We gardeners spend so much time stressing over what our plants need that we often forget they grew just fine for millennia without us. Suppose we step back from our self-aggrandizing human nature and take our cues from actual nature instead?
That would save time, money and the environment by reducing the need for fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides — even garden stakes.
Many plants co-exist in either symbiotic or non-complementary relationships. Native Americans noticed this centuries ago, and used their findings to take advantage of plants’ natural inclinations.
Their “Three Sisters” method of growing corn, beans and squash together is perhaps the most well-known example of “companion planting,” a practice that puts plants to work to keep themselves and their neighbors healthy.
The trio serve each other well: As the squash spreads its large, prickly leaves over the ground, it provides shade to keep roots cool, suppresses weeds and discourages animal browsing. Corn grows upright to support the vining beans, which repay the debt by fixing nitrogen in the soil to fertilize all three plants.