Beans and peas are excellent nitrogen-fixing crops that pair well with corn, carrots, lettuce, radishes, cabbage and passion fruit. Beans should be planted away from tomatoes and nightshade family members as these can become susceptible to blight.
Herbs and flowers can help control pests in the garden – marigolds repel squash bugs while basil deters cucumber beetles. Lavender attracts pollinators while growing well alongside leeks and garlic chives.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes pair well with many herb, vegetable and flower companion crops because they do not compete for space or require the same soil nutrients. Companion plants may help protect tomatoes from diseases or pests as well as draw beneficial insects into the garden. Borage flowers (Borago officinalis) make an excellent companion for tomatoes and can even help combat the earworm pest by drawing wasps that lay parasitic eggs into its larvae, thus helping prevent an infestation of this pest. Bees and other pollinators will also benefit from being attracted to your garden while deer and other animals stay clear of your tomatoes. Marigolds are among the best companion plants for tomatoes, and can help prevent several tomato plant diseases, nematodes and fruit borers by masking ripening tomato odor and repelling flea beetles and cabbage moths. Chives also offer excellent tomato companion planting; their putrid smell deters aphids, flea beetles and fruit borers while drawing beneficial ladybugs towards your plants.
Root vegetables such as beans and peas make great companions for tomatoes, providing nitrogen to the soil that is needed by these leafy greens. Beans and peas also provide shade, helping prevent fungal disease outbreaks in nearby greens that might otherwise suffer from being grown near tomatoes.
Other root vegetables, including carrots, parsnips and radishes can easily co-exist alongside tomatoes without interfering with their water or nutrition needs. Carrots in particular can loosen the soil to allow more oxygen and nutrients to reach their roots more readily while their deep root systems can protect shallower ones from heat stress or moisture strain.
Lettuce
As one of the most widely planted salad vegetables, lettuce can be susceptible to diseases and pests. Luckily, companion planting offers one way of protecting this fast-growing crop against these issues; by pairing up plants that enjoy beneficial relationships such as pest control, soil nutrients or shade coverage. This relationship creates advantages such as pest management or shade coverage.
As a general guideline, leafy greens thrive best when planted alongside plants requiring similar levels of sunlight. Lettuce can thrive when combined with spinach, radishes, carrots and turnips; together these crops can help break up compacted soil while increasing nitrogen-fixing roots in the ground while simultaneously deterring insects such as cucumber beetles or aphids that might otherwise attack lettuce plants.
Beans, corn, and tomatoes make great companions for lettuce. These crops provide shade from the harsh sun’s rays while providing valuable minerals that make the lettuce more tender and succulent.
Onions and garlic make excellent companions for lettuce due to their strong insect-repellant scent. Furthermore, their shallow roots allow these vegetables to be planted close together; sharing beds allows both crops to reach full height before their roots start intertwining with each other’s space.
Fennel, brassicas varieties, parsley and celery should not be grown together with lettuce; their presence will inhibit its growth while competing for nutrients with it. Parsley may cause it to bolt prematurely while onion or garlic plants would make better companion plants as they don’t compete for these nutrients either.
Beetroot
Beets are one of the most versatile vegetables to include in a garden, from their roots, greens and stems all being edible to being easy to cultivate in spring and fall weather with few pest issues, making harvest time quicker.
Beetroots are moderate feeders and require loose, humus-rich soil that drains freely but remains consistently moist. Before planting it is wise to add compost or an organic fertilizer. Beets generally thrive best in neutral to slightly alkaline conditions.
beets, due to their rapid growth rate, make an excellent partner plant for early maturing crops like peas and beans, and other root vegetables like carrots, turnips and parsnips. Beets, radishes and kohlrabi all benefit from being grown together; their deep root systems work to loosen soil conditions while improving its quality. Other suitable neighbors for beetroot include cabbage (kale, savoy or collards), brassicas and plants from Raphanus genera. These companion plants offer shade from the sun while their strong scent helps deter slugs and snails from eating the beets. Garlic and leeks also work well, as do plants with large leaves such as squash and pumpkins. This symbiotic relationship dates back centuries when indigenous peoples planted corn, beans, and squash together – known as The Three Sisters today – to maximize use of space while producing nutritious crops.
Be wary of placing plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), such as eggplants, tomatoes or potatoes near beets as these species compete for water and nutrients with beets as well as being susceptible to leafminer infestation and diseases or insect damage.
Potatoes
Potatoes are a hardy crop that withstand light frosts and can be grown all year round in most regions of the U.S. Unlike other root vegetables, potatoes do not require deep soil but do best in loose, well-drained conditions with plenty of sunlight and plenty of organic matter in their soil to ensure tubers form and avoid nutritional deficiencies.
Because potatoes require little aboveground space, they make excellent companion plants for tall crops with stalks such as beans (Lennyiaceae) or corn (Maize). Both require different growing requirements: potatoes need strong roots but limited surface area while corn prefers shallow root systems. By planting both together in your garden space efficiently and potentially increasing vigor of potato plants.
Beans and other legumes make an excellent complement for potatoes, providing much-needed nitrogen to help the tubers grow and develop properly. A popular combination includes planting potatoes alongside pumpkin (Cucurbita), beans and corn in one garden bed for maximum efficiency.
Potatoes pair nicely with vegetables from the cabbage family, such as broccoli (Brassica oleracea), collard greens (Brassica oleracea) and kale (Brassica napus). Their shallow root systems won’t compete for space or nutrients that potatoes require.
When planting potatoes, mulching the soil is key to conserving moisture and warding off weeds. Furthermore, regular watering of your crops during their growth phase – when tubers form.
Home and garden expert Brian Shaunfield from Lowe’s suggests waiting until all foliage has died down before pulling up your entire plant to harvest potatoes, so as to minimize dirt and toxins entering your tubers that could make them taste bitter. This step can reduce soil contamination that may make for better tuber yield.
Radishes
Radishes grow quickly, so for optimal success it is best to plant them in a sunny area that drains well. They are particularly sensitive to heat and may bolt or go to seed if exposed for too long, which makes them perfect for cooler climate crops like lettuce, spinach and frost-tolerant greens – or sow them alongside other full-season vegetable beds like kale, mustard greens cabbage and Swiss chard for an impressive salad garden display!
Spring radishes grow quickly and should be ready for harvest within 20-30 days (such as Cherry Belle or French Breakfast varieties). Summer and winter radishes take longer to develop but can hold their flavor longer (e.g. Nantes half long variety). When growing them in containers such as window boxes or window sills, choose shorter varieties that will fit better and won’t become crooked over time.
When harvesting radishes, their shoulders should rise a few millimeters above the soil surface. You can harvest and consume these delicious edibles either raw or cooked; alternatively you could leave some to flower and form seed pods, which make great snacks or additions to salads.
Radishes thrive alongside many different vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Nasturtiums attract aphids which help keep radish plants pest-free; rosemary and sage repel them as well. Meanwhile other plants such as pole beans and peas benefit from having radishes nearby as they add nitrogen into the soil that helps them flourish; additionally low-growing legumes can be easily planted beneath radishes to take advantage of shade they provide, without competing for sunlight between each other.