Companion Planting Series: Part 1 - The Carrot Family

As part of a series of special posts up here I will be posting information about Companion planting and grouping plants of interest by the family they belong to. I've you've read The Wild Harvest Digest posts on Nextdoor already imagine these posts as a expanded version since I do not have to deal with pesky character limits here. The source material for some of this information is Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte, Rodale's Companion Planting and, Roses Love Garlic by Louise Riotte as well as the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Tool Box, The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center and a few other credible online sources. Today's post will cover the Carrot Family which is known today collectively as the Apiaceae family, but in older publications is known as the Umbelliferae. The older name is a direct reference to the shape of the flower heads of plants in this family which is called an Umbel. The new name Apiaceae was first used by John Lindley in 1836, it derives from the name Apium which is the ancient Greek name of Celery. the original family name didn't officially switch over until about 1996, which ironically is why a bunch of my horticulture books still use the old name. You will see this a lot when it comes to major plant families in common cultivation because they get more scientific study.

 

Anise (Pimpinella anisum) – Anise is an annual herb in the Carrot family. It is said to have antiseptic oils and its chief use is that it helps Coriander seed germinate when they are sown outside near each other.

 

Caraway (Carum carvi) – Caraway is a biennial that is difficult to sprout, though some sources indicate that sowing it around freshly sown garden peas helps the germination rate indicating they would be a good pairing. It does not however grow well near its cousin Fennel.

 

 

 

Carrots (Daucus carota subspecies sativus) – Carrots get protective effects from being grown close to Onions, Rosemary, Black Salsify, Wormwood and Sage. Carrots grow best when paired with tomatoes because they impede weeds and their low arching foliage helps keep the soil cooler. Carrots also are a good pairing with peas but according to a few sources will not do as well near their cousin Dill. Queen Anne’s Lace is a carrot that has escaped cultivation or a wild carrot that has reverted to a natural form, we have patches of these in Fayetteville.

 

Celeriac (Apium graveolens variety rapaceum) – This alternative form of Celery does its best if grown after a sowing of winter vetch has been turned under in the same spot. Celeriac because it is a biennial root vegetable needs higher than normal levels of Nitrogen and Potassium and pairs in the garden with leeks and also Field/cow peas.

 

Celery (Apium graveolens) – Celery much like Celeriac is a biennial and grows well with onions, but also with Tomatoes and Cabbages. Both Celery and Celeriac have a chemical compound (apigenin) in them that have a blood sugar lowering and insulin resistance effect.

 

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) – Commonly called French Parsley, in our climate this herb is best grown with morning sun and afternoon shade.  Radishes are annuals and short–lived annuals and so is Chervil they benefit from being close to each other.

 

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) – Coriander is also known as Cilantro; Coriander is the seeds of the plant, and Cilantro is the foliage. Coriander is a cold weather biennial herb that is best sown in late August through mid-September and be expected to survive the winter in the southeast. Coriander is said to repel aphids, to help Anise but be a problem for Fennel.

 

Dill (Anethum graveolens) – Dill is an annual that readily self-sows giving it the appearance of a biennial or perennial. Dill is said to be a good match for Cabbage.

 

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) – Fennel comes in one of two varieties, the green type or the bronze type; both of them are safely edible. Fennel according to some sources inhibits members of the Nightshade family while pairing with Cabbages, Onions and Mint family members. In come older publications another plant (Nigella sativa) is also commonly called Fennel.

 

 

 

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) – Parsley is a biennial that comes in two forms, the curled or flat leaf types. The former is often used as a garnish and the latter as a seasoning but both can be used in culinary dishes. Parsley seed sown with Carrot seed can help fight off Carrot flies. Parsley planted under Tomatoes can help the vigor of the Tomatoes while also acting as a ground cover to suppress weeds. Eating a sprig of parsley and washing it down despite the taste with ice-cold water can help obliterate bad breath.

 

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) – Parsnips are a biennial and are known for their difficult germination and their seeds having a very poor shelf life. They’re one of the few root vegetables that don’t really get any pests but if you can get them to germinate they can grow under Tomatoes just like carrots.

 

Lovage (Levisticum officinale) – Lovage is essentially perennial miniature Celery with a flavor that is described as a mix of Celery and Parsley with more kick. The Leaves, roots and seeds are all used in culinary and herbal/medicinal recipes and this plant is said to help pretty much everything else do better.

 

For the purposes of companion planting someone is inevitably going to ask about the two problem children of the Carrot Family; Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) and, Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). 

 

The first one was used historically to kill Socrates after he was convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens. Poison Hemlock is a biennial and looks a lot like a Wild Carrot but, Hemlock can get well over eight feet tall, has hollow stems and when it’s foliage is crushed or bruised it emits a unpleasant odor. Also purple spotting is likely to be present on the stems of Poison Hemlock. 

 

Giant Hogweed which is considered a noxious invasive plant has phototoxic sap that can really mess up your skin. Giant Hogweed can get up to 18 feet tall and has leaves that almost resemble those on an unrelated Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus). Giant Hogweed also has hollow purple spotted stems that are often 2-6” in diameter with coarse bristles and leaves may be as wide as 8 feet. In short everything on this plant is massive. It thus far has only been found in Watauga County near blowing rock in NC. For the next bit about companion planting, I’m going to take a look at the Onion family and then after that the Cabbage family.

The Rhapsody of Green

Welcome back to another episode of Lost in the Farmer’s Market where we test those garden theories so you don’t have to! This week we have another installment detailing a garden herb and it could not be contained to just the herbal parts of that grouping. That’s right this week we are talking about the Apiaceae family formerly known as the Umbelliferae or more commonly called the Carrot or Parsley family.

The pot on the right is filled with Cilantro, which having froze several times over the winter was rather vigorous after.

Looking at the family at a glance it is no wonder we like it so much as it radiates across four spectrums of plants. Apiaceae ranges from the incredibly poisonous with Queen Anne’s lace and Hemlock, to a plethora of common herbs and vegetables we often see at the super market and don’t think twice about. For starters the vegetable group includes Carrots, Celery/Celeriac, Fennel Hearts, Parsnips, Parsley Root, and Lovage. The herbal side of the family also includes Parsley, Fennel, Dill, Anise, Coriander/Cilantro, Cumin, Cicley, Chervil, Caraway and Angelica. A fourth angle to the family can be found with the largely Ornamental Sea Hollies. Needless to say the family is huge and incredibly beneficial to the gardener and those who eat at his or her table.

This is a Paris Market carrot, note how the foliage resembles most other members of the family except for dill and fennel.

With all the most common members of the Apiaceae family listed and grouped lets talk for a moment about some of the ones that most gardeners don’t grow. The first plant on the list is Lovage which is a perennial celery substitute; we tried this one in year one of the NC test garden and it did not do well. The reason for it not lasting was the soil quality and placement. It turns out Lovage doesn’t mind full sun as long as the soil is fairly rich, but needs afternoon shade and regular moisture otherwise.

Black swallowtail butterfly  larvae and cocoons on Bronze Fennel

As far as taste goes it came across as a more pungent celery thus needing less stalks per recipe. Fennel which is best known by its ‘ornamental’ variety Bronze fennel is often labeled as a xeriscaping plant and indeed it is good for that, but it also is quite flavorful and grows in good and bad local soil as long as it’s not kept wet. You as a gardener will be rewarded with ultra-fine foliage and yellow blooms which stand in contrast to the rick green or almost-black color of the foliage. Further more the plant is often host to Black swallowtail caterpillars and will often be perched on by dragon flies. I also have to mention certain varieties of fennel form fleshy bases and are often called fennel hearts, they add the flavor of anise and fennel to your soups and stir fries. 

A dragon fly perched on a caterpillar chewed Bronze fennel stem. This one literally sat there as the camera hovered mere inches away as if wanting his or her majesty on record.

A third underused member of the family is the Parsnip. If you do not use Parsnips already then you have likely seen them near the carrots at the supermarket, they look like white-tan carrots and are often twice as wide while being the same length on average. A parsnip is to a carrot what cauliflower is to broccoli excepting the fact that a parsnip actually normally looks this way and needs no human intervention and is a separate family member. Typically one would peel the parsnip with a potato peeler, cut off the ends, then slice the root into bits as thick as you can handle and add to your soup or a baked meat dish before cooking. Overall the parsnip adds the overtones of celery, parsley and carrot, and since the roots are large, you need less vegetable stock to achieve the effect. I might ad in the refrigerator parsnips keep well due to their low water content. In the garden they are not any different or more difficult to grow then carrots and numerous varieties are available to meet your needs including sweeter long season types.

We at LITFM encourage you to try some members of the carrot family beyond your regular  staples and you can bet you will find a range of flavors and textures that can change your cooking pretty dramatically. Most of the family in cultivation are either annual (Cilantro, Dill) or biennial (Carrot, Parsnip, Parsley) however there are some perennials (Fennel, Lovage, Anise). For the purposes of permaculture the possibilities of incorporating members of this family are endless, as the edible members also are quite nutritious and reasonably rugged once you learn their preferences and relate them to your area.

That said, this weekend I will be at the Fayetteville City/Farmer’s Market in downtown Fayetteville.  The weather is supposed to be decent so come on down, the market is open rain or shine and most vendors are pretty good about this as are some of you hardcore market goers. The market is located at 325 Franklin Street at the Fayetteville Transportation Museum and there is no shortage of parking. The market is open from 9:00 am through 1:00 pm so feel free to stop buy and chat or pick up the latest stuff about conservation or heck get a member of the apiaceae family as we have some lovely parsley plants that need a home. Here is this week’s Plant list:

Vegetables:

4x Burgundy Okra

3x Japanese Long Eggplant

2x Sweet Banana Pepper

4x Habenero Pepper (Hot!)

3x Tumbling Tom Tomato (Yellow Cherry)

7x Beefsteak Tomato (medium-large slicing)

Herbs:

6x Italian Parsley

1x Common Sage

1x Oregano

1x Mountain Mint

1x Lavender Cotton

2x Hidcote Lavender

2x Cinnamon Basil

4x Sweet Basil

10x Egyptian Onion

House Plants:

2x Pepromia verticilliata - Rotary Peperomia (house plant)

2x Sanseveria cylindrical – Spear Sanseveria (Houseplant)

2x Aloe barbadensis – Medicinal Aloe / Aloe Vera

-And of course whatever else I can squeeze onto the truck!

This brings to a close another episode of Lost in the Farmer’s Market and the month of July. In August we will continue the Herbs series as well as some status updates on a few of our pet projects. I hope you all enjoyed this episode and might add that we did recycle some old photos for this post as, our camera as some of you might know was stolen during a break in of the test garden property.  That aside I’d love to hear the results of any forays into the Apiaceae family you make and even swap some recipes.  As always folks keep ‘em growing!