More on Companion Planting

Companion planting is a famous ancient art that is part of comprehensive garden development. Defined as the assortment of certain crop combinations to achieve specific benefits like soil improvement, pest control and enhanced growth, it is a great way to save space and obtain munificent, healthy harvests.

Basil

Plant near: most garden crops especially will help asparagus, beans, beets, cabbage, chili and bell peppers, eggplant, marigolds, oregano, potatoes and tomatoes. Keep away from: rue Comments: improves the flavor and growth of garden crops, especially tomatoes and lettuce. Repels mosquitoes.

Beans, Bush

Plant near: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, catnip, cauliflower, collards, corn, cucumbers, marigolds, potatoes, summer savory, strawberries. Keep away from: fennel, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots. Comments: potatoes and marigolds repel Mexican bean beetles. Catnip repels flea beetles.

Beans, Pole

Plant near: carrots, corn, marigolds, potatoes, radishes, squash. Keep away from: beets, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, shallots. Comments: same as for bush beans. Beans take few nutrients from the soil and add nitrogen.

Beets

Plant near: broccoli, brussel sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, kohlrabi, garlic, mint, onions. Keep away from: charlock, field mustard, pole beans Comments: Garlic is a helpful companion for beets, warding off many pests. Root maggots, Japanese beetles, snails and coddling moths are all naturally repelled by the wonderfully stinky bulb, making it a natural alternative to pesticides. Garlic also improves the taste and growth of beets. The sulfur accumulated by growing garlic is a natural anti-fungal agent, helping to prevent various plant diseases caused by strains of fungi. Mint is a helpful companion plant for beets and keeps away flea beetles, cabbage moths, fleas and even rodents with its strong scent.

Borage

Plant near: cabbage, squash, strawberries, tomatoes Keep away from: not noted Comments: repels tomato worms. Improves flavor and growth of companions. The borage companion plant is said to repel tomato worms and cabbage worms because borage attracts beneficial insects, such as bees and tiny wasps.

Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts

Plant near: beets, buckwheat, calendula, carrots, chamomile, dill, hyssop, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, onions, rosemary, sage, thyme, wormwood. Keep away from: strawberries Comments: celery, potatoes, and onions improve the flavor of broccoli when planted nearby. Aromatic herbs, such as rosemary, sage, dill, and mint, help broccoli by repelling insect pests. Plants that require little calcium, such as beets, nasturtiums, and marigolds are good companions because they grow happily with broccoli--a notorious calcium-hog. Nasturtiums repel aphids.

Cabbage and Cauliflower

Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, celery, chard, cucumbers, dill, kale, nasturtium, onion, rosemary, sage, spinach, swiss chard, tomatoes. Keep away from: broccoli, strawberries, and tomatoes. Comments: tomatoes and celery repel cabbage worms.

Cantaloupe

Plant near: catnip, corn, dill, nasturtium Keep away from: Plants that could cross pollinate ie: other types melons Comments: Cantaloupe plants prefer fertile, well-drained soil and grow best in full sunlight. The key to a sweet melon is lots of sugar, which is made by the leaves. So anything that hurts the leaves also hurts the quality of the fruit. Be on the lookout for fungus diseases, which spread rapidly.

Carrots

Plant near: beans, cabbage, chives, early potatoes, leeks, legumes, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, rosemary, sage, salsify, tomatoes, wormwood. Keep away from: celery, dill, parsley and parsnips. Comments: onions, leeks, and wormwood repel carrot flies. Dill may be beneficial to cabbage, but it is antagonistic to the growth of carrots. Follow good crop rotation, growing carrots on a different site each year to avoid overwintering pupae in the soil hatching in the middle of your carrot crop.

Chives

Plant near: apples, beets, berries, cabbage, carrots, grapes, peas, peppers, potatoes, roses, spinach, tomatoes. Keep away from: beans, peas, and sage Comments: Improves flavor and growth of companions. Deters aphids and Japanese beetles. Allies: Chamomile and summer savory improve growth and flavor.

Corn

Plant near: beans, cucumbers, early potatoes, lettuce, melons, peas, pumpkins, soybeans, squash and sunflowers. Keep away from: tomatoes Comments: soybeans deter chinch bugs. Remember the 3 sisters work well together in every garden. Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following year’s corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops chances of survival in dry years. Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans.

Cucumbers

Plant near: beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, corn, dill, early potatoes, marigolds, nasturtiums, radishes, sunflowers. Keep away from: late potatoes and sage Comments: Radishes deter cucumber beetles. Cucumbers encourage blight in late potatoes. Late potatoes can stunt growth of cucumbers.

Dill

Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, catnip, cauliflower, chervil, corn, cucumber, lettuce, onions Keep away from: carrots Comments: Improves flavor and growth of cabbage family plants. If dill is allowed to flower, it can cross pollinate with carrots which is why the two should not be planted together. Dill can also cross-pollinate fennel but is one of the few good companion plants for fennel.

Eggplant

Plant near: garlic, green beans, peppers, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes Keep away from: note noted Comments: green beans deter Colorado potato beetles. Eggplants need to absorb a significant amount of nitrogen, hence the use of additional fertilizer, but planting eggplant companions such as annual legumes (like peas and beans), will help eggplants since these veggies leach additional nitrogen into the surrounding soil. Maintain soil pH at 6.5; lime soil to increase the concentration of calcium in soil and decrease competition with other ions; use mulch to reduce drought stress; avoid ammonium fertilizers as they may increase competition with calcium by increasing ammonium ions in soil, use nitrate instead; avoid over fertilizing

Garlic

Plant near: all fruit trees, cabbage, cane fruits, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, roses, tomatoes. Keep away from: peas, beans Comments: deters Japanese beetles and aphids. A garlic oil spray deters onion flies, aphids, and ermine moths. A garlic tea helps repel late potato blight. Garlic and its allium relatives seem to stunt the growth of certain crops like peas & beans.

Kale

Plant near: aromatic herbs, beets, buckwheat, cabbage family, cucumbers, dill, garlic, hyssop, lettuce, mint, marigolds, nasturtiums, rosemary, sage, spinach, swiss chard. Keep away from: pole beans, strawberries Comments: You have second chance to plant kale in the fall, when cool weather brings out a wonderfully sweet, nutty flavor that is unique to these cold-natured plants. Keep on the watch for cabbage loopers.

Kohlrabi German for “cabbage turnip"

Plant near: Bush beans, beet, celery, cucumber, lettuce, onion, potato. cabbage/cauliflower companions (except tomatoes)

Keep away from: fennel, pole beans, tomatoes Comments: kohlrabi stunts tomatoes. Kohlrabi prefers rich, well-drained soil in full sun. You can plant this cool-season crop for a spring or fall harvest in the North, or for a winter harvest in the South.

Lettuce

Plant near: asparagus, beets, carrots, peas, parsnips, radishes, spinach, strawberries, sunflowers and tomatoes. Keep away from: cabbage family – broccoli Comments: lettuce tenderizes summer radishes. Looseleaf Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetable garden plants to grow. Lettuce can be grown very successfully in fall and spring during cooler temperatures. It can also be successfully grown in summer, with more attention given to shading, watering and harvesting; warm temperatures will increase the "bolting," or seed stalks that form.

Marigolds

Plant near: all garden crops Keep away from: not noted

Comments: stimulates vegetable growth and deters bean beetles, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots. Scented varieties of marigold will deter beetles, beet leaf hoppers, Mexican bean beetle and nematodes. Pot marigold repels asparagus beetle and tomato worm and Mexican marigold is thought to repel rabbits. The roots of French marigolds produce a chemical that is so strong it is an effective pesticide for years after the plants are gone. Mexican marigolds produce a stronger version of this chemical which has the potential to inhibit the growth of some of the more tender herbs. Easy to grow & edible, great in salads for a pop of color with peppery taste. Attract pollinators and have a long bloom life.

Marjoram

Plant near: all garden crops Keep away from: not noted Comments: stimulates vegetable growth. Growing marjoram is a great way to add both flavor and fragrance in the kitchen or garden. Marjoram plants are also great for attracting butterflies and other beneficial insects to the garden, making them ideal for use as companion plantings.

Mustard

Plant near: alfalfa cover crops, fruit trees, grapes, legumes, tansy, yarrow. Keep away from: Never plant mustard greens near sunflower, soybeans and dried beans as all of these plants can suffer from the same disease problems, such as downy mildew, white rust, leaf spots and mosaic virus. These plants can pass diseases back and forth between each other, infecting your entire crop. Wild mustard, pigweed, field pennycress and shepherd's purse should also be kept well away from mustard greens, as these weeds may also pass along diseases. Comments: stimulates growth of companion plants. Mustard greens suffer when attacked by insects, and this tender green attracts a number of pests, including cabbage worms, flea beetles and aphids. Including mint in your garden near mustard greens repels cabbage worms. Positioning mustard greens near tansy, yarrow, flowering buckwheat, dill and fennel attract insects such as ladybugs and lacewings that feed on aphids.

Nasturtiums

Plant near: apples, beans, cabbage family, greenhouse crops, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash Keep away from: not noted Comments: repels aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, and Mexican bean beetles and destroys white flies in greenhouses. Nasturtium is one of the best known decoy plants. Nasturtiums act like magnets, pulling pests away from other plants

Onions

Plant near: beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage family, carrots, chamomile, lettuce, parsnips, radishes, rutabaga, turnips and mustards. Keep away from: beans, peas or any from the legume family. Comments: deters most pests, especially maggots. (This inter planting can also benefit other garden plants; many Allium species will ward off pests—such as aphids, Japanese beetles, and carrot flies—from roses, lettuce, carrots, beets, parsnips, and members of the cabbage family.) Placing a thin layer of sand around onion bulbs may discourage adult flies from laying their eggs at the bottoms of the plants.

Oregano

Plant near: all garden crops Keep away from: not noted Comments: deters many insect pests. Oregano performs well in part to full sun, but the flavors intensify when it receives a full day of sunshine. Aphids actually love oregano, but oregano also attracts syrphidae (flower flies), which then dine upon the small bugs. Oregano's thick foliage also provides humidity, which supports peppers' growth.

Parsley

Plant near: asparagus, carrot, chives, corn, onions, roses, tomatoes Keep away from: not noted Comments: Prefers fertile, well-drained, moist soil in full sun to partial shade. Parsley is fairly easy to care for. The most important thing is to keep the soil moderately moist; parsley needs a regular supply of water to keep producing new leaves. Fertilizing the soil is not necessary for parsley to grow well.

Parsnips

Plant near: onions, radishes, wormwood – also helpful to fruit trees Keep away from: not noted Comments: onions and wormwood help keep root maggots from parsnips. The flowers of the parsnip plant left to seed will attract a variety of predatory insects to the garden, they are particularly helpful when left under fruit trees, the predators attacking codling moth and light brown apple moth. The root also contains Myristricin, which is toxic to fruit flies, house flies, red spider mite, pea aphids, a simple blender made extraction of three blended parsnips roots to one litre of water through a food processor (not one for preparing food) and left overnight, strained and use within a few days.

Peas

Plant near: beans, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, early potatoes, eggplant, peppers, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, turnips Keep away from: garlic, leeks, onions, shallots Comments: The best companion plants for peas are the ones that share their care requirements, as well as help them grow better and/or use your gardening space more efficiently. Plants in the allium family are not good partners for peas because they have a tendency to stunt the growth of peas.

Peppers

Plant near: asparagus, basil, beets, carrots, chard, chives, corn, dill, eggplant, garlic, leeks, lettuce, okra, onions, parsley, radishes, spinach, tomatoes Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi Comments: Companion planting in the garden can serve a number of purposes, ranging from maximizing garden space to attracting beneficial insects and pollinators to luring insect pests away from other food crops.

Potatoes

Plant near: basil, beans, cabbage family, catnip, corn, coriander, eggplant, flax, hemp, marigolds, nasturtium, peas, squash, tansy, Keep away from: apples, birch, cherries, cucumbers, pumpkins, raspberries, sunflowers, tomatoes, walnuts. These plants seem to increase potatoes susceptibility to blight. Comments: hemp deters phytophthora infestans. Basil deters potato beetles. Marigolds (dug into crop soil) deter nematodes. Don't plant potatoes in an area that has been planted with any other Solanaceous crops in the last two years. This includes tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Practice Crop Rotation in your garden for all plants to keep the soil healthy.

Radishes

Plant near: beans, corn, chervil, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, nasturtiums, root crops, squash Keep away from: hyssop Comments: radishes deter cucumber beetles. Chervil makes radishes hot. Lettuce helps make radishes tender. Nasturtiums improve radishes' flavor.

Rosemary

Plant near: beans, cabbage, carrots, hot peppers, sage Keep away from: none Comments: repels bean beetles, cabbage moths, and carrot flies. Rosemary is a wonderful aromatic and culinary herb that has a quite distinctive flavor. When growing your own rosemary, you might want to consider companion planting and which other herbs, vegetables and flowers you plant nearby.

Sage

Plant near: beans, cabbage family, carrots, rosemary, tomatoes Keep away from: cucumbers, rue Comments: deters cabbage moths and carrot flies. Invigorates tomato plants. Sage improves the taste of cabbages.

Soybeans

Plant near: corn, potatoes Keep away from: not noted Comments: chokes weeds and enriches soil. Soybeans can produce at least twice as much protein per acre than any other major vegetable or grain crop, 5 to 10 times more protein per acre than land set aside for grazing animals to make milk, and up to 15 times more protein per acre than land set aside for meat production.

Spinach

Plant near: celery, cauliflower, eggplant, strawberries Keep away from: none noted Comments: Spinach is rich in saponin, a soil-beneficial compound.

Strawberries

Plant near: borage, bush beans, lettuce, onions, pyrethrum, spinach Keep away from: cabbage family Comments: Borage increases beneficial natural minerals in the soil. It also controls insects. However, borage can be invasive – be on the watch.

Sunflowers

Plant near: corn, cucumbers Keep away from: potatoes Comments: can provide a trellis and shelter for shade-loving cucumbers. Corn and cucumber yield is increased by nearby sunflowers; Sunflowers are also useful in aphid control.

Swiss Chard

Plant near: bush beans, kohlrabi, onions Keep away from: pole beans Comments: Plants like the Swiss Chard actually help repel many of the harmful insects and attract beneficial ones. This cuts out the need for using pesticides, insecticides, and harmful fertilizers in your garden or landscape. Using plants that are native to the area are the most beneficial as they already attract the right insects.

Tansy

Plant near: Blackberry, Cabbages, Grapes, Peach trees, Raspberry, Rose

Keep away from: collards

Comments: Tansy is a good insect repellent. It increases Potassium in the soil, so it benefits most plants nearby (does not like collards). It is helpful under Peach trees, which it assists by discouraging flying insects & deterring Borers from the trees. It also protects against the Japanese Beetle, Striped Cucumber Beetle, Squash Bug, Cut Worms, Cabbage Worms, Ants, Flies, Mosquitoes & Fruit Moths.

Tarragon

Plant near: all garden crops Keep away from: None noted Comments: Tarragon makes a good companion plant for other herbs and vegetables, improves vegetables' flavor and growth.

Thyme

Plant near: all garden crops Keep away from: none noted Comments: Thyme companion planting is credited with repelling cabbage worms, corn earworms, tomato hornworms and flea beetles. Plus is has a great flower to attract honeybees and beneficial predator insects.

Tomatoes

Plant near: asparagus, basil, borage, cabbage family, calendula, carrots, celery, chives, bell peppers, garlic, gooseberries, leaf lettuce, marigolds, mustard, nasturtium, parsley, onions, rosemary, sage, stinging nettles Keep away from: alfalfa, corn, dill, fennel, kohlrabi, peas, potatoes, walnuts Comments: Basil improves flavor and protects against insects; Horehound encourages fruiting; Bee Balm aids in both growth and flavor (caution: Bee Balm is a mint and is invasive!); Potatoes inhibit the growth of tomatoes.

Thyme

Plant near: cabbage family, eggplant, onion, potato, sage, tomato

Keep away from: None noted

Comments: May be planted with all plants. It enhances the fragrance of other herbs, protects against insects, improved taste of companion vegetables, and is an all-around nice and useful plant.

Turnips and Rutabagas

Plant near: peas, broccoli Keep away from: knotweed, mustard Comments: mustard and knotweed inhibit the growth of turnips and rutabagas.

Zucchini

Plant near: beets, corn, lettuce, legumes, nasturtiums, parsley, peppermint, peppers, spinach, squash, tomato

Keep away from: Potato

Comments: zucchini (as other squash) don’t like Potatoes. It may be that they compete for soil nutrients and they are both susceptible to common pests; Nasturtiums, Parsley, Peppermint (& all in the mint family should be planted in pots to keep under control) repel various insects; Spinach enriches the soil. Zucchini plants are heavy feeders and legumes are beneficial because the roots fix nitrogen in the soil. Although any type of legumes will work, pole beans can be conveniently trained to grow up a trellis, thus saving precious garden space.