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In organic gardening you try to use natural methods to produce the highest yield form your garden. Avoiding pesticides by producing the healthiest plants you can is another goal. A healthy plant also defends itself from insects and disease.

One way to have the healthiest plants is to make sure that the plants that are planted together don’t hinder each others growth. Basically, were talking about good neighbors or plants form the same plant families.

Most relationships of plants within a plant family are generally either positive or at least neutral, one exception to this rule is in the tomato family. Tomato family plants include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and egg plants.

While tomatoes and potatoes grow well next to peppers and egg plants, tomatoes and potatoes do not grow well next to each other.

It’s time to take a look at the different families:

Plant Family——-Vegetable/Herb

Beet——-Spinach, swiss chard

Buckwheat——-Red orach, rhubarb

Cabbage——-Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, horse radish, kohlrabi, mustard, pak choi, radish, rutabaga, turnip

Carrot——-Celery, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, parsley, parsnip

Cucumber——-Gourd, melon, summer squash, winter squash

Grass——-Corn

Mallow——-Okra

Mint——-Basil, marjoram, oregano, sage

Morning Glory——-Sweet potato

Onion——-Asparagus, chive, garlic, leek, scallion

Pea——-Bean, peanut

Sunflower——-Artichoke, endive, Jerusalem artichoke, lettuce, radicchio, tarragon

Tomato——-Egg plant, peppers, potato (remember exception), tomatillo

This list is by no means all inclusive, but gives you a general idea to get you started with your organic planting. For more information on plant families or a specific plant not listed here, do a little research at your local library or on the Internet.