Bringing Back the Kitchen Garden – Companion Planting

We’ve all seen and fallen in love with those pictures of old-fashioned kitchen gardens: vegetables and flowers and herbs all mixed together in a glorious mix of color and textures. It turns out that those early gardeners were on to something! Not only are these combinations of different plants a delight to look at, but they make the best use of nature’s power to repel pests and increase the yield of your harvest.

 

There are certain plants that will help boost yield, improve the soil and share their strengths with their neighboring plants. For example vegetables in the cabbage family (like broccoli and kale) love to grow next to beets and leafy greens. Mint will actually improve the flavor of cabbage!

 

However, some plants don’t make for good neighbors, and should not be planted near each other. They may attract the same pests, or even make the soil toxic for the other.

For the best combinations to give you a bountiful harvest, here’s a list that gives the best companions for vegetables (and the ones to avoid). To see a list that’s organized by flower/herb type for companion planting check out this blog post.

Click on any vegetable that’s underlined, to see more information on each kind.

Asparagus – Companions: Tomatoes, Basil, Marigold, and Parsley. Avoid: None

Beans (bush or pole) – Companions: Cabbage, Chard, Celery, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Radish, Corn, Strawberries. Avoid: Garlic, Shallots, and Onions.

Beets – Companions: Cabbage family, Lettuce, Onion, and Garlic. Avoid: Pole Beans

Cabbage family (Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi)- Companions: Beets, Catnip, Celery, Chamomile, Cucumber, Dill, Garlic, Hyssop, Swiss chard, Lettuce, Mint, Nasturtium, Rosemary, Sage, Spinach, Thyme, Onions, Potatoes. Avoid: Pole beans, Tomato

Carrots – Companions: Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Peppers, Radish, and Tomatoes. Avoid: Dill

Celery – Companions: Beans, Tomatoes, Cabbage. Avoid: none

Chard – Companions: Beans, Cabbage, Onion. Avoid: none

Corn – Companions: Cucumber, Melons, Parsley, Peas, Potatoes, Squash, Beans, Pumpkin. Avoid: Tomatoes

Cucumber – Companions: Peas, Corn, Beans, Cabbage, Radish, Tomato. Avoid: Sage

Eggplant – Companions: Beans, Marigold, and Peppers. Avoid: none

Lettuce – Companions: Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Onion, Radish, Strawberry, Chives, Garlic.  Avoid: none

Melons – Companions: Corn, Pumpkin, Radish, Squash, Marigold, Nasturtium, Oregano. Avoid: none

Onions – Companions: Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Swiss chard, Lettuce, Peppers, Strawberry, Tomato, Chamomile, Summer Savory. Avoid: all Beans and Peas

Peas – Companions: Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Radish, Turnip, Chives, and Mint. Avoid: Garlic and Onions

Peppers – Companions: Carrot, Eggplant, Onion, Tomato. Avoid: none

Potatoes – Companions: Beans, Cabbage, Corn, Eggplant, Horseradish, Marigold, Peas. Avoid: Tomatoes

Pumpkin – Companions: Corn, Melon, and Squash, Marigold, Nasturtium, Oregano. Avoid: none

Radishes – Companions: Beans, Carrots, Cucumber, Lettuce, Melon, Peas, Chervil, Nasturtium. Avoid: Hyssop

Spinach – Companions: Cabbage and Strawberries. Avoid: none

Squash – Companions: Corn, Melon, Pumpkins, Borage, Marigold, Nasturtium, Oregano. Avoid: none

Strawberry – Companions: Beans, Cabbage, Lettuce, Onions, Spinach, Thyme. Avoid: none

Tomatoes – Companions: Asparagus, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Onion, Parsley, Peppers, Basil, Bee Balm, Chives, Mint, Borage, Marigold. Avoid: Corn, Potatoes, Kohlrabi.

 

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