There’s no query that garlic and tomatoes are an ideal combo within the kitchen, however do they work nicely collectively as backyard companions?
Companion planting is the follow of rising sure vegetation collectively to create a helpful, symbiotic relationship – and it’s as previous as agriculture itself.
In various types, intercropping was embraced by a spread of cultures from North American indigenous nations to historical Chinese language and Egyptian farmers and remains to be practiced around the globe right this moment.
Companion planting is among the greatest methods to ditch industrial pesticides and revel in the advantages of natural gardening.
For a pair of backyard and kitchen classics like garlic (Allium sativum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), it creates a match made in heaven!
Planted collectively, these favorites thrive in each other’s firm.
The pungent A. sativum invigorates the soil and offers pest-repelling properties whereas the tender tomatoes hold the soil free and enhance drainage, which helps to forestall basal rot within the garlic.
This dynamic duo is a wonderful alternative for wholesome, pest free crops, however care must be taken in how and once they’re planted to make sure each crops have the very best situations.
Are you able to find out about this helpful buddy system? Then let’s dig into the scrumptious topic of rising garlic and tomatoes as backyard companions.
Right here’s a fast take a look at what’s forward:
Pungent Pest Fighters
Garlic makes an incredible companion to most vegetation because of its pungent aroma and plenty of sulfur compounds.
Compounds like diallyl disulfide and diallyl sulfide have highly effective properties that intervene with the sensory receptors of bugs and different pests, inflicting confusion, disorientation, and even demise.
These compounds additionally act as a powerful deterrent to the feeding and egg laying habits of many marauding bugs.
Different compounds, like allicin, have a powerful odor and likewise include antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which assist to repel disease-causing pathogens in addition to pests.
It’s these compounds that give garlic the well-earned nickname, the stinking rose!
As garlic vegetation develop, sulfurs accumulate within the soil, performing as pure fungicides that assist to guard crops from soil- and airborne pathogens.
And garlic leaf agglutinin (ASAL) is poisonous to some pesky sapsuckers, defending vegetation from infamous backyard raiders like aphids and whiteflies.
Research have proven that intercropping with A. sativum will help to enhance the soil by stabilizing vitamins and pH, which in flip, improves the expansion and nutrient content material of tomatoes planted close by.
Pests from aphids and ants to slugs and spider mites are postpone by the pungent scent of garlic.
As for larger critters, deer and voles don’t just like the scent both and A. sativum is poisonous to rabbits, in order that they keep away too.
You possibly can study extra about utilizing garlic as pest management right here.
And as a bonus, if the scapes of hardneck varieties are allowed to flower, the clusters of tiny lavender, magenta, purple, or white flowers are extremely engaging to pollinators like bees.
Clearly there are a lot of advantages to utilizing this improbable taste intensive as a companion plant!
Tomatoes have their very own helpful properties as nicely, preserving the soil free which improves drainage, serving to to forestall bulb rot.
However most of the benefits of this mix are for the tomatoes!
Hardneck or Softneck?
While you’re planning your backyard, there’s a slight complication because the planting timeline is completely different for each these species, relying on the place you’re situated.
Hardneck Varieties
In areas with chilly winters, the forms of bulbs often bought are the hardneck varieties which have excellent chilly hardiness and may be grown in Zones 2 to 9.
Hardneck varieties have the identical scrumptious taste, well being advantages, and pest-busting properties as braiding or softneck varieties, however they’re planted in fall and harvested from early to midsummer.
This leaves the tomatoes with out safety throughout the essential fruit set and ripening phases.
Solanum varieties are scorching climate vegetation, and in areas with chilly winters, sometimes aren’t planted out till mid to late spring, relying on winter’s size.
You possibly can intercrop by planting the tomatoes in a mattress the place garlic is already established, however this may be tough.
Care must be taken to keep away from disturbing the present root techniques.
The additional away it’s a must to plant the tomatoes, the much less helpful impression the sulfur compounds from the garlic can have.
You can even sacrifice some or your entire hardnecks and bypass harvesting altogether, permitting the scapes to bloom and appeal to pollinators.
This offers an extended interval of safety, however the taste, texture, and high quality of the bulbs diminishes when the vegetation are allowed to flower or once they’re left within the soil too lengthy.
You can even attempt to plant hardnecks concurrently the tomatoes exit, however they don’t typically do nicely in summer season’s warmth.
In scorching situations, they falter and battle, and the stunted development is much less efficient at repelling drawback bugs.
A straightforward workaround is to make use of softneck varieties.
Softneck Varieties
Softneck varieties don’t produce stiff flower scapes and the floppy foliage is well braided for curing and storage.
And since softneck varieties sometimes have a greater storage life than hardnecks, they’re those most available in grocery shops.
Softnecks don’t tolerate freezing temperatures in addition to hardnecks do, so they’re appropriate for cultivation in Zones 5 to 9.
Relying on the area, they’re planted in fall, late winter, or spring, then harvested from spring to midsummer.
For all-season safety, you’ll have to sow the softnecks on the similar time you plant out the tomatoes.
Since they’ve higher warmth tolerance than hardnecks, they are often left within the floor over summer season to be harvested later within the rising season.
The bulbs may not develop fairly as massive as ones that had been planted in early spring, however they’ll nonetheless have the identical wonderful taste and highly effective pest repelling properties as early plantings.
The hitch is, in case you backyard in hardneck territory it may be arduous to search out softneck bulbs in spring. I look yearly, however they’re by no means accessible at my native backyard shops.
Nevertheless, they’re available from many respected on-line backyard suppliers. Select from ‘Polish Crimson,’ ‘Chet’s Italian Crimson,’ or ‘Nootka Rose,’ amongst others.
Another choice is solely to purchase a number of softneck bulbs out of your grocery retailer or market to plant out with the tomatoes.
Should you go this route, I counsel utilizing solely natural produce.
Non-organic bulbs that come from abroad sources have typically been handled with chlorpropham (CIPC), an herbicide and development regulator that inhibits sprouting.
Planting Collectively
Tomatoes and garlic make nice companions, and each take pleasure in a full solar location with reasonable quantities of water.
However when planting, you wish to regulate spacing and placement to make sure vegetation aren’t competing for vitamins, have sufficient room to develop, and to forestall the taller vegetation from casting a shadow on the garlic.
To plant out, put together the backyard soil by loosening it to a depth and width of 18 to 24 inches, incorporating sufficient room for each species.
Combine in a shovelful of compost to counterpoint the soil plus a shovelful of grit to enhance drainage if wanted, utilizing supplies corresponding to pea gravel or stone chips.
Use a tablespoon of bone meal per plant to present the roots a powerful, wholesome begin and enhance bud set.
Plant and house S. lycopersicum as outlined in our information to rising tomatoes.
If rising indeterminate varieties, set cages or stakes in place for every plant as wanted.
Develop the A. sativum on the south facet of the mattress or in entrance of the tomato vegetation to make sure they obtain full solar.
Plant out as per our garlic rising information and house the cloves six inches aside and 6 to 12 inches in entrance of the toms.
In areas with highly regarded summers, you’ll be able to orient the garlic to the west or southwest in order that they’ll obtain some mild afternoon shade solid by the taller vegetation because the solar travels.
After that, water, fertilize, and mulch the mixed vegetation as you’d for particular person crops.
Should you wish to develop your tomatoes in containers, merely pop two to 4 cloves six to 12 inches in entrance of the toms when planting, putting them on the sunny facet of the container.
Helpful Buddies
Planting garlic and tomatoes collectively as companion vegetation is a brilliant and straightforward approach to hold pesky pests at a minimal.
Find the cloves on the entrance of the tomatoes in order that they get full solar or give them a western orientation for some mild afternoon shade.
This companion planting system offers glorious safety in your Solanum vegetation, and planting softneck varieties on the similar time is one of the simplest ways to present them potent cowl for your entire rising season.
What forms of garlic do you of us use for interplanting with tomatoes? Tell us within the feedback part under.
And for extra details about rising garlic in your backyard, try these guides subsequent: