In ecologically oriented allotment gardens, mixed culture determines the planting plan. Growing strawberries is no exception. Find out about good and bad neighbors for your strawberry plants here.
Which plants go well with strawberries in a mixed culture?
Good neighbors for strawberries in mixed cultivation are borage, garlic, onions, leeks, marigolds, chives, shallots, marigolds, dill, lemon balm, chamomile, lamb's lettuce and spinach. Unfavorable neighbors are potatoes, cabbages, broad beans, tulips and gladioli.
What does the term “mixed culture” mean?
The mixed culture follows a cultivation concept that comes very close to the natural principle of biodiversity. In the wild, plants usually live side by side and benefit from each other. Deep-rooted plants fit perfectly next to shallow-rooted plants, or the root exudates from a plant drive away pests from their neighbors. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that there are also counterproductive neighborhoods.
When growing strawberries in the garden, it is important to identify advantageous candidates for mixed culture. Experience is particularly important here, as one or two good neighborhoods cannot always be explained from a purely botanical perspective.
Good neighbors in the strawberry patch
Strawberry plants harmonize with the following plants:
- Borage: promotes flower setting and promotes fertilization
- Garlic, onions, leeks, marigolds: keep snails away
- Chives, shallots: have a defensive effect on fungal spores and diseases
- Marigolds: clean the soil from nematodes and wireworms
- Dill, lemon balm, chamomile: have an overall vitalizing effect on strawberries
In addition, the combination with lamb's lettuce and spinach has proven itself very well. If the strawberry bed is prepared for overwintering after the harvest, both neighbors can be planted in gaps. During the winter they serve as snow catchers and encourage earthworms.
Avoid unfavorable neighbors
In the planting plan, the following plants should not be planned for mixed cultivation with strawberries because they encourage various pests and soil fungi.
- Potatoes
- all types of cabbage
- broad beans
- Tulips
- Gladiolus
Avoid the combination with all kinds of grasses. There may be a visual harmony with rose plants, but the negative influences on the growth and he alth of strawberries still outweigh them. In addition, no plant that casts its shadow on strawberry plants can be considered as a neighbor.
Tips & Tricks
The cheerfully colorful flower faces of violets complement strawberry plants not only visually. At the same time, the plants enhance the aroma of strawberries. This blessed community is particularly effective in prominent locations, such as the balcony.