Best Companion Plant Pairings for Indian Home & Kitchen Gardens
Companion planting, a traditional Indian practice, boosts garden health, reduces pests, and improves yields by pairing compatible plants. Key combinations include tomatoes with basil and marigold, chillies with coriander, and okra with sunflowers. The article emphasizes practical layouts for small spaces, soil tips, and seasonal adjustments, highlighting real-life success stories across India’s diverse climates. Companion planting creates resilient, low-maintenance gardens and reduces the need for chemical inputs.
The article explores companion planting as a practical, sustainable approach for Indian home and kitchen gardens, drawing on both traditional wisdom and modern experimentation. It explains how pairing certain plants—like tomatoes with basil and marigold, chillies with coriander, and okra with sunflowers—enhances pest resistance, soil health, and overall productivity. These combinations are effective across India’s varied climates, from humid coastal regions to arid plains. Practical advice includes optimal plant spacing (e.g., a hand’s width apart), using triangles instead of rows for better airflow, and selecting deep, well-draining grow bags or enriched ground plots. The article also provides soil preparation tips, recommends organic mulches, and suggests natural pest sprays like neem or garlic water as supplements. Success stories from gardeners in cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Jaipur illustrate yield improvements and pest reduction. Seasonal planting calendars and layout examples for different garden sizes are included. The piece emphasizes that companion planting is not just for large farms but is especially effective in small urban spaces, offering a way to garden more naturally, with less effort and chemical dependency, while fostering biodiversity and resilience.
