What is Intercropping & Why Should I Use It?

What is intercropping?

Intercropping is the practice of planting two crops in close proximity to one another, which results in higher food production within the same garden space. An example of intercropping is when you plant a short crop with quick maturity, such as radish, along with a tall crop with longer time to mature, such as corn. The radish will mature and be harvested before the corn grows tall enough to shade it out.

What are the types of intercropping?

There are a few of different types of intercropping. They are:

• Mixed intercropping: This is where crops are totally mixed within the grow space.
• Row cropping: Component crops are arranged in alternate rows. Variations on this theme include alley cropping, where crops are grown between rows of trees, and strip cropping, where several rows of one crop alternate with several rows of the other. Some even plant between rows of photovoltaic cells, a practice known as agrivoltaics.
• Temporal intercropping: growing a fast-maturing crop alongside a slow-maturing crop, as in the corn/radish example above.
• Relay cropping: where a second crop is planted when the first is nearing the fruiting stage. The first crop is harvested to make room for full development of the second. This is very similar to succession planting.

The top 3 benefits

Intercropping is used because of its benefits in the garden. Here are the top three benefits of intercropping in your summer garden this year, and in the future:

Resource partitioning: This takes advantage of the differing needs of the crops. You don’t want crops competing with each other for space, nutrients, water, or light. Examples of this include planting a deep-rooted crop along with a shallow-rooted one, or planting a tall crop next to one that requires partial shade.

Mutualism: Three Sisters planting would be an example of mutualism, as is companion planting. Plan your plantings for the mutual benefit of both, such as giving structural support to climbing plants and adding nitrogen fixers to the mix, both of which are done in Three Sisters planting.

Pest management: Certain companion plantings, such as marigolds and nasturtiums, help repel pests from the garden. Trap cropping is another method: planting a sacrificial plant to keep predators away from the plants you want. One example is planting a deer salad well away from the greens you want for your own table. Cherry tomatoes, for example, are very attractive to both stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs. Any organic method that you can use for pest management is going to be a benefit to your garden.

A little more planning & effort

Intercropping tends to require more management and poses special problems in crop rotation, most notably in the area of timing. Weather can also complicate matters.

Something to consider when planning your intercropping is taxonomic family. Don’t plant crops together that come from the same family, such as tomatoes and potatoes, because they have similar nutrient needs and attract similar pests.

Also in this example, both are fairly tall and take the entire season to mature. Both prefer bright light, so tomatoes can easily shade out your potatoes, and that’s not what we had in mind! Tomatoes have a deep root structure while potatoes produce their tubers underground in a spreading fashion. For that reason, there will be competition for the soil space that can result in lower yields for both crops. Again, not what we had in mind!

Planting radishes or another short-time-to-maturity root crop would work, since you’ll harvest that crop well before the tomato root system is fully developed. Short-time-to-maturity (TTM) spinach and other greens would also be excellent choices in this instance.

A side benefit here would be weed suppression. There’s no room for weeds to grow while the short TTM crops are developing, and by the time you harvest those, the tomatoes are well enough developed to shade out the weeds.

Another example is planting between your cabbage & cauliflower, since these take a long time to develop, allowing time to grow short-maturity items such as greens and herbs between them.

Avoid using plants from the same taxonomic family.

• Time-sequence your plantings so that crops aren’t competing at the worst possible moments in their development
• Group plants with similar watering needs
• Choose plants with compatible root systems and light/water needs
• Include plants such as legumes, accumulators, and green manures that will help revitalize your soil
• Include species, such as flowers and culinary herbs, that will help repel insects and aid in plant growth. Companion planting guides will be a very useful reference here.

Want some tips?

Here are some tips for getting started with intercropping.

Fast growers

• Arugula, bush beans, beets, broccoli raab, carrots, green onions, lettuce, mizuna, radish, spinach, and tatsoi

Slow developers

• Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, corn, kale, tomatoes, collards.

Shade utilization

As discussed above, tall crops such as tomato and corn can be used to provide the partial shade that other plants prefer. Trellised squashes, cucumbers, and melons can also be used in this way.

Shade lovers that might do well include: arugula, beets, endive, lettuce, mizuna, mustard, pak choi, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, and tatsoi.

Height differences

Three Sisters utilizes this strategy. The corn grows tall and provides structural support for the pole beans, while the beans enrich the soil for corn, a heavy feeder. Squash grows along the ground acting as a mulch and helping deter marauding animals interested in the corn and beans. As discussed above, root crops work really well here.

In addition to radishes, consider carrots and green onions. Those don’t require much space above or below ground. They can be seeded in among the broccoli, cabbages, peppers, and kale as well, or planted along bed borders. If you go for the mixed intercropping rather than sticking to rows, it’s possible to cram quite a bit into a very small space!

Intercropping, and its cousin succession planting, can be used to boost food production in spaces large and small.

It does take some planning to find plants with similar but not too similar preferences, avoid taxonomic families, and keep garden maintenance manageable. Companion planting charts are also helpful, since we don’t want to plant things together such as tomatoes and kohlrabi!

What are your thoughts on intercropping? Have you ever utilized this method before? Let us know in the comments below.

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