Companion planting is the planting of different crops in proximity, on the theory that they assist each other in nutrient uptake, pest control, pollination, and other factors necessary to increasing crop productivity. Companion planting is a form of polyculture.
Locate the item you want to plant in the middle column. Read the information on the left and right of that item for information about what to and not to plant near the vegetable/fruit.
Companion Planting Chart | ||
Do not plant with or near | Crop to be planted | Do plant with or near |
Dill | Carrots | Onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, benefit to beans and peas |
Chives, garlic, onions, gladiolus | Beans | Celery (1 every 6-7 bean plants), marigolds repel Mexican bean beetle, benefit corn, cucumbers, cabbage, strawberries |
Tomatoes | Corn | Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, squash, melons, sunflowers, benefit peas and beans |
Onions, garlic, gladiolus | Peas | Carrots, turnips, radishes, cucumbers, corn, beans, potatoes, aromatic herbs |
Pole beans | Beets | Bush beans, onions, kohlrabi, lettuce, cabbage |
Strawberries, tomatoes, pole beans | Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, collards, rutabaga, turnip, radishes | All like thyme, aromatic plants like celery, dill, chamomile, sage, peppermint, rosemary, onions, and potatoes. Rotate these crops every two years. |
Peas and beans | Onions | With members of cabbage family, beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, summer savory, chamomile |
Asparagus | Parsley, basil, tomatoes | |
Radishes | Sow with spinach, carrots, and parsnips to mark rows. Beets, cucumbers, squash, melons, tomatoes, kohlrabi, bush beans, pole beans, lettuce | |
Strawberries, tomatoes, pole beans | Kohlrabi | Onions, beets, aromatic plants, cucumbers |
Kohlrabi, fennel, apricot trees, corn, potatoes, all members of the Brassica family such as broccoli, cabbage, etc. | Tomato | Asparagus, chives, onion, parsley, marigold, nasturtium, carrot, garlic, basil |
Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, raspberries | Potatoes | Green beans, corn, cabbage, eggplant, marigolds, horseradish |
Companion Planting Chart | ||
Do not plant with or near | Crop to be planted | Do plant with or near |
Potatoes | Melons | Crop rotation best weapon against garden pests, early or late planting to keep seedling stage away from borers. Plant cucumbers and squash in Aug. for fall crop, grow with corn and sunflowers. |
Potatoes, aromatic herbs | Cucumbers | Corn, beans, peas, radishes, sunflowers, sow with radish and let go to seed. Spray with sugar water to encourage pollination and prevent nematodes; chive spray helps against downy mildew. |
Squash | Radishes, cucumbers, nasturtiums | |
Potatoes | Pumpkins | Corn |
Strawberries | Peach, apple, fig, orange, other orchard trees, beans, spinach, lettuce along the borders, marigolds | |
Potatoes | Raspberries | Do not mix black and red berries. |
Rhubarb | Columbines; mix rhubarb leaves in water, spray on roses and water Brassica plants with it. | |
Dahlias | Discourages nematodes; plant with nematode-susceptible plants. | |
Peas, potatoes, pole beans | Sunflowers | Inhibits nitrogen fixers like peas, grows well with cucumbers, needs rich soil. |
Marigolds | Discourages nematode growth as with potatoes, strawberries, and roses. Plant 2-3 weeks after other plants. Plant with tomatoes and beans. | |
Zinnias | Lamb quarter, cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins | |
Nasturtiums | Broccoli to reduce aphids, potatoes, radishes, cabbage family, apple trees. Use a spray of nasturtium leaves to reduce aphids, plant yellow nasturtiums around trees to prevent aphids. |
Other Information and Odds and Ends You May Want to Know: |
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Note: Most of the information in the above chart is derived from Jeff Balls's Rodale's Garden Problem Solver (1988), Rodale Press: Emmaus, Pennsylvania.