• Several vegetables grow well with garlic.garlic image by Eisenhans from Fotolia.com
  
  Design a smart garden where compatible garden vegetables for garlic benefit from proximity to this plant, which acts as a natural pesticide. Companion planting, where one plant protects another, is not new to experienced gardeners. Locating garlic close to rose bushes for organic pest control is an old trick. Garlic is a member of the allium family of plants, which also includes chives and onions.
  
  

Tomatoes, Peppers and Potatoes

• Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes are all members of the nightshade family. These commonly grown vegetable crops are compatible with garlic and enjoy protection from garden pests when planted close to it. The natural anti-fungal and pesticide action of garlic, due to an active ingredient in the plant known as allicin, benefits any compatible plants in close proximity. Minute amounts of sulfur are absorbed and concentrated within garlic plants, causing the anti-fungicidal action. Organic and green gardeners or those with concerns about pesticide use on edible crops will welcome the Newcastle University experiments which concluded garlic oil was successful as a snail and slug repellant.
  
  

Carrots

• Carrots are the second most-popular vegetable in the world and members of the parsley family. Carrot root flies are a serious garden pest which bore into the vegetables, leaving them vulnerable to mold and riddled with holes. Planting rows of garlic between carrot rows, in a process known as intercropping or companion planting, deters pests like carrot root flies. These flies find carrot plants by scent; crushing the leaves during weeding or harvesting releases their odor into the air, attracting carrot flies. The theory behind intercropping or companion planting suggests the strong scent of garlic plants acts as a decoy to pests. Any insects attempting to eat the garlic plants will release an even stronger scent, unpleasant to most insects and in some cases, killing them. Spraying field crops with a strong solution of garlic is a common organic method for pest control.
  
  

Broccoli, Cabbage and Kohlrabi

• Cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi are all members of the brassica family, which enjoy proximity to garlic plants, eliminating the need for chemical pesticides. Garlic (Allium sativum) repels the cabbage white butterfly whose larvae make short work of cabbage plants, leaving behind the familiar lacy pattern of holes in our cabbages. According to Todd Weinmann, Extension Horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for Cass County, Minn., growing garlic near cabbage family vegetables improves the flavor and growth rate.