What Is Intercropping And How Do You Do It?
Are you looking to get more produce out of your next gardening season? Tired of pulling weeds in your garden? Want to reclaim your garden space? Consider intercropping to increase harvests & variety while decreasing weeds.
Intercropping may sound scary, but in principle, it is very simple. It’s similar to interplanting but differs in that the goal of intercropping is to increase the health of both plants as well as save space. Typically plants with different foliage are paired together.
An example would be pairing a plant that needs shade with a plant that loves the sun – the sun-loving plant would provide shade to the other plant.
How To Choose Plants To Intercrop & Reclaim Your Space
If you choose a longer-maturity plant with a faster-maturing plant, you will have great success. Planting zucchini with lettuce for example will work well. The zucchini will take longer to mature, and the lettuce will appreciate the large leaves of the zucchini plant for shade. While the lettuce grows, it will serve as a weed block, and a living mulch – helping to retain water in your garden. You may also want to consider herbs – cilantro, dill, or basil instead of lettuce.
Planting tomatoes or peppers with a bush bean is another option. After the beans mature, you will harvest the beans and remove the plant. By the time the beans are finished, the tomatoes or peppers should be growing.
Another favorite of mine is using corn or a trellised vegetable as a shade crop
Another favorite of mine is using corn or trellised vegetables as a shade crop. While the corn grows, it provides a large amount of shade in my garden. Crops like lettuce, spinach & swiss chard love the shade. A trellised vegetable can be cucumber, melon, or even some squash. As the plants grow up the trellis, the trellis will fill in with the leaves, creating a nice shaded area for other crops.
Looking for more intercropping inspiration? Use the following lists below to pair fast & slow growing crops or shade & tall growing crops!
My Favorite Fast-Growing Crops To Easily Reclaim The Garden
- Arugula
- Radish
- Turnip
- Carrots
Angie’s Favorite Slow Growing Crops
- Zucchini
- Onions
- Artichoke
- Garlic
Crops That Grow Well In Shade
- Lettuce
- Brussels Sprouts
- Spinach
- Kale
Tall Growing Crops
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Pole Beans
- Eggplant
- Potatoes
Things To Keep In Mind When Intercropping In The Garden
- Read information about the plants – avoid intercropping plants that have the same needs – you will end up with one plant surviving while the other plant dies
- Take into account things like water, sun & space of the plants
- Mix it up – it’s equally important to mix up the crops – using the crops listed above – choose a plant that does well in the shade with one that grows tall, or try a fast and slow-growing group
Interested In More Beginner Garden Tips?
This is the second blog of a five-part series on Angie’s Recipe Garden. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be covering the following topics:
- Planning your garden
- Intercropping
- Zones, Frost Date & The Sun Impacts On Your Garden
- Succession Planting
- Seed Packet Information
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Until the next blog in this series, catch up on my recipes or the previous post in this series on planning your garden.
