The Complete Guide to Companion Planting
Dale Mayer
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 SW 6th Ave., Ocala, FL 34471-0640
www.atlantic-pub.com
978-1-60138-345-7, $24.95, 2011
Do you have a green thumb? Or is it more of a black thumb of death? If you just can’t get your garden to grow, author Dale Mayer says it may not be you at all. In her book, “The Complete Guide to Companion Planting”, she explains how the specific pairing of certain plants can have either a positive synergistic effect or a disastrous one, depending on what plants you try and grow together in the same space. And the results of two compatible plants can be truly amazing!
Mayer begins her book with a conceptual explanation of companion planting, along with some history and biological benefits to this type of gardening. She tackles such subjects as good and bad critters, garden maintenance, and fertilizing. She also explains how easy it is to start a garden, whether you have a large space in which to grow or only a fence line or patio. The remainder of the book focuses on a myriad of herbs, vegetables, annuals, perennials, wildflowers and weeds, bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, shrubs, bushes, vines, and fruits. With each of these items, she lists what plants would make good companion matches as well as those plants that won’t. These pairings can be based on one plant’s ability to enrich the soil for the other or on one plant root’s shallow depth with another’s deep reach to conserve valuable space. Either way, the results can range from a higher yield to tastier produce, even less space needed, and much more.
Mayer makes it incredibly easy for her readers to simply go to the short paragraph which contains their plant of interest and quickly find what they are looking for without having to labor over long, drawn out passages. This makes the book perfect for not only the beginning gardener, looking to get started without being overwhelmed, but also the experienced one, needing a good reference book and perhaps some fresh, new ideas. Mayer’s style flows with a laid back and easy feel, making her information and advice fun to learn. Straightforward and simple, anyone can learn to successfully raise a garden with “The Complete Guide to Companion Planting”.