- BYJeremy Starke
- |June 14, 2019
2K Shares
Last Updated 10/31/21
I remember listening to my grandfather when I was growing up talking about how you have to grow basil plants next to tomato plants in your garden for good growth.
I never quite understood what he meant by that except that maybe they taste good together so grow lots of each plants in the garden.
Of course, there was no companion planting chart back then.
It wasn’t until I planted my first tomato plants in my garden and experienced the pain and frustration that comes along with all those pests gobbling up those majestic globes of juiciness.
There had to be a way to prevent this without spraying the plants with chemicals (before there was really an organic movement).
There wasn’t much guidance readily available in the Internet’s infancy for the garden.
Fast forward to much later in my garden hobby where there is an abundance of gardening information about maximizing plants growth.
My curiosity later returned after reading about the Three sister’s plants and how they built a garden back then.
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It wasn’t until I planted my first tomato plants in my garden and experienced the pain and frustration that comes along with all those pests gobbling up those majestic globes of juiciness.
There had to be a way to prevent this without spraying the plants with chemicals (before there was really an organic movement).
There wasn’t much guidance readily available in the Internet’s infancy for the garden.
Fast forward to much later in my garden hobby where there is an abundance of gardening information about maximizing plants growth.
My curiosity later returned after reading about the Three sister’s plants and how they built a garden back then.
Three Sister’s Planting | Companion Planting Roots
Native Americans naturally inter-planted their crops to help sustain them both physically and spiritually.
The most commonly known practice is called the three sister plants: Corn, Beans & Squash.
This trio of plants helped each other to sustain themselves naturally & maximize their growth.
The beans provide the soil with much nitrogen for growth.
The corn acted as trellises for the beans and provided shade for the squash.
The squash covered the soil to help prevent water evaporation.
A perfect harmony of plants in a simple garden. These practices later led to other inter-planting techniques that have been refined over the years such as crop rotation.
The companion planting chart below has many of these examples.
What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is the act of inter-planting plants that can mutually benefit each other. This could mean that they help each other by soil nutrition, physical, or other pest reduction means.
Pest management has become a bigger issue in today’s commercial farming practices. However, companion planting on a smaller scale has been met with much success.
Here are a few methods of companion planting:
- Trap Cropping: involves planting another plant to attract pests away from your desired crop. Radishes are one example that attracts flea beetles and root flies away from cabbages or broccoli.
- Repellent Inter-crops:Inter-planting certain plants in between and around your other crops. My favorite repellent is onions. We use it as a border around our gardens. My neighbor always wondered why his garden got snacked on and mine didn’t.
- Row Cropping: Planting alternate rows of crops that benefit each other. Tomatoes and basil always seem to end up as neighbors in our garden.
The air we breathe, the food we consume, and increasing UV radiation from the sun.#companiongardening #gardeningClick To Tweet
Reasons for Companion Planting
In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with pollutants and chemicals.
The air we breathe, the food we consume, and increasing UV radiation from the sun.
Its no wonder why it is important to reduce this over the course of a lifetime if we can.
I’ll give just about any safe method a try if it helps me and the environment in any way.
Chemical reduction is just one of the many reasons.
Here are few more to help you give it a try:
- Fewer Chemicals: Natural means to help repel insects
- Attract beneficial bugs: Some bugs are drawn towards plants and can naturally fend off unwanted pests.
- Shade protection: Provide necessary shade for some crops during the dog days of summer
- Water retention: Closely planting some crops can help to cover up otherwise bare soil to further reduce evaporation
Are you convinced yet on giving this technique a try? There are so many benefits for companion planting.
Following the methods of companion planting is a natural way to mimic the rhythm of the existing ecosystems. Nature always seems to be paired with these examples.
Books about Companion Planting
Sometimes you need a good reference to hold in your hand. There is so much more to learn on this topic that it is difficult to summarize in a 1500 word blog post.
You need some good references to help shine more knowledge on the subject. There are 2 fantastic reference books that really shine a light on the subject.
Both of these authors are experts & champions of companion planting.
The first book isCarrots Love Tomatoesby Louise Riotte. You can find ithereat Amazon.
She definitely gets credit with solidifying the knowledge that I have picked up with these methods. Her book highlights each plant and the best choices for inter-planting.
Vegetables are not the only plants she discusses. She goes into depths with some trees, bushes and other gardening tips.
The second book isRodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardeningthat you can findhereat Amazon.
This is a well-versed guide that does go over quite a bit of inter-planting and companion planting guidelines for vegetables and flowers.
My copy has a vast amount of dirt all over it because I bring it into the garden with me as a reference sometimes.
Closely planting some crops can help to cover up otherwise bare soil to further reduce evaporation #compnaiongardening #gardeningClick To Tweet
Further Reading
- Growing Broccoli in Containers
- Broccoli Storage Tips
Companion Planting Chart | Friend or Foe
These companion plants are made up of a collection of sources, personal experience, and books that I have read throughout the years.
Please feel free to share this chart with all your gardening friends to help guide what to inter-plant with each other.
You can find the companion planting chart guide printable pdfhere
Here is a companion planting chart spreadsheet that you can copyhere.
Companion Planting Chart
| Vegetable | Best Companion Plants | Antagonistic Plants | Green thumb Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | Carrot, Tomato, Basil, Coriander, Dill, Parsley, Marigold | Tomatoes help to protect asparagus from beetles. | |
| Beans (Bush & Pole Beans) | Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Celery, Chard, Corn, Eggplant, Kale, Peas, Radishes, Potatoes, Strawberries, marigolds | Beets, Chives, Fennel, Garlic, Leek, Onion, Shallots, Sunflowers | Marigolds planted with beans help to repel the Mexican bean beetle |
| Beets | Chives, Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Radishes, Spinach | Pole Beans, Tomatoes | The beans and beets don’t do well near each other but get your lettuce next to them. |
| Broccoli | Beet, Bush Beans, Carrot, Celery, Cucumber, Garlic, Lettuce, Onion, Radish, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Basil, Chamomile, Dill, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Marigold, Nasturtium | Asparagus, Beans, Mustard, Peppers, Pumpkin, Sweet Corn, Cantaloupe, Strawberry, Watermelon | Most of the aromatics help to repel unwanted insects. |
| Brussels Sprouts | Beets, Carrots, Garlic, Onion, Basil, Dill, Thyme, Mint, Nasturtium, Marigold | Strawberry, Tomato | It is part of the brassica family, so the aromatics help deter pests. |
| Cabbage | Beets, Bush Beans, Celery, Onion, Potato, Chamomile, Dill, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Nasturtium, Marigold | Beans, Eggplant, Mustard, Pepper, Tomato, Strawberry | Rosemary helps to deter cabbage fly. |
| Carrots | Beans, Chives, Garlic, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Parsley, Rosemary | Parsnip, Coriander, Dill | Onion, leeks, and aromatics herbs like rosemary & sage deter the carrot flies. |
| Cauliflower | Beans, Celery, Peas, Spinach, Tomato, Chamomile, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Sunflower | Tomatoes, Strawberries | Celery grown near can repel the cabbage butterfly. |
| Celery | Bush Beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Leek, Spinach, Tomato, Dill, Marjoram, Cosmos, Daisies, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Snapdragons | Carrots, Corn, Potato | Celery and leeks grown together in a trench seem to do well. |
| Chives | Basil, Carrots, Marigold, kohlrabi Parsley, Parsnip, Strawberries, Tomato | Beans | Grapes also benefit from chives ability to repel aphids. Most alums also help keep away rabbits |
| Corn | Beans, potatoes, Cucumber, Peas, Pumpkin, Squash, Zucchini, Marjoram, Sunflower | Tomato | One of the Three sister plants. Beans and peas supply nitrogen. |
| Cucumber | Beans, Celery, Corn, Lettuce, Peas, Radish, Dill, Marigold, Nasturtium | Potato, Tomato, Sage, Strong Aromatic Herbs (except dill) | Cucumbers keep away raccoons, so they are good to plant with corn. |
| Dill | Cabbage, Corn, Cucumbers, Dill, Fennel, Lettuce, Onions | Cilantro, Tomato | Grows well with fennel. |
| Eggplant | Beans, Marjoram, Pepper, Potato | N/A | Eggplants grown with beans will help protect them from Colorado potato beetle |
| Kohlrabi | Beets, Cucumber, Lettuce, Onions, Thyme, Nasturtium | Pepper, Pole Beans, Tomato, Strawberries | Helps protect the mustard family vegetables |
| Leek | Carrots, Celery, Lettuce, Onions | Beans, Peas | Leeks repel carrot flies |
| Lettuce | Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Corn, Onions, Peas, Radishes, Mint, Strawberries, Marigold | Parsley | Mints repel slugs. Onions repel rabbits. |
| Marigold | Brassicas (broccoli, etc), Cucurbits (cucumber, etc), Peppers, Tomato, and most other plants | N/A | Marigolds are always a staple in our garden. We line the borders with them to help repel nematodes, |
| Onion | Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Lettuce, Parsnips, Tomato, Chamomile, Marjoram, Rosemary, Savory, Strawberry | Asparagus, Beans, Peas | Repels aphids, the carrot fly, and other pests. We also surround our gardens with onions such as scallions to deter many little creatures such as raccoons, rabbits, and deer. |
| Parsley | Asparagus, Beans, Radish, Rosemary, Tomato | Lettuce | Adds vigor to both tomatoes and asparagus |
| Peas | Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Lettuce, Cauliflower, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Potatoes, Radishes, Squash, Sage | Alliums (Chives, Garlic, Onion, Shallots) | Adds nitrogen to the soil |
| Potato | Beans, Celery, Corn, Garlic, Horseradish, Lettuce, Onions, Spinach, Peas, Radishes, Basil, Marigolds | Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Carrots, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Melons, Peppers, Squash, Tomatoes, Raspberries, Strawberries, Sunflower | Cucumber, tomato, and raspberry attract harmful pests to potatoes. Horseradish increases disease resistance. |
| Pumpkin | Beans, Corn, Squash, Marigold, Nasturtium | Potato | Grow well with corn. |
| RadishAllium family (Chives, Garlic, Leek, Onion), Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Cucumber, Kale, Lettuce, Spinach, SquashHyssop (the Herb)Radishes make a great trap crop (attract pests away from another crop)SageBeans, Cabbage, Carrots, Peas, Rosemary, StrawberriesN/ARepels cabbage fly, some bean parasites. | |||
| Spinach | Beans, Brassicas family (Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi), Celery, Eggplant, Leeks, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Radishes, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Nasturtium, Strawberries | N/A | One of the early spring vegetables so does not have many pests. |
| Squash | Beans, Corn, Peas, Radish (White Icicle), Borage, Dill, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Strawberries, Sunflower | Potato | Plant lots of marigolds around it to help confuse the squash vine borer from laying eggs. |
| Strawberries | Bush Beans, Chives, Lettuce, Onions, Spinach, Squash, Borage, Caraway, Sage | Cabbage Family, and plants susceptible to Verticillium (ie. Eggplant, Potato, Tomato, Peppers) | Borage makes an excellent border for strawberry patches. |
| Tomatoes | Asparagus, Carrots, Celery, Chives, Garlic, Lettuce, Spinach, Onion, Basil, Borage, Parsley, Marigolds | Brassicas (Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi), Beets, Corn, Fennel, Peas, Potatoes, Dill, Rosemary, Walnut trees | Basil growing near tomatoes has been reported to improve the yields of them. |
| Turnip | Peas | Mustard, knotweed, avoid rotating after cabbage family | Hairy vetch and turnips make excellent companions. |
| Zucchini | Corn, Marjoram, Nasturtium | N/A | Got to love zucchini! |
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