Often used in permaculture and similar to companion planting, intercropping is a practice used in farming and gardening that involves planting multiple crops together in close proximity in order to maximize yields. Intercropping is either done by mixing plants together in a plot of space or by alternating rows of different types of plants. One of the most commonly known types of intercropping is that of the “Three Sisters” which involves planting squash, beans, and corn in the same plot. The corn provides a stable post for the beans to grow up and provides shade for the squash, while the beans fix nitrogen for the other plants. The planting of tap root crops with crops with shallow root systems is another commonly practiced form of intercropping as the two types of root systems will pull nutrients from different levels of the soil, meaning less competition for nutrients.
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