The Secret To Vegetable Companion Planting?
Shhhhhh… Don’t tell anybody. But, this whole, entire concept is based on the idea of placing mutually beneficial plants close to each other. However, to get a better grasp of vegetable companion planting, it would be a big plus to also check out these other commentaries on the subject:
Plants That Repel Bad Bugs and Attract Good Bugs – This piece covers a variety of flowers and beneficial weeds grown close to vegetable plants that help control the pest population or enhance pollination in the garden.
The Three Sisters – Companion Planting At Its Finest! – This bit of writing covers an ancient Native American Indian technique for planting corn, green (pole) beans, and squash together to form a symbiotic relationship among them.
Much of this information has been known for almost 10,000 years, dating back to farming concepts used in South America as early as 7,000 B.C.
You can either browse this list of two dozen veggies or click on a plant’s name to understand its good and bad vegetable companions. Links to additional information are provided for most flowers and herbs that are mentioned.
Plant Name
| Asparagus | Cauliflower | Lettuce | Pumpkin |
| Beans | Celery | Okra | Radishes |
| Beets | Corn | Onions | Spinach |
| Broccoli | Cucumbers | Peas | Squash |
| Cabbage | Kohlrabi | Peppers | Tomatoes |
| Carrots | Leeks | Potatoes | Turnips |
Plant With – Tomatoes, to repel the asparagus beetle, flowers (marigolds or nasturtiums), or herbs (basil, coriander, dill, or parsley).
Don’t Plant With – Garlic, onions, or potatoes.
NOTE: Garlic competes for the same nutrients as asparagus.
Plant With – Celery or strawberries.
Don’t Plant With – Alfalfa, fennel, or soybeans.
Plant With – Corn, radishes, or squash.
Don’t Plant With – Beets, kohlrabi, or sunflowers.
NOTE: Corn, pole beans, and squash combine to form the Three Sisters Planting technique.
Beets
Plant With – Bush beans, onions, kohlrabi, garlic, or lettuce.
Don’t Plant With – Pole beans.
NOTE: Pole beans and beets stunt each other’s growth.
Plant With – Beets, lettuce, onions, turnips, or herbs (catnip, dill, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, or sage).
Don’t Plant With – Basil, beans, peas, tomatoes, strawberries.
Plant With – Beans, onions, flowers (larkspurs, marigolds, or nasturtiums), or herbs (dill, coriander, hyssop, mint, rosemary, sage, or thyme).
Don’t Plant With – Basil, grapes, pole beans, or tomatoes.
Plant With – Beans, lettuce, onions, garlic, or herbs (chives, leeks, rosemary, or sage).
Don’t Plant With – Parsnip, radishes, or herbs (dill or parsnip).
NOTE: Tomatoes grow better with carrots, but may stunt the carrots’ growth.
Plant With – Chinese cabbage, peas, spinach, or flowers (marigolds or sunflowers).
Don’t Plant With – Basil, beans, strawberries, or tomatoes.
Celery
Plant With –Bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, tomatoes, or flowers (cosmos, daisies, or snapdragons).
Don’t Plant With – Aster flowers or corn.
NOTE: Aster flowers transmit aster yellows disease…a chronic, systemic plant disease caused by a bacterium-like organism.
Plant With – Pole beans, peas, squash, flowers (geraniums or sunflowers), or herbs (dill or parsley).
Don’t Plant With – Celery or tomatoes.
NOTE: Corn, pole beans, and squash combine to form the Three Sisters Planting technique.
Plant With – beans, beets, carrots, celery, garlic, kohlrabi, onions, radishes, tomatoes, or flowers (chamomile, marigolds, nasturtiums, or sunflowers).
Don’t Plant With – Potatoes or fragrant herbs (basil, marjoram, sage, or rosemary).
Kohlrabi
Plant With – Beets or cucumbers.
Don’t Plant With – Pole beans.
Plant With – Carrots or clover.
Don’t Plant With – Beans, peas, or Swiss chard.
Plant With – Beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, kohlrabi, strawberries, flowers (nasturtiums), or herbs (coriander, dill, or thyme).
Don’t Plant With – Cabbage, celery, garlic, onions, or parsley.
Okra
Plant With – Beans, lettuce, peppers, squash.
Don’t Plant With – None listed.
Plant With –Beets, carrots, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, flowers (chamomile, marigolds, pansy), or herbs (dill, mints, summer savory).
Don’t Plant With – Lentils, peas.
Plant With – Beans, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, radishes, spinach, or turnips.
Don’t Plant With – Broccoli, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots, or tomatoes.
Plant With – Beans, okra, onions, flowers (geraniums, petunias or sunflowers), or herbs (basil or marjoram).
Don’t Plant With – Fennel or kohlrabi.
Plant With – Beans, garlic, horseradish, flowers (marigolds), or herbs (thyme).
Don’t Plant With – Carrots, cucumbers, raspberries, spinach, squash, tomatoes, or flowers (sunflowers).
NOTE: Tomatoes share common
pests and diseases. Carrots, cucumbers, raspberries, spinach, and squash compete for the same nutrients.
Pumpkins
Plant With – Radishes, flowers (tansy or nasturtiums), or herbs (catnip or oregano).
Don’t Plant With – Potatoes.
Plant With – Lettuce or flowers (nasturtiums).
Don’t Plant With – Grapes.
NOTE: Radishes grown with lettuce taste better.
Plant With – Beans, cauliflower, peas, or strawberries.
Don’t Plant With – Potatoes.
NOTE: Spinach and potatoes are strong competitors for water and nutrient resources.
Plant With – Beans, radishes, flowers (marigolds, nasturtiums, or tansy), or herbs (borage or catnip).
Don’t Plant With – Potatoes or pumpkins.
NOTE: Corn, pole beans, and squash combine to form the Three Sisters Planting technique.
Plant With – Asparagus, barley, beans, carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, leeks, okra, flowers (geraniums, marigolds, nasturtiums, or petunias), or herbs (basil, borage, chives, coriander, mints, oregano, parsley, or thyme).
Don’t Plant With – Cabbage, corn, chili peppers, peas, potatoes, or herbs (dill, fennel, or rosemary).
NOTE: Carrots will break up the soil to help the tomato roots grow deeper into the soil.
Turnips
Plant With – Hairy vetch or peas.
Don’t Plant With – Hedge mustard or knotweed.
Multiculturalism Defined
Well…to a diehard gardener like me…multiculturalism means planting flowers in my vegetable garden.
Are you practicing companion planting? Have you tried The Three Sisters approach? Are you using flowers to repel bad bugs and attract good bugs? I would like to hear what you have to say. Comment below or email me: jim@perfect-vegetable-garden.com.
Hey,
I think it is a good idea to do companion planting. It may form a relationship plant to plant but it is not like I have any idea what goes on between them. I don’t fully understand why people did it. Why should anyone do companion planting? Thanks for the great post. I love eating fruits and vegetables.
With a little knowledge of companion planting, you can go a long way to not having to use pesticides and fungicides. Thus making a healthier, tastier fruit or vegetable. It is the true organic way…and, you won’t even find it in the grocery stores. Even though the stores sell organic produce, it is usually treated with some chemicals to make it look good and to preserve it long enough to get to your table.
Jim
This is a wonderful gardener’s site. Thank you for all the great info. I’ve always been fascinated by companion gardening as it seems to work better than pesticides, which I hate using. My mother had an affinity with her plants and would say, the carnations or dahlias don’t like company, the African Violets love company and so on. Is it the same with vegetables? Do you find some veggies prefer to be clustered with others and some prefer a bed of their own? They do seem to have personalities. I am sure some people think I am nuts – but that is okay. Thank you again for the invaluable information.
I’m glad you liked my website, particularly the companion planting page, Althea! I truly do not like using pesticides and, I have to tell you that the marigolds and nasturtiums I planted this year have been a godsend to my garden veggies! Your mother is a wise woman. She knows about companion planting with flowers and vegetables are just other plants with the same type of likes and dislikes. Every living thing, be it plant or animal or human, have similar likes and dislikes about what type of “company they like to keep.”
And, yes, I do talk to my plants! 🙂
Jim