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Companion plants /kəmˈpanyən plant/ – noun

January 16, 2019

Definition: Plants that grow more successfully or with greater yields when cultivated in the same location than when grown separately.

Example: The Three Sisters is a combination of maize, pole beans, and squash within the same growing space. The Three Sisters works because it combines plants that have characteristics that are mutually beneficial to each other, companion plants. The maize provides a structure for the beans on which to climb. The beans provide nitrogen to the soil that the other plants need and the spreading squash plant create a living mulch by blocking sunlight, reducing soil temperatures, and minimizing moisture loss and weed growth.