Pole Beans, Mustard and Companion Planting

Today we worked hard to create a structure for pole beans.

Pole beans yield for longer than bush beans, but require support. In the front, we created something from lumber we had in the yard and in the back we used willow and cottonwood poles gathered from Goose Creek. The winter squash in the bed behind also found the new poles interesting!

Here's another view, showing how we laid small willow sticks to help the bean plants find the structure.

The tomatoes are beginning to fruit. They are companion-planted with borage, which the bees love.

Alongside the chard and Russian kale, mustard greens are allowed to finish their life-cycle. Their yellow blooms add beauty, are tasty in salads and appreciated by bees. They help repel harmful insects. In the rear you can see yarrow. Although it gradually spreads and needs to be managed, yarrow is an excellent companion plant, attracting many beneficial insects, including ladybirds (aka ladybugs) and beautiful dragonflies. It has a protective energy for the garden.

California poppies have been interplanted with the beets and turnips mainly for beauty but also to attract beneficial insects. The occasional sunflower, in a location where it won't shade things out, also attracts beneficial insects and birds to the bed.