The 10 Best Companion Plants for a Thriving Vegetable Garden

By: Ashleigh Smith for True Leaf Market

The excitement of starting your garden can quickly fade once pests make their way into your growing garden, often destroying crops before you even get a chance to start harvesting. Before pests take hold of your crops, try establishing your first line of defense with companion planting, a time-tested solution to some of the most devastating pests. Companion planting is the practice of growing different plants together to provide mutualistic benefits, such as pest control.

What Is Companion Planting?

Different plants have different benefits in the garden. Companion planting is the practice of identifying those benefits and pairing them in ways that improve yields, deter or control pest populations, and improve soil health, among other benefits. A healthy garden is a diverse garden.

Top 10 Companion Plants for Home Vegetable Gardens

1. Basil - a delicious herb that is often grown with tomatoes and peppers for its ability to repel thrips and aphids.
2. Marigolds - pairs well with all vegetables for pest deterrence and pollinator attraction. French marigolds are a great option for interplanting between other plants, while African types are best for creating a border around beds for natural nematode suppression.
3. Borage - a great pollinator attractor that performs well during the hot summer months.
4. Nasturtiums - a great trap crop for squash and cucumber plants to lure aphids away from your harvest. Sometimes, the best natural way to control a pest problem is to sacrifice a highly desirable ornamental plant to preserve your food crops for harvest.
5. Dill - attracts beneficial insects known to feed on common cabbage pests, including aphids, thrips, whiteflies, spider mites, worms, and caterpillars.
6. Cilantro - while its leaves are used as a delicious herb, cilantro is best used as a companion plant once it starts flowering. Its blooms help repel spider mites and aphids. Pair cilantro with spinach and tomatoes.
7. Chives - deter carrot fly and aphids due to their natural sulfur compounds that confuse pests with their strong scent. Chives are a great choice for interplanting; just keep in mind that it is a perennial herb.
8. Sunflowers - pair well with cucumbers and squash plants to attract pollinators. Sunflowers can also serve as a trellis for growing pole beans, just as corn is used among some Native American tribes as part of the Three Sisters.
9. Clover - fixes or transfers nitrogen from the air into a usable form in the soil for nearby growing crops. It is often grown as a groundcover or cover crop to reduce fertilization needs. Clover pairs well with corn and fruit-producing trees. It is best to select an annual variety for vegetable gardens or perennial white dutch for fruit orchards.
10. Chamomile - attracts the beneficial hoverflies and is thought to improve the flavor of brassicas grown nearby. Pair with cabbage and onion crops.

What Not To Plant Together

Not all plants like to be paired together. Some have a reputation for inhibiting the growth of nearby plants due to natural compounds they release into the soil through their roots. The worst offender is fennel in its more mature stages. Avoid growing fennel with tomatoes, peppers, beans, kohlrabi, and eggplants. Garlic and alliums, including onions, chives, and shallots, should also not be planted near legumes (peas, lentils, beans) because they can inhibit the beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in legume roots.

It can also be helpful to avoid growing heavy feeders next to each other, as they will compete for nutrients. Common heavy feeders include tomatoes and brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, and kale), which aggressively compete for calcium and magnesium.

Getting Started With Companion Planting

The best way to get started is to select a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers you wish to grow. Diversity lends itself to many natural checks and balances in the garden. Select the growing location for each flower and herb, using the tips above to pair them with common vegetable crops. As your garden grows and matures, especially in organic gardens, you will spot various pests. This is normal. While companion planting is a great tool, it is best practiced in conjunction with other pest control methods as needed.

The best gardens aren't just planted — they're planned. A few thoughtful seed choices this May could mean fewer pests, better harvests, and a garden that practically looks after itself all summer. Find these companion plants and more at Trueleafmarket.com.

About the Author:

Ashleigh Smith is the Managing Editor at True Leaf Market with a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. True Leaf Market is a nationally certified organic, non-GMO seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The True Leaf Market staff specializes in supplying a large selection of conventional, heirloom, and organic seeds to home gardeners everywhere. Learn more about our seeds, supplies, and other growing ideas: www.trueleafmarket.com.

All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.

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