Companion Planting: The Beginner's Guide to Companion G… (2024)

Good reference book. Simple, interesting read. I wish it had photos. I found myself googling images of pests and insects and flowers described because I wanted to know what they looked like in the garden.

Side note: also I didn't realize how to pronounce "nasturtiums" until we were listening to our audio book and Winnie the pooh talking to piglet abput planting nasturtiums in his garden and piglet correcting his pronunciation and pooh not understanding it. Then I realized what they were talking about was the flower in this book that's as good as marigolds for everything in the garden. So. Nas-tur-shums. Is how you say it if you learn this flower by reading.

Full of solid information listed in alphabetical order.

Because I am a long time gardener and am simply looking for the basic information, I found this book to be what I was looking for without a lot of fancy full color pictures which I didn't need. I downloaded it to my Kindle to take with me to the garden as my quick reference while I garden and plant. It easily serves my needs and purpose since I already know my plants. Anything else I can look up for identifying as I go as needed.

Companion gardening for dummies

This book is definitely for beginners. There is a lot of useful information. However, I was disappointed at the lack of illustrations. It would have been useful to have a picture reference, especially for the garden insects. The book also seemed to pair more common plants like basil and tomatoes. This is fine, but I have tarragon and want to know what it pairs well with. Overall, an easy read and a good starting point for the amateur gardener.

Must read for companion planting aspirants!

Very well written, precise and informative. Not only is there everything you need to know about the fundamentals of companion planting in this book, there are also examples of good and bad neighbours in alphabetical order of fruits, vegetable and herbs. Definitely helped me plan my crops so kuch more efficiently and effectively!

Very interesting and informative. Its easy to read and understand.

I enjoyed the book for the informative descriptions of each plant. The description of the plant itself as well as the plants which are helpful to it and harmful to it. I'm sure this will help this summer when I begin my gardening adventure.

This book presents a very dry and specific topic in a very lucid and interesting way. Lot of information that may require further reading or investigation, but useful for a beginner. I think I will use this book as a reference all the time when it comes to companion cropping and homestead gardening.

Such a Great Resource

I absolutely loved this book!! I know there are a lot of opinions on companion planting and it depends on so many different things, but I thought this was a huge eye opener and insanely helpful.

Pretty good information, I was hoping for more but overall still enjoyed it. The back half goes through some popular garden plants and describes their best and worst companions and other important information. Overall enjoyable and easy to read/understand.

Great reference book to have for all time

Easy to read and understand,helpful for keeping a balance in your back yard garden. I double check it before planting time every year.

Really enjoyed this book. Clearly written. Simple. Thank you.

Great short guide

Great guide. Just what I was looking for. These practices have helped me a lot in keeping pests at bay.

Must Have

Very Informative. Definitely a beginning gardener's staple. Love the extensive section on pests and how to get rid of them organically.

🙌

Very interesting. Definitely recommendsting. Love learning how to use plants together for better yields. Great guide on which plants go together and what does not

Great reminders of things even an experienced gardener may already know.

It does its job. Easy to read And follow guides.

Great Reference

Love the way the book is laid out. Makes a quick and easy read and a wonderful reference to read over and over. Indexed and outlined perfectly.

I reference this book each growing season.

Good beginner reference

A decent reference for beginner companion planting. Not a how to on the subject but for quick lookups it is good.

Very helpful information.

Very helpful and I appreciated the detailed instructions!

I love how it has information about a lot of garden plants. It gives great detail of the companion amd competitive plants. Very helpful.

Each garden is different. I agree with the author that we need to experiment in our own garden. Growing season also varies. I already tried some of the companions mentioned. Some worked, others din’t. Gardening successes make the challenges well worth the effort.

The perfect book for those looking to explore gardening and the concept of companion planting. I would recommend it as a print copy as having the Kindle book poses challenges if you try to use it as a guidebook while working in said garden.

The book discusses the idea of why which plants work well together versus which plants do not do as well. Of course, these are just guidelines, but I have found this really helpful as a beginner gardener.

As a beginner, I was intrigued by the concept of companion planting and if it was beneficial. I have not planted exclusively using companion planting, but I planted tomatoes next to basil, and I have never seen so many tomatoes in my life!

I think it would also be helpful to have the USDA zones so the reader could know if these plants were available in their area.

Overall, a great resource for those looking to get into companion planting.

Quick reference

Fast read; quick reference for many commonly grown flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Which plant pairings will enable both plants to thrive or cause less than satisfactory results? What plants encourage beneficial bugs and what pests are attracted to your favorite plants? Read this to get an idea of how to be successful.

A basic book but a good starting point.
No photos or tables which is a downside and it really could have gone more in depth.

I would have liked to have seen categories such as companions to deter pests, companions for pollination, companions for better flavour, companions for better growing conditions/light filtering/space saving etc. Or something.

I hate flicking through a book for reference and having to read a block paragraph to find the information I was looking for. It's written more as a book, than as a book to refer back to while in the garden.

I would also have liked to have seen more research supported compatibility, as it is touched on but mostly the information is anecdotal.

Most of the basic beginner plants are in this book but I would have liked to have seen more plants. I also think it's silly to talk about pests without showing what they look like. The beginning chapters felt unnecessary to me, and much like filler content.

I initially liked the book but after writing this review I realise how annoying it is, especially to refer back to. I have written out good companions myself so it is easier and clearer to refer to.

A frequent go-to reference!

I've had this book on my iPhone for months. It's a simple read. I'm a newbie vegetable gardener and it helps me plan out my next planting moves throughout two seasons now. The big tips for me: separating where I grow my potatoes from the tomatoes, cucumbers and other warm weather fruiting crops. Had no idea till this book came along.

One criticism: there's a lot of discussion about pests that I found hard to follow.

Having it on my phone has also prevented some ill-advised impulse buys at the plant nursery. I'm sure this book will continue to be a critical reference as my gardening skills evolve.

I loved this book (so many great ideas!), but right near the end I did find a spot where the author said that a plant goes well with and does not go well with a certain other. That was disappointing.

Very helpful and easy to follow. It was an huge help in putting in my new garden.