🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🌱 Cotton
Gossypium hirsutum
fibers
annual shrub
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
moderate to high
🗺️ Zones
[8,9,10,11]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.5
🪴 Soil Type
well-drained, sandy loam
📏 Spacing
12-18 inches
📐 Height
3-6 ft
⏱️ Maturity
150-180 days
🤝 Companions (6)
🤝 Basil
Repels cotton bollworm and aphids
🤝 Buckwheat
Quick cover crop that attracts beneficial wasps controlling cotton pests
🤝 Okra
Same family (Malvaceae); shared conditions
🤝 Sunflower
Attracts beneficial insects that prey on cotton pests; windbreak
🤝 cowpea
Nitrogen-fixing companion; traditionally intercropped with cotton in the American South
🤝 marigold
Deters nematodes attacking cotton roots
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ none — but heavy nitrogen feeder; don't plant near other heavy feeders
📝 Growing Notes
World's most important natural fiber. Beautiful hibiscus-like flowers. Heavy feeder. ⚠️ Some states restrict backyard cotton to prevent boll weevil.
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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