Companion gardening is something I've learned from the AZ garden guy and a great lady in Home depot and a little bit of my own experimenting.
So here are my gardening plans:
preparing the soil: We need a lot of nitrates in our dry soil, cow and chicken manure work great as well as fresh caught fish. We mix all the above ingredients into the soil and stir it up.
I break up the garden into four parts for easier watering. Some people do it in rows, I do it in groups, using each plant as a feeding or covering companion for the other.
In one group is the corn and the green beans: Plant the corn to the West end of the garden this will help shade the other grouping of vegetables. to plant the corn put it in a square instead of row by row. Basically plant it in rows and then place a row across the top and bottom. In between each row of corn plant a row of green beans and also above each horizontal row of corn. use as much of the fish parts as possible in this planting.
Plant in the ground by the end of February to the 1st of March
As the corn starts to germinate go out an shake the corn to allow pollination between the corn, this will ensure good corn production:)
When the corn is showing the first sign of silks be sure to take a medicine dropper and drop mineral oil down into the corn silks. This will kill the nastiest white worm that eats all your beautiful corn! As the weather gets warmer make sure to feed your corn more fish or fish emulsion you can buy at the store. Otherwise the dry heat will make your corn tough.
I also plant sunflowers on the outside edge of the corn to keep the birds busy and it looks pretty. Corn should be watered from the ground instead of overhead watering. Although I've done both, the overhead watering misses the middle rows of corn and the outside rows drink the majority of the water.
The second grouping will consist of the following; planted from West to East:
Tomatoes preferably just to the East of your corn, this provides them shade during the hottest part of the day. You must buy Osmocote for your tomato plants! It makes them grow amazing! And be sure to plant the tomato starter plant laying down sideways with only the tip of the leaf showing. This method allows a huge root base and a larger plant. I tried planting both ways last year and the one I planted using this method was enormous and yielded three times the tomato. Peppers can go near your tomatoes but make sure your tomato plant doesn't block the early morning sun! Ok, from here its all about personal preference. I like my carrots and radishes together, it makes the seeds easier to thin out once they sprout up. Use the shorter carrots they grow faster here. I plant a basil and garlic plant near my leafy stuff (except near the peas) to keep the bugs and bunnies away. Just buy onion and garlic from the grocery store and stick it in the ground. Soak your lettuce seeds over night, it helps them prepare for planting. Then I plant my peas next to a trellis with alfalfa over the top. The cucumbers and squash varieties I plant in mounds with lots of compost and deep watering I also cover them with alfalfa to prevent veggie rot. You can plant your squash plants near your beans and corn. The vines will help to cool the base of the corn.
Plant your potatoes in a deep bucket or deep trench (I buy a bag of organic potatoes and just drop them in the ground) and cover with compost and water deeply as you see the green, then when its about 2-3" high stop covering it with compost and allow it to grow. the plant will be very strong. They like peas so if you can plant them near each other they will be happy growers. Okra is another easy one for Arizona, but plant a lot of it and in rows like the corn or in pots, they have pretty flowers and thrive in the heat. pick them when they are small.
* Get some marigold seeds and sprinkle them in rows to divide plants, this will keep bugs and critters out and they are pretty for cutting!
* Plant your pumpkins in July so they are ready for October harvest, but do not plant near watermelons, they like to cross breed:)
* cover your new seedling rows with burlap cover until they are a about 1" tall to keep the birds away
* Don't use horse manure as compost - horses eat Bermuda hay and that makes for Bermuda grass. I have had to weed eat the Bermuda in my garden for two years because of that!
Well that is all I've grown and had luck with, I'm sure there is so much more but these are things we eat and they are so great fresh out of the dirt!
sources: Extreme Gardening by Dave Owens
