What is companion planting and how can it benefit my garden?
Companion planting is the technique of growing crops next to other plants that provide natural benefits such as improved soil fertility, pest control, and productivity. Consult the table below for help choosing companion plants for your garden.
| Planting Crop | Companion Plants | Incompatible Plants | Effects and Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliums (garlic, leeks, onions and chives) | Tomatoes, carrots, fruit trees, strawberries, roses, beets, cucumbers, celery, lettuce, peppers, squash, cucumber and savory. | Beans and peas. | Deters carrot flies, aphids, weevils, fruit tree borers, moles, rust flies, nematodes, spider mites, black spot, and mildew. |
| Basil | Asparagus, tomatoes and peppers. | Deters tomato hornworms, thrips, asparagus beetles, aphids, flies, mosquitoes, and spider mites. | |
| Beans, bush | Beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, corn, eggplant, potato and strawberries. | Alliums and fennel. | Deters Colorado potato beetles. Nitrogen fixing. |
| Beans, pole | Carrots, corn cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, peas, radish, savory and tansy. | Cabbage and onions. | Nitrogen fixing. Will grow up trellises or corn stalks anchoring them against wind and holding pods up high away from ground pests. |
| Bee balm | Tomatoes, strawberries and fruit trees. | Attracts honeybees and pollinators. | |
| Beets | Bush beans, cabbage, onion and sage. | Can cross pollinate with Swiss chard. | |
| Borage | Tomatoes, cabbage, strawberries and fruit trees. | Deters tomato hornworms and cabbage worms. Attracts honeybees and butterflies. Adds minerals to the soil. | |
| Cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, kohlrabi and kale) | Bush beans, beets, celery, mint, oregano, onions, savory, hyssop, tomatoes, marigold and nasturtium. | Pole beans | |
| Carrots | Bush beans, pole beans, lettuce, onion, chives, peas, radish, tomatoes and sage. | Dill | Improves growth and flavor of cauliflower and chives. Can cross with wild carrot (Queen Anne’s lace). Attracts predatory wasps. |
| Catnip | Eggplant and tomatoes. | Deters flea beetles, gnats, mosquitoes and squash bugs. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. | |
| Celery | Bush beans, cabbages, cauliflower, onions, spinach and tomatoes. | Deters white cabbage moths. | |
| Chamomile | Cabbage and onions. | Chamomile tea improves soil and compost. | |
| Chervil | Radishes and turnips. | Improves growth and flavor of radishes and turnips. | |
| Cilantro, coriander | Cabbage and kale. | Deters aphids. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. | |
| Corn | Pole beans, pumpkins and squash, peas, cucumbers, potatoes and cornflower. | Tomatoes | A heavy feeder, corn benefits from a nitrogen fixer planted nearby. |
| Cucumbers | Peas, beans, lettuce radishes, sunflowers, nasturtiums and marigolds. | Potatoes and aromatic herbs. | Will grow up trellises, sunflowers, or corn stalks anchoring them against wind and holding fruits up high away from ground pests. |
| Dill | Cabbage, lettuce, onions and fruit trees. | Carrots, tomatoes and fennel. | Improves growth of cabbage. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. |
| Flax | Carrots and potatoes. | Deters Colorado potato beetle. | |
| Lettuce | Alliums, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and strawberries. | Can cross with wild lettuce weeds. | |
| Mint | Cabbages and strawberries. | Mint is aggressive and will overtake most other plants so give it room and harvest or cut back often. | Deters cabbage moths, aphids, flea beetles and ants. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. |
| Nasturtiums | Cabbages, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and fruit trees. | Deters nematodes. Attracts honey bees pollinators. | |
| Parsley | Asparagus, carrots, alliums, tomatoes and roses. | Deters asparagus beetles, attracts hoverflies. | |
| Peppers | Alliums, basil, nasturtiums and purslane. | Eggplant, potatoes, tobacco and tomatoes (or where tomatoes were planted last year). | Seed pulp of hot peppers, applied directly or diluted as spray, deters rodents, gophers and deer, but will not deter birds. |
| Petunias | Asparagus, cabbages, tomatoes, potatoes and beans. | Deters asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, aphids, Tomato hornworms, and Mexican bean beetles; source of natural insecticide sprays. | |
| Radishes | Beets, carrots, spinach, parsnip, cucumbers, melons, squash, lettuce, beans and chervil. | Hyssop | |
| Spinach | Celery, eggplant and cauliflower. | ||
| Tomatoes | Basil, borage, carrots, nasturtiums, zinnias, petunias and parsley. | Fennel, peppers, potatoes and eggplants. | |
| Tobacco | Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplants. | Trap plant for many insects and a source of natural insecticide sprays. Attracts night feeding moths and butterflies. |