Companion planting; and okra seeds...

Today, Monday, is still Pinsedagene vacation, and as I tweeted earlier, it´s finally warm enough to turn off the heated floors! yay summer:). It´s been hot out since 8am, and that is very unusual here for Norway--to get this hot this early. Ya´d thunk I´d woken up at my Mom´s, a for a second I did think, oh yay am at Mom´s...and can go out into my stepdad´s garden, check on the okra, enjoy the lovely flowers: okra has simply gorgeous Georgia O´Keefe paintings worth of flowingly lush flowers, that often I forget the main point is for the actual okra pods. Oftentimes I plant extra, and wish the flowers would just stay, and not fall off, as the pods emerge. But then pick those pods when they´re maybe 3-4 inches long imho: the larger ones, again imho, are pithy, oaky, spongy, woody. Those are not good for gumbo, or even fried, certainly not raw as I sometimes like to nibble.

The companion planting I mentioned. Where for various reasons, you plant different types of plants together, for benefit. Explained a bit:

In my opinion, I like and prefer a diverse garden, if for no other reason than that. But the other benefits are actually worth it and do make a huge impact. Whilst I prefer my flowers to be planted with fruits and veg, and herbs; and for my herbs to be planted with fruits and veg and flowers; and for my roses to happily dwell amongst my herbs, flowers, fruits and veg....all together, besides looking amazing, with lovely textures and colors, scenting the air with fragrance as the wind gently pushes and pulls them about...the plants together disuade and discourage unwanted bugs, and encourage lots of beneficial bugs, such as bees, butterflies, praying mantises, walking sticks, ladybugs which eat unwanted bugs.

In my home library I´ve lots of gardening books, both for the ideas in print, text, and the photos, for reference, but I also use the internet now lots too. As much info as I get via the internet, I still wouldn´t part with my books. Either is fine, or both, do what you like:). Youtube and other vlog sites also have great hands on video help and explanation, which I also enjoy. It´s great seeing other gardeners across the world, and I hope we inspire and spread the gardening gene to everyone! Our planet needs diversity, and more gardens that are healthy for the planet and us, but ok I will try to not preach. Plant something simply cuz you like it, that is enough sometimes. Just don´t use harmful poisons please to grow it.

A few great combinations of companion plants:


--The Three Sisters.
Where I come from, this old combination of 3 is both what you use in your gumbo (bell pepper, onion, garlic/shallot) and this garden combo of BEANS, SQUASH, CORN. Here, I mean the latter. And there are many ways of this, but one I like is to make a large square of raised bed, plant 3 corn plants in the middle, then circle that with bean and pumpkin plants, then add herbs to that.

Other idea for this, I like is slightly varying each square to slightly different varieties, or different herbs.

-Corn always is included, and usually I plant the same variety. The squash, as I like pumpkin, is always pumpkin but I change the variety. The beans are usually pole beans, purple and white speckled, green beans, long string beans, etc. But here in Norway, I just try to grown what works here, as the weather is cool at night not hot-as-hell, not as humid, and the season is shorter unless you use greenhouse levels to make several micro climates. And frankly, with the African slugs, it´s easy to give up, and just be thankful for a can of nibblets, and forget I used to love eating corn on the cob all summer long!

-the herbs I usually plant with this combination are strong ones, to deter the strongly unwanted pests who might eat my plants. So maybe chives, garlic, strong mints, lavenders and rosemaries. I like mints, and like how invasive they are, how they can cover the area quickly easily, and so let them, so there is always lots to smell, and lots to pick. Mint is great in tea, infused into a hot or cold drink, great in fruit salads, in yogurt, in cold fruit soups, and even hot hearty stews. It grows wild under our apple trees, and I like that, always encourage it.

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More companion plants in next post.

Time to plant the okra, tomato