by Dr. Chris Kline

Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte

As gardeners, we seem to lose our way at times, but it’s not always our fault. Home gardening techniques often have evolved from large scale farming, and planting single varieties in rows or whole fields has advantages for large scale farming. It is only natural that these practices and others have carried over to home gardening, but the advantages do not always carry over. What’s worse, by separating plants, we miss out on so many advantages that can be had by proper understanding and use of companion planting techniques.

Companion planting is not a new concept, nor is Carrots Love Tomatoes an entirely new book. It was first published in 1975 under the title “Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening”, and with over a half million copies of the 1998 classic sold to date, Carrots Love Tomatoes is poised to teach a second generation of gardeners how to successfully use companion planting with great results.

This book will help you to plan and plant a garden that will double production in the same space, have more natural growth, and best of all, control weeds and pests naturally without chemicals. Did you know that mint on your patio can repel ants and that basil will help to keep flies and mosquitoes away? Learn the secrets of which plants help each other by luring insects away, as dill does by luring the dreaded hornworm away from tomatoes, and which plants do best at opposite ends of the garden.

In addition to explaining what to plant together and why, you will also learn how to use herbal sprays to control insects, which wild plants to encourage in the garden, container gardening tips and much more. It is hard to find a more practical book around for both novice and veteran gardeners of edibles, and although this beloved author is no longer with us, having passed away the year this book was published, her words of garden wisdom will continue to instruct and inspire for years to come.

Dr. Christopher J. Kline is a master gardener and writer living in Paradise Valley Arizona. Chris is a member of the Garden Writers Association and a columnist for Garden and Greenhouse Magazine. You can contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it