Click the blue text above
Enjoy more exciting content
Did you know? Intercropping garlic with cabbage can achieve a yield increase of up to 55% for cabbage!This is just one example of the mutual benefits in vegetable cultivation. In nature, everything follows the principles of mutual benefit and harm, and vegetable cultivation is no exception. Some vegetables can promote each other’s growth when planted together, leading to increased yields and profits. However, some vegetables can harm each other when grown together, resulting in reduced yields or even total crop failure.Therefore, when planning vegetable production, we must pay attention to this issue. We should plant mutually beneficial vegetable varieties together, which helps us achieve increased yields and profits. Conversely, we should separate incompatible vegetable varieties to reduce unnecessary planting risks and losses. Below are a few examples of which vegetables can be intercropped for mutual benefit and which should be kept apart:
Mutually Beneficial Vegetables1. Allium Vegetables with Brassica VegetablesAllium vegetables such as scallions, garlic, and leeks secrete substances during their growth that inhibit soil bacteria and fungi. Therefore, they can be intercropped with Brassica vegetables like Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and radishes. For example, intercropping garlic with cabbage can suppress or kill the bacteria causing soft rot in cabbage, while also effectively reducing the number of cabbage caterpillars, aphids, and nocturnal pests, thus achieving a green pest control effect.Data shows that intercropping garlic with cabbage can effectively kill the bacteria causing soft rot, and when combined with pesticide treatment, the kill rate can exceed 75%. Additionally, this practice can significantly improve the yield and quality of cabbage, achieving a 55% increase in production when done correctly. Furthermore, after intercropping garlic with spring cabbage, the number of cabbage caterpillars and aphids is only 35.6% of that found in conventional planting.2. Aromatic Vegetables with Leafy VegetablesAromatic vegetables such as mint, lettuce, and patchouli intercropped with leafy vegetables like cabbage and spinach can significantly reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases in leafy vegetables.In fields of Brassica vegetables like cabbage, intercropping three to four hundred plants of mint or lettuce per acre can effectively deter cabbage white butterflies. This is because lettuce and mint contain certain alkaloids and volatile oils, which emit a stimulating odor that repels cabbage white butterflies. Additionally, plants like schizonepeta and tomatoes also have a repelling effect on cabbage white butterflies.According to data, intercropping tomatoes in cabbage fields can reduce the number of cabbage white butterfly eggs laid by 68%, while intercropping fennel can reduce it by 62%, and intercropping schizonepeta can reduce it by 55%. However, it is important to note the distance between the two types of vegetables: when intercropping with tomatoes, the distance should be about four meters, while the distance for intercropping with fennel or schizonepeta should be two meters.3. Celery with CucumberCelery has a certain repelling effect on whiteflies in the field, and studies have confirmed that intercropping celery in cucumber greenhouses can suppress various pests on cucumbers, such as significantly reducing the number of whiteflies, aphids, and even spider mites on cucumber plants.Additionally, celery can attract aphid parasitoids, enhancing biological control of aphids on cucumber plants.When intercropping celery with cucumbers, it is important to ensure good ventilation and humidity control in the field to reduce the humidity levels in the greenhouse, thereby mitigating the occurrence of cucumber downy mildew.4. Chili Peppers with WheatIn the western central region of China, intercropping chili peppers with wheat is a major cultivation model that has shown significant yield-increasing effects. Research indicates that intercropping chili peppers with wheat can significantly shorten the time for chili peppers to establish after planting, typically by two to three days. Moreover, this intercropping model can reduce the incidence and severity of viral diseases in chili peppers by 50-60% compared to growing chili peppers alone, with a yield increase of about 20%.
Incompatible Vegetables1. Tomatoes with CucumbersIn practice, many farmers tend to plant cucumbers and tomatoes, which are of different heights, in the same greenhouse. While this model is beneficial for light utilization, it also has significant drawbacks.Both cucumber and tomato crops secrete substances that inhibit each other’s growth, and planting them together in the same greenhouse affects both crops. Additionally, both crops are prone to aphid infestations, which can exacerbate pest problems. Furthermore, the temperature and humidity requirements for growth differ between the two crops, and since cucumbers have shallow roots while tomatoes have deeper roots, growing them together complicates management and inevitably affects production yields.2. Cabbage with Mustard Greens and CeleryWhen cabbage is planted alongside mustard greens, they compete for growth, ultimately affecting their normal growth and yield. Similarly, planting cabbage with celery can also lead to poor growth for both. Therefore, whether planting cabbage with mustard greens or celery, it is essential to maintain a certain distance between them.3. Broccoli with LettuceBroccoli and lettuce have similar nutrient requirements from the soil, and their root secretions are also similar. Consequently, the diseases and pathogens affecting both crops are generally the same. Thus, planting these two vegetables together can exacerbate the occurrence and development of diseases in both crops.Moreover, broccoli can inhibit the growth of lettuce, leading to lower germination rates and weaker growth in lettuce.4. Peas with Allium VegetablesPlanting Allium vegetables alongside peas can negatively affect the normal growth of peas. This is because Allium vegetables release specific substances during their growth that inhibit pea growth, resulting in fewer flowers and pods. If planted together, a distance of at least three meters is recommended.5. Chili Peppers with CowpeasChili peppers are prone to diseases such as anthracnose and damping-off, and these pathogens can also trigger diseases in cowpeas. In particular, anthracnose in chili peppers can cause brown spots on cowpeas, affecting their yield and quality.The introduction of mutual benefits and harms among vegetables is far from limited to the examples above. Different types of vegetables can have mutual beneficial or harmful effects when intercropped or planted together, as their growth involves competition and mutual utilization. Therefore, when planning production, we must consider and utilize this aspect, as it is an important part of scientific farming and a crucial pathway for crops to achieve increased yields and efficiency.Source:Vegetable Planting Alliance,Copyright belongs to the original author. If there is any infringement, please contact for removal.Learn more(Click the bottom left corner “Read the original text” )
