Ever heard of companion planting? Using this method, you can grow a ‘vegetable pair’ — two vegetables that will benefit one another. In fact, lots of farmers have been using this method because of its benefits.
Choosing companion plants can be a little tricky, and that’s why you really need to make sure to research these plants. Don’t worry because we’ve compiled a list of the plants you can pick and the plants they can be paired with.
Tomatoes Vegetable Pair
Tomatoes are a great companion plant for carrots, asparagus, and garlic work hand-in-hand together. The garlic gets rid of spider mites and tomatoes ward off the asparagus beetles.
Carrots work to break up the soil and make space for water and air to get to the tomato plant root.
Garlic
Want your garlic to be more garlicky? Plant it next to some chamomile to improve its flavor. Plant some rue while you’re at it to help drive the maggots away.
Potatoes
Want tastier potatoes? Plant some dead nettle near them.
This will help to enhance the flavor of your potatoes and deter harmful insects. You can also plant some corn, cabbage, and beans next to them for the same effect.
Lettuce
Lettuce is best grown in the winter but it is able to thrive in the warmer months if you know what to plant next to it.
Sunflowers, tomatoes, and pole beans will provide shade so your lettuce doesn’t get too hot. Lettuce can also be helpful to beets, carrots, parsnips, and radishes as it helps to tenderize these vegetables.
Companion Plants for Cauliflower
Cauliflower should be planted with beans, onion, and celery. This is because they can deter harmful insects while attracting ones that are beneficial to your garden.
Broccoli
Carrots, onions, rosemary, nasturtiums, thyme, mint, and marigolds make great companion plants for broccoli.
Marigolds will repel moths while nasturtiums will repel aphids. You definitely don’t want to plant strawberries or tomatoes near broccoli because this will hinder its growth.
Radishes
Radishes and cucumbers do well when they’re planted next to each other.
The radishes deter rust flies and cucumber beetles. Cucumber beetles help boost the growth of radishes.
Corn
Corn should be planted along with squash and pole beans. This is historically known as the three sisters. The bean pulls nitrogen from the air and into the soil. The squash provides shade for the soil and prevents weeds so all of the plants can grow.
Brussels Sprouts
Do you have whiteflies, squash bugs, or Japanese beetles attacking your brussels sprouts? Plant some garlic, basil, or nasturtium next to them. This will also deter mosquitos. Garlic also helps your brussels sprouts grow.
Beets Companion Planting
Beets are a great beginner vegetable for those getting into gardening.
They don’t require much soil but have a tremendous amount of nutrients and vitamins making them perfect for salads, soups, and juices. Beets thrive best near broccoli, Brussel sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, and onions but you want to make sure to keep them away from charlock, field mustard, and pole beans.
Carrots
Carrot flies can completely destroy your carrots.
What can you plant with carrots to prevent this? It’s by planting onions, leeks, and wormwood. Tomatoes can also help provide shade for your carrots.
Cucumbers
Radishes will protect your cucumber plants from cucumber beetles. Cucumbers will protect your garden from yellow jackets so you can plant beans, cabbage, and early potatoes near them. Additionally, you can also consider cucumber if you’re wondering what to plant next to corn.
Just don’t plant your cucumbers next to late potatoes because they will end up competing for nutrients and water.
Onions
Onions should be planted next to members of the cabbage family. So, think broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, and, obviously, cabbage.
Onions are a big help in deterring Japanese beetles, wasps, aphids, cabbage worms, cabbage maggots, and rabbits. Just don’t plant any beans or peas near them because it could hurt your onion crop.
Bell Peppers
Plants like tomatoes, carrots, okra, asparagus, carrots, onions, and eggplant will help your peppers greatly. The tall growing plants help to protect them from the wind. Carrots and onion will enhance their flavor.
Takeaway
We’re happy to share with you this guide for what vegetable pair you can plant in your garden. Companion planting sounds fun and you will surely enjoy it too, considering its benefits.
After all, two is always better than one, right?