A common practice that gardeners utilize is companion planting. It involves planting different crops close to each other for mutual benefits.
This method helps protect your garden against certain pests while maximizing the use of space. It also attracts beneficial insects, improves plant growth, provides shade, and more.
This guide outlines good companion plants for vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. We’ll also highlight those to avoid planting near each other.
The Benefits of Companion Planting
The best part about this gardening technique is the numerous advantages it provides. The soil, natural predators, and plants in your garden will all benefit.
When everything works together properly, everything flourishes and that is the goal. The benefits are as follows:
- Improved soil quality and plant health.
- Companion plants provide food for or attract helpful insects and other natural enemies.
- A better chance at pollination for crops that require it.
- Repels pests.
- Helps prevent soil erosion.
- Maximize garden space.
- Improves the flavor of crops.
Continue reading to learn more about different plant pairings to help you plan and start a thriving garden space.
Plants to Grow Together
Companion planting is important. However, it requires taking the time to study your main crops and how they interact with each other.
Here is a list of plants that grow well together.
1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are everyone’s go-to to add to salads, sandwiches, or simply satisfy a bout of hunger at snack time.
To keep them growing healthy and strong, consider vegetables that grow well together with tomatoes. These tomato companion plants include onions, sage, borage, lettuce, parsley, and carrots.
Other planting buddies include mint, asparagus, rosemary, and basil. Marigold also works wonders [1]. However, be sure to keep tomatoes away from the potatoes.
2. Spinach
Spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy vegetable good in a variety of culinary dishes. It thrives well when grown near squash and onions.
You can also plant it beneath taller vegetables such as beans, radishes, and celery. This will help protect it from the harsh rays of direct sunlight.
3. Raspberries
Raspberries are a sweet treat on a summer night. Unfortunately, they are susceptible to a variety of pests and fungal diseases [2].
To prevent this from happening, plant marigolds, garlic, nasturtiums, and turnips among your raspberry bushes. However, keep them away from eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, blackberries, and potatoes.
4. Strawberries
Strawberries are a delight to any garden. Great strawberry companion plants include beans, onions, sage, horseradish, rhubarb, spinach, chives, lettuce, and marigolds.
Moreover, growing thyme near the strawberry patch will aid in keeping worms away.
5. Corn
Fresh corn from the garden is a favorite at picnics and barbecues. Luckily, it isn’t too picky when it comes to pairing with other vegetables.
Crops such as melons, cucumbers, peas, beans, lettuce, potatoes, and squash all make for good neighbors.
6. Squash
Squash neighbors such as radishes, beets, beans, corn, peas, and carrots do well together. However, do not put them near Brassicas or potatoes.
7. Cucumbers
Additionally, to repel unwanted pests, try planting other plants with cucumbers like marigolds, sunflowers, and nasturtiums.
However, bad cucumber companion plants include potatoes, fennel, melons, and sage.
8. Carrots
Carrots make for a healthy snack and colorful addition to a variety of dishes.
There are many carrot companion crops but their most popular pairs are lettuce and radishes. Planting leeks nearby will also keep away flies.
However, avoid putting them with celery, parsnip, potatoes, and dill.
9. Broccoli
Consider planting broccoli with other crops such as sage, celery, basil, garlic, dill, and onions. Other companion vegetables include cucumbers, potatoes, beans, lettuce, radish, and beets.
However, do not grow them next to tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and mustard greens.
10. Peppers
Pepper is another vegetable that thrives well with a variety of other plants.
Companion plants for peppers on the vegetable side might include radishes, spinach, lettuce, garlic, leeks, and onions. Additionally, geraniums, petunias, marigolds, basil, and chives will work well to keep away certain pests.
Do not plant peppers next to fennel, beans, potatoes, and Brassicas.
11. Zucchini
Consider companion planting zucchini with beans, corn, radishes, parsley, spinach, nasturtiums, and marigold. Likewise, keep it away from potatoes and pumpkins.
12. Potatoes
Peas, beans, and a variety of cruciferous vegetables pair well with potatoes in the garden.
To keep garden pests away, go for marigolds, basil, and sweet alyssum. However, avoid combining them with pumpkins and tomatoes. Potatoes also have many other unfriendly companions, as you can see in this article.
Herbs and Flowers
Herbs and flowers such as sunflowers, marigold, sage, zinnias, parsley, nasturtiums, dill, borage, sedum, lavender, and cosmos also make great plant companions.
They are both renowned for their insecticidal properties and ability to attract pollinators. Moreover, some also provide shelter and protection for the more delicate plant species around them.
More Companions?
Check this category to see what else you can plant together in your vegetable garden.
Takeaway
Growing certain vegetables, herbs, or flowers next to each other is one of many pest control methods in the realm of gardening. It has been practiced for centuries in different areas of the world and is still common today. Feel free to use the information from this list to make a chart for yourself.
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