A special thanks to Mary E. for writing this excerpt on companion planting!

Companion planting is a way to put plants together in your garden that provide a benefit to each other.  It may be that the companions provide certain nutrients to the soil for nourishment, or it could be that one plant  repels a pest that normally feeds on the other plant.  Conversely, certain plants don’t like to be planted next to each other.  Ever wonder why something just “didn’t take” even though you thought you did everything right?  Could you be unknowingly planting two antagonists together? 

There’s a ton of stuff on the internet that talks more about companion planting.  It’s worth it to take a look.  Here are a few good links!

• The National Gardening Association:  https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/4012/
  
• Mother Earth News:  http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/companion-planting-guide-zmaz81mjzraw
• The Old Farmer’s Almanac:  http://www.almanac.com/content/companion-planting-guide-companion-plants
• Marin Master Gardeners:  http://ucanr.edu/sites/MarinMG/Marin_Master_Gardener_Help_Desk/Leaflet/Companion_planting_in_the_vegetable_garden/?sharebar=email
  

Happy Gardening! 

We kicked off the new planting season for Camarillo Community Gardens with our first Weed and Feed of the year.  On Sunday, April 2nd, our little community of gardeners met up, rolled up our sleeve, and got to work.  New and old member mingled and shared gardening tips while clearing the weeds brought by the winter rains.  We discovered an oregano plant had sneakily popped up in the back of the garden next to the community lemon grass plant as well as some beautiful stalks of wheat.  Once all the hard work was completed, we shared dishes and tales of gardening adventures.  

Other April events included a speaker series at the Camarillo Community library.  Ventura County Master Gardener Julian Hoyl gave a presentation on developing vegetable gardens, while the other series focused on GMOs and the Camarillo Library's Seed Garden.  Stay tuned for next month's recap!