Absolutely it works for me. I use it in two distinct ways 1) sharing nutrients and 2) pest traps and deterrents.
In the first, I always use it on potatoes...peas and potatoes are perfect companions for me. The peas provide nitrogen to the spuds all the way to harvest. If you don't believe this works...try it.
Very easy experiment plant with and without peas and compare yields. I just happened to unintentionally set up one as I ran out of pea seeds on my potato row. If you will remind me I will post the yields with and without in late May after harvest. I have used this companion technique forever.
About halfway down this row see a white marker...that is where I ran out of Amish pea seeds.
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Have you ever heard of "three sisters planting"? If not, look it up. It is a technique for companion panting corn...it works for me.
On the second use, pest traps and/or deterrents, it works for me on limited applications. One of those is basil with tomatoes. It is widely reported to help in this manner:
A) Pest Deterrence...Basil's strong aromas repel pests like whiteflies, aphids, and tomato hornworms. This works for me.
B) Flavor Improvement...many believe that growing basil near tomatoes enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. Not the reason I do this and I can't really say it works or not...but I have great tasting tomatoes.
I find that Marigolds are somewhat overrated in this usage.
Sunflowers make a terrific pest trap when planted in proximity to plants that the stink bug loves such as tomatoes. I plant the sunflowers on the outside edge of the garden closest to tomatoes but not on garden soil as sunflowers are allopathic. The stink bugs go to the flower where you can use measures to kill them outside the garden soil.
