What is Companion Planting?

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I remember one season, I had my garden rows perfectly aligned, one row of chinese cabbages, a row of carrots and so on. The rows were appealing to the eye. However, I soon found that my chinese cabbages were victims of hungry slugs and snails. Some advised drowning the slugs in beer, going out at night and picking them off or laying out crushed egg shells around the plants. I had tried the egg shells and picking them off (which I then released them to another corner of our property).

I did not have the stomach to kill any of them and never have.

That's when I stumbled upon both companion planting and trap crops (that's another topic I will discuss later). I knew there had to be another way. And if you know me well, you will know I don't actually take things as gospel now. If they don't feel right for me, regardless of the status quo, I will find another way. Hence my favourite saying and quote of mine is "everything is figure-out-able." I know it's not an official word, but it is to me.

So what is companion planting?

Companion planting is a gardening practice where you sow plants together in the same bed that are literally companions - that means they grow well together.

Nothing in my garden is harmed by me, I simply encourage mother nature and work alongside her to benefit us both"

Back to my story above about my chinese cabbages. I was able to harvest some, but a majority of them I left for the slugs and snails and worked on figuring out this companion planting thing. It opened a hole new world of beauty. If I had of known about companion planting (which I'm glad I do now) I would have planted garlic and onions in amongst my chinese cabbages to deter the snails and bugs. They also deter carrot flies! I did not have much success with carrots that year.

Gone are the days of perfect rows (if there are perfect rows of one crop there are likely sprays involved), now I have flowers and wildness galore.

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An update about this blog

I'm Aley Young, the heart behind this blog.

It was a soft, grounded space where healing, personal growth, real food, and gentle truth meet.

A living journal - a place where I shared the moments, lessons, and inner shifts that have shaped my own journey, from nervous system healing and regulation to motherhood, identity, and becoming alongside the slower, earthier parts of life: the garden, the sourdough starter, the kitchen.

But now it is retired ...

Thank you for being here - some of you for years now.

After a lot of reflection, I've decided to step back from this chapter and follow a new calling: natural gardening. It's where my heart is right now, and I want to give it everything.

But nothing here is disappearing.

- The courses are still here - log in anytime with your existing account.

- The blog is still up to read, and the podcast is still here to listen to, whenever you like.

- Nothing is being taken away. I'm just not adding to it anymore.

If you've walked through this content with me, thank you. Truly. It mattered.

And if you're curious where I'm headed next - into the soil, into growing things, into a slower and simpler kind of healing - I'd love for you to come along.

[Visit Natural Companion → https://www.naturalcompanion.co.nz]

With gratitude,

Aley