Companion Planting Carrots and Garlic

There’s something about this time of year that really gets the motivation going again down at the allotment. After the slower winter months, it feels good to finally get things moving, and this week I’ve made a proper start on one of my beds.

I’ve decided to experiment a bit by planting a mixed bed of carrots and garlic together. The idea behind it is simple but (hopefully) effective — using companion planting to help keep pests at bay. In this case, the strong smell of the garlic is meant to help deter carrot fly, which can otherwise make a real mess of a carrot crop.

To give it a good chance, I’ve sown the carrots in neat lines, alternating alongside rows of garlic. For the carrots, I’ve gone with a mix of varieties — Nantes and Chantenay — just to keep things interesting and to hopefully enjoy a bit of variety when it comes to harvest time.

The garlic is my own saved stock from last year, which always feels satisfying to reuse. That said, I did notice that the cloves have already started shooting before going into the ground. I’m hoping they’ll still do alright — from past experience, garlic can be pretty resilient, so I’m staying optimistic and treating this as part of the experiment.

On top of the companion planting, I’m also taking an extra precaution against carrot fly by covering the whole bed with a fine mesh net. It might seem a bit over the top, but I’d rather give the crop the best possible chance than risk losing it later on. Between the garlic and the mesh, I’m hoping I’ve stacked the odds in my favour.

There’s always a bit of trial and error with growing, and that’s half the enjoyment really — trying new approaches, learning what works, and improving each season. It’ll be interesting to see how this bed develops over the coming months.

For now, it feels good to have something properly underway again. The allotment is waking up… and so am I.

Sue

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