Not All Vegetables Work Well Together

There's an old saying that some things go together like peas and carrots. And, while that might be a good pairing, did you know beans and onions don't get along well? It's true. Beans will inhibit the growth of onions.

When it comes to vegetable gardening, it seems there are a lot of plants that just don't play well together at all. Like a big sandbox brawl, these plants will get in the way of their neighbors' growth and cause you, the gardener, some problems down the road if you don't address the issues before troubles crop up

The best way to avoid the battle of the veggies (for water, soil and sunlight) is to make certain to play teacher and separate the ones that cause trouble from the rest of the pack. It's up to you to find out which plants cause trouble for their bed mates before the problems start. Uprooting and rearranging to avoid issues after planting can stress plants, which is never good.

While veggies that don't get along well with others can still grow well place in the same bed garden or even in rows, it's wise to make sure the plants that cause problems are separated by at least a little difference from those they like to bully.

Here's a listing of the vegetable garden bullies and the plants they like to bother:

* Potatoes are big meanies. It seems the tubers really have it out for tomatoes and squash.

* Onions and beans go together like oil and water, but don't worry about that later when making some good veggie soup. They get along just fine in this arena.

* Broccoli, like potatoes, just loves to pick on tomatoes. Keep these two separated for better growing.

* If the dill herb is in your garden, keep carrots away from the planting.

In general, those vegetables that require completely different light settings, watering schedules, advanced soil preparation and so on can create big issues for their unlike garden mates. Study up on the vegetables you intend to grow and group like plants with each other for the best results.

A little homework can pay off really well by making sure the bullies don't get the run of the playground. The time you take on the front end can result in a well-rounded garden later. And while it's okay to plant vegetables that don't get along well in the same beds, keep them separated a bit to ensure the maximum growing potential of all your plants is present.