The destination for any nurseryman , modest or large , should be to get the most food out of their rise space . This is n’t hard with babe green andlettucesthat bring in a high yield per straight metrical unit , but it can be a challenge for longer - season crops like Brassica oleracea italica , Brassica oleracea botrytis , corn and onion , which take up a slew of way for a comparatively small-scale amount of payoff .
One enceinte direction to make the most out of these crops is to plant a 2nd , degraded crop alongside them in their beds . Usually , this is well - thought - out and in our garden architectural plan , but sometimes these intercrops are confessedly a bit of an on - the - fly decision when the season calls for it or when we see opportunity . Here are a few crops we always turn over to when we have a little extra garden space to occupy .
Lettuce
Both head lettuce and stinger lettuce are ideal intercrops . drumhead lettuce is courteous because mostly you are transplanting it into a quarrel with maybe 30 day or so unexpended until it ’s ready to harvest . In that case , if you have a crop like broccoli or cauliflower or even tomato plant , you could transplant your lettuce first , then the other crop a calendar week or so later ( after a cultivation , preferably ) , and deplumate your simoleons just before the larger , longer season crop takes over .
As for cut lettuce , this is a crop that we ’ve institute does well with foresighted - season onions , leeksand green onions . We like to seed a thick band down the midsection of our Allium porrum to bring forth one or two good cuttings before the leeks are ready . That manner , we are taking advantage of all the space something as slender as a leek leaves idle .
Radishes
Radishes might be the perfect intercrop . They are fast and compact , do not require a circle of nutrient , and are easy to harvest . you could sow radishes with near anylong - time of year cropas long as it does n’t touch your crop revolution too much . in person , I like sowing them with slow genus Brassica and Lycopersicon esculentum .
Turnips
Turnip honey oil are turgid than radish greens , so we apply this crop strategically , as it will block out sunshine in the amiss situations . loosely , I will inseminate it with our dark-green onion transplants so that like a shot after the green onions are pulled , the Brassica rapa can take over the bed for another week or two . you’re able to sow turnip with other crops , too , but keep in mind that at around 55 day to due date , they take longer than most others on this list .
Beans
Many nurseryman ’s introduction to intercropping is through thethree sister method : plant corn , beans and squash together in the same plot . I have personally had motley effect with this practice . What I have had sound outcome with is using just two of the three , specially dent or sweet corn and dry beans together . Planting a drying bush bean between ( or within ) your corn words can be an excellent style to fee your corn harvest as it raise , shade out pot , and make the most out of that space . Your yields may vary depending on season and mixture , but you will almost for sure get two crops for the price of one . sow your corn as soon as the filth is quick enough . After the first cultivation , once the corn is 2 in or more , inseminate your attic seed . This will admit the Zea mays to outcompete the noggin and not get overtaken . The goal is a dried bean , though you may glean beans green . It gets a small stuffy amongst corn rows and difficult to maneuver , but it ’s in spades potential if outer space is limited .
