While it's certainly beneficial to plant a bunch of plants in close proximity and reap the rewards of a strengthened biodiversity (Biodiversity Makes Gardens Thrive), there is some method to the madness. Some plants work well together because they support each other's needs.
Gardens are naturally cooperative. There is competition when it's out of balance, but when the balance is found (read: stop messing with it), the garden is extremely beneficial to one another. Companion planting and guild creation (Mimicking forests with permaculture guilds) piggy-back (Gaia’s Garden) off of this useful phenomenon.
For example, companion planting is when you take a few plants and group them together for an added benefit. Corn and beans grow really well together because the beans are a nitrogen fixer for the corn, and the corn is a pole for the beans to grow up.
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