Accompanying planting is the simple process of growing two or more plants in close proximity for mutual benefit. This benefit can come as a pest control, as a way to attract beneficial insects, provide shade, or even as sacrificial plants. Today we're going to discuss the best coriander companion plants to grow in the garden for healthier fruits and vegetables. But first some background information about the herb coriander!
Coriander is known botanically as Coriandrum sativum and belongs to the carrot family, Apiaceae. It is grown for its herbal green greens known as "coriander" in American English and its seeds known as coriander. In other English-speaking countries, both the leaves and the seeds are called coriander.
Coriander is popular in Thai, Indian, Mexican and Chinese cuisine, eaten fresh in salads and salsas, can be added to soups, stews and curries, or used on its own as a herb garnish. Most people love the citrus and parsley flavor of cilantro leaves, while due to their genetics, others tend to find cilantro completely inedible, with a soapy, metallic taste. Even if you don't like the taste, cilantro is a good companion plant to grow in the garden. The flowers attract beneficial insects and their aromatic foliage will keep pests away from plants you want to protect.
What is companion planting?
Which plants are good companion plants for coriander? Let's find out. Source: Taifighta
Companion planting focuses on creating happy plant communities. Many plants are a match made in heaven while others are a recipe for disaster. In the case of accompanying plants, plants are grown together that benefit each other. Let me give you a few examples of reliable companion plants!
A plant with a strong odor can help keep pests away. Others have an aroma that enhances the taste of their neighbors. Examples of this include spring onions or leeks planted near carrot plants to repel carrot flies and prevent them from laying eggs in the ground. Tomatoes and the herb basil can also be planted together to enhance the flavor of the tomato.
While some combinations are mutually beneficial, others can have the opposite effect. Aromatic herbs like sage can negatively affect the taste of vegetables with high water content like cucumber, causing them to taste great.
Herbal dill is a good companion plant for the garden, as it is a natural form of pest control that attracts useful insects. Its flowers attract hover flies, which feed on sap-sucking insects such as aphids. Similarly, borage attracts beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps, which help reduce the caterpillar populations of cabbage and bees that pollinate fruit vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, and cucumbers. Nasturtiums make great sacrificial plants, planted next to cabbage plants to remove pests like moths and butterflies.
The most obvious companion-planting combinations are plants that require common growing conditions. Herbal thyme grows well with other Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary or sage, which prefer freely draining garden soil and full sun. Cabbage family vegetables, which need alkaline, moisturizing soil and partial shade, can be planted together in the same bed. Unfortunately, family groups can also suffer from the same pest and diseases, meaning entire crops can be affected at the same time. Planting together with companion plants from other family groups can help keep pests out or reduce numbers by attracting predatory insects.
A companion plant can play a supportive role in the early days of plant growth. When radishes and carrot seeds are sown together, it creates a useful row marker for carrots, as radishes germinate quickly. Tall plants such as sunflowers, peas and beans that crawl over a trellis provide shade for plants that tend to bolt, such as. B. Salad.
Probably the best-known planting method for companions is sweet corn, beans, and pumpkin. Indians refer to this combination as "three sisters". The sweet corn grows tall and provides climbing support for the beans, which fix nitrogen in the soil to improve the growth of the other plants. Large pumpkin leaves suppress weeds at the base of the larger plants, and their shade helps maintain soil moisture. The "three sisters" are a great system to try in your own garden, especially when space is tight. Note, however, that sweet corn and pumpkin are nutrient and water hungry plants.
The key to successfully planting companions is learning what combinations will work for you. There is no scientific evidence that companion planting actually works. However, years of gardening wisdom with proven methods must have some value. Studies have also shown that polyculture systems that grow more than one crop are far more environmentally friendly and sustainable than monocultures that produce healthier soils, plants and ecosystems.
Good coriander companion plants
Coriander flowers can attract beneficial insects. Source: Cristina's Maps
Coriander is a nitrogen-loving plant in the cool season that prefers moisture-resistant soils. Like plants of the legume family Beans and Peas Make a good companion plant to grow near coriander. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, an important nutrient for strong healthy growth. Added nitrogen in the form of garden compost or blood and bones is easily leached from the soil, while nitrogen bound by legumes provides a constantly available supply. Peas and beans can also add much-needed shade to the cilantro, which slips easily in hot weather. Once coriander flowers, their leaves become bitter and inedible, but the coriander flowers attract beneficial insects to protect their legume neighbors, and the seeds can also be harvested.
Other garden plants that can provide shade from coriander are tall flowers like cosmos, sunflowers, yarrow, Coreopsis, Tansy, and sweet alyssum. Even tall tomato vines can be paired with coriander for shade, as long as they're not next to legumes, as the high nitrogen content encourages lush leaf growth at the expense of the fruit. Coriander can also be planted near other herbs that require similar growing conditions as mint, anise, dill, parsley, and chervil. Anise also helps coriander seeds germinate.
Many fruits and vegetables grow well when planted near cilantro. Coriander leaf has an aroma that repels aphids, flies, spider mites, moths, and Colorado beetles. Grow leafy green vegetables like Cabbage, Green salad, spinach, and Kale as well as Potatoes, tomatoes, and pepper next to coriander to repel these pests. Coriander also attracts beneficial insects such as bees, parasitoid wasps, hover flies, ladybugs, and lacewings to the garden, which pollinate fruit vegetables and delight in pesky insects.
What not to plant with coriander
Rosemary and coriander require different conditions and therefore do not go well together. Source: izik
Like garden herbs rosemary, thyme, and lavender requiring full sun and dry, freely draining soil are not natural growth partners for coriander. Planting coriander in these conditions leads to poor growth and sowing of the plant. Likewise, too much shade and soil moisture lead to root rot in the other herbs.
Avoid planting cilantro near onions or common herbs fennel. Fennel releases a naturally occurring chemical into the soil that inhibits the development of many plants, including coriander.
frequently asked Questions
Q: Can you plant cilantro with cucumber?
A: Coriander is a good companion plant to keep pests like aphids away from your cucumber crops. However, its strong smell can negatively affect the taste of cucumber.
Q: Can coriander and oregano be planted together?
A: Coriander and oregano planted together in the garden will not grow well because they have different requirements for watering and sunlight.
Q: Are coriander companion plants also companion to coriander?
A: Yes, coriander companion plants are the same as coriander because they are the same species. The botanical name for both plants is Coriandrum sativum.
Q: How do you keep a good supply of coriander in the garden?
A: Herbs like cilantro can be sown every couple of weeks from mid-spring to early fall to ensure a constant supply of cilantro in the garden. Once the flowers have turned brown, the stems can be cut and dried to save the seeds for future sowing.
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