How to Use Companion Planting for a Bountiful Backyard Vegetable Garden

Try these time-tested ideas to increase the yield of your victory garden.

Garden Vegetables

Squash Culture - A successful raiser of squashes says he manages in this way: I dig holes as deep as I conveniently can with a hoe, six feet apart, close by the side of early peas or potatoes. As soon as the weather will permit I stamp a wheelbarrow of unfermented manure in each hole, pour in a pail of water, and haul over the manure six inches of earth, being careful that the hill is no higher than the surrounding surface. Plant ten or twelve seeds in each hill; when they begin to run, thin to two vines in each hill. The potatoes will be fit for family use before the squashes begin to run, and can be dug ahead of them, leaving the ground mellow, so that the squash vines will root at every joint. This is a great saving of ground in a small garden.

Novel Method of Growing Cabbages - A novel plan for setting celery and cabbage plants which has several desirable points to recommend it, is to place them between the rows of your potatoes or sweet corn after the last hoeing. The growing corn or potatoes will afford a partial shade which is very desirable at the time of setting the young plants and until they get fully established, and yet ripen and can be removed in time for them to occupy the ground as a second crop. Two crops on one piece of ground with ten dollars' worth of labor and manure will afford more profit than one crop on which five dollars are expended.

Late Tomatoes - To raise late tomatoes a good plan is to stick into each watermelon hill a tomato plant. They do not interfere with the former, and come in after the garden crop gives out. Those coming in late are the best for canning and putting up for winter use.

From THE NATIONAL FARMER'S AND HOUSEKEEPER'S CYCLOPAEDIA, 1888

This is part of an article from the book The Kitchen Garden Guide