Companion planting is a grand way to create a healthy garden , course . Growing sure plant life close to other plants can help todeter cuss , promote pollenation , and yieldlarger , healthier crop . fellow traveller plants come in many frame , but today we are focusing on comrade plants that also have edible flowers . Growingedible flowersin the same bottom as your vegetable is a great style to upgrade maturation through companion planting , as well as to try add new flavors of flowers to your home base . Grow a companion plant kitchen garden this year , complete with vegetable and flowers you may eat !
Emily Murphy , source of the fabulousGrow What You make out : 12 Food Plant Families to exchange Your Life , is a seasoned companion planter with a flair for creative gardening . She ’s been kind enough to share her extensive knowledge of comrade plants with edible blossom with us . study on to learn more about companion planting and get a list of Emily ’s favorite eatable associate peak to grow interspersed with vegetables .
by Emily Murphy
Photograph © Emily Murphy / Josh Murphy
There is more than one matter at work in a garden . Some might indicate that the soil is the heart and soul of growing , but what would a garden be without flowers ? Without sweetness and vividness , the sound of bee , ladybeetle sighting or the hushed work of butterfly ? And how lucky we are that there ’s such a long leaning of eatable flowers that couple well with herbs and vegetables . When you include these fellow plants in your garden , they ’ll help you manage pests , produce pollinator seaport and sustain the overall wellness of your garden — all while see pretty in the process .
fellow traveller plants are combining of works that rise well together . They have a change of roles , from repelling bad bug and attracting good ones to masking the aroma of one plant with another . The benefits can also be morphological . For illustration , vining plant like celestial pole beans can find support in marvelous , sturdy plant like helianthus ; squash can be grown to trail along at their feet , protecting territory moisture and prevent weed from growing .
Companion Plants with Edible Flowers
Here are some good companion plants and how to utilise their edible bloom .
Agastache . summate to cakes , sirup and beverages for an anise plant taste .
Arugula and other brassicas . Generally modest in flavor , they sum rattling colouring material to salads and garnish .
Basil . grand in everything , the flowers of basil can be used as you would the folio . They ’re especially good in salads or sprinkled over roast vegetables .
Bee balm . Add these mellifluous and spicy flowers to jellies , salads , tea , rice , or pasta .
Borage . The beautiful blue adept - shaped flowers taste like honey . Add them to salad , on top of cupcakes , or as a garnish for your favorite summer deglutition .
Chamomile . This is a wonderful flush for a console tea .
Chives . Their mild Allium cepa flavor pair perfectly with most savory foods and grooming .
Cilantro . Toss flowers over knockout as you would the leaves . Try them in tacos , on roast veggies , or with anything in need of a refreshful kick .
Dill . Add dill flowers to fix , scramble them with ballock , stratum on Pisces , and sprinkle over potatoes and other veg .
Fava , pea and dark-green bean prime . Mildly sweet and vivacious , these blossom make an everyday salad fare to life .
Fennel . Make a fennel flower oil for braising or grilling ; pair with fish , meats , greens or anything that could benefit from its instinctive licorice flavor .
Lavender . My favourite is lavender vanilla ice pick , but lavender is also adorable in soups and other savory looker .
Lemon balm . Infuse in tea , add to dressings , or thresh about into roast vegetable at the last second .
Marjoram . Milder than oregano , it make a adorable tisane or a fragrant addition to vegetables or fish .
Oregano . Use oregano flowers as you would the farewell . Sprinkle over pizza or pasta , coalesce into clams , or stimulate into butter or soups .
Rosemary . Use rosemary flowers as you would its leaves in savory pastries or breads , in medical dressing or sauces , or sprinkled over roasted vegetables or substance .
Roses . Brew into a tisane , make come up petal jam , or reset the petals to use in desserts .
Sage . These flowers are adorable with both summertime and winter squeeze or when immix into dressings , vinaigrettes , or sauces .
Squash . Stuff squash blossoms with cheese and vegetable , try them in quesadillas and pasta dishes , or add them to soups .
Thyme . Much like oregano , these flowers are a welcome increase to soup , breads , pasta dish , and dressing .
How to Companion Plant in the Home Garden
Add any compounding of the above plantsinto the bed where you grow your vegetables . They will help the vegetable originate byattracting pollinatorsand other beneficial insects , dissuade pestilence , ameliorate the soil , andreducing disease . Plus , you ’ll get a prominent harvest home of toothsome comestible blossom along with your veggies so you could convey somenew and exciting flavorsto your culinary creations .
Excerpted with permission fromGrow What You roll in the hay : 12 Food Plant Families to Change Your Lifeby Emily Murphy © 2018 . Published by Firefly Books .
Emily Murphy is the generator of the gourmet - centric garden blogPass The Pistil , and one ofGarden Design Magazine‘s “ most loved ” web log of 2015 . Emily is a web serial publication host , a contributor toBetter Homes and Gardens , a garden excogitation and organic horticulture advisor , and a instructor of constituent gardening . Emily holds a arcdegree in Ethnobotanical Resources from Humboldt State University where she also take botany and environmental science .
