look at the practice of plant partnering, or placing certain plants in proximity with others to benefit both. She begins with the up-to-date science explaining why this long-standing gardening practice works: plants influence each other “through the chemical signals they produce, the underground network of fungi in and around their roots, and the toxic compounds some of them exude,” and in other ways as well. Walliser proceeds to explore how common garden woes—regarding soil condition, weed control, pest and disease management, and so on—can be addressed with the right pairings. For example, medium red clover works well with winter squash because, as a vigorous grower that tolerates cold and also suppresses weeds, it “outgrows weeds in winter squash patches while still allowing the vines to ramble over it.” Meanwhile, the legume hairy vetch can, after being cut down, provide a “thick mat” of residue that protects tomato plants from the fungal pathogens to which they’re vulnerable. Walliser’s lively guide will aid many a horticulturally minded reader. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

[Plant Partners] takes a new look at a popular subject that has long relied on folklore and conjecture rather than research.” — Margaret Roach, The New York Times

“Plant Partners offers more than just specific plant pairings; it encourages us to think about the relationships between plants, so that we can grow our best garden ever."
— Jeff Gillman, PhD, Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens and best-selling author of The Truth about GardenRemedies and Decoding Gardening Advice

"Finally, a science-based book that addresses the 'companion planting' concept of how and why plants can - and really do - play a tangible role in helping to create healthier, more productive vegetable gardens. Plant Partners is a fun and fascinating read. It is well-researched and Jessica Walliser’s ability to pack so much useful information into this book just adds to the experience. I enthusiastically recommend this book!"
— Joe Lamp’l, executive producer and host of Growing a Greener World

"Plant Partners takes the age-old concept of companion planting and adds a modern, scientific rigor. You'll better understand the true reasons to companion plant and why certain combinations work on a scientific basis. I guarantee you'll learn something you never knew within the first 10 pages of the book.”
— Kevin Espiritu, author and founder of Epic Gardening 

“Those who know what to expect from Jessica Walliser’s previous work will not be disappointed in this important book. Here, in easy-to-understand language, is the science-based knowledge vegetable gardeners need to make informed choices when combining plants. Who knew I should be planting nasturtiums with my summer squash? This book can turn your favorite hobby into a way to make the planet a better place.” 
— James Baggett, senior editor, Garden Gate magazine 

“For over a decade, Jessica Walliser has been my go-to resource for information on beneficial insects, pollinators, and companion planting. Plant Partners is a fresh look at a traditional topic. It approaches the subject of companion planting through the eyes of science and is an approachable, fascinating read. As you learn the many, many benefits to pairing plants, you’ll look at your garden in a whole new way. Plant Partners is set to become a new garden classic.”
— Niki Jabbour, author of The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Growing Under Cover

"A well-supported and helpful look at the practice of plant partnering... Walliser’s lively guide will aid many a horticulturally minded reader."
— Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher