Container Bullies

Last month, the Blue Lake bush beans beat up on the English peas. The latter started out well and then withered and died as the bean plants took over and bore fruit.

This week, the chocolate mint and peppermint beat up on the Purple Ruffles basil. I found the trio at Pasquesi Home and Gardens in Lake Bluff last weekend and all of the plants were healthy when I bought them. I thought the color combination of the green peppermint, the brownish tinged green chocolate mint and the purple of the basil was attractive. The plants didn't care. It took only 5 days for the basil to start wilting and turning brown.

While it's fun to mix up plants for color and size, some just don't like to share same container. In the case of the beans and peas, I think the large and numerous bean plant leaves crowded out the small pea leaves. With the basil and mint, it was the roots. I just learned that mint roots like to take over.

When you're choosing plants to put together it's a good idea to find a resource to tell you which plants make good roomates. I found a list of companion vegetables in a book, Movable Harvests by Chuck and Barbara Crandall.

For example the Crandalls say you can put beans with corn, cucumbers, egglants, petunias, potatoes, radishes, roses, sage and summer savory. These have similar water and sun needs and their roots don't interfere. If I wanted to put my peppermint with something else, I would have done better to put it with cabbage.

I didn't find a list for herb groupings, but the book The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey puts together some herbs and vegetables "theme gardens".

I'm attempting to rescue the sick Purple Ruffles basil. I put it in its own pot and gave it a premier spot in the sun:

And now the mints are sharing their digs with a conch shell:

Now that their victim is gone, I hope they don't go after each other.