COMPANION PLANTING

Learning Intention

We will understand how plants have friends and enemies and what companion planting means.

Success Criteria: I will be able to explain companion planting and design my own vegetable garden using companion plants.

Activity Description

In the Plant Buddies activity you will imagine that your table is a garden. You will carefully plan a vegetable garden according to the principles of companion planting. You will design their gardens according to the plants that ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ each other to identify the most productive and resilient arrangement.

*resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions

Watch the videos

Instructions

Print out the sheets or create your own with scraps of paper and pencils/textas

1. Match the plants

Imagine your table is a garden. Read each plant card. Organise the different plants into an arrangement that will promote optimal plant health and growth.

2. Introduce the pests

Pick up the insect cards and introduce them to your garden. If the plants are planted according to their information, the insects may not have an impact BUT the insects will feast if there are unprotected plants!

3. Answer the following questions . Upload the answers to the Sustainability Google Classroom on a document.

1. Identify two plants that are grouped together and explain why they are suited to each other

2. Which of the following plants would be best to plant with cabbage?

a) Celery

b) Cauliflower

c) Broccoli

d) Cabbage

3. How would you discourage aphids from your garden?

4. What can this activity teach us about vegetable gardening?

1. Create your own garden plan using the principles of Companion Planting.

Use the poster below to help. Choose which season that you are planning for and label your garden.

Upload it to your Google Classroom under Week 5.

Here are a few examples: