A Quick Guide to Companion Planting

Growing a garden organically requires a little more thought and planning than your standard garden, I think.  You have to really nurse your soil with compost and crop rotation.  Companion planting is another way to get the most out of each plant’s properties, without having to chemically blast them when something goes wrong.

It’s not a sure-fire safeguard, but it does provide some added protection and nurturing.

Companion planting is basically planting certain plants next to each other because they compliment each other in some way–their root systems don’t interfere with one another, one provides a natural insect repellent for the other, one gives nitrogen to the soil and the other taketh away–see where I am going with this?

Companion planting can feel a bit overwhelming.

But all  you really need to know likes to go together and what should be kept apart.  A few years back I made myself a handy-dandy little chart {and posted it}, and since nothing has changed, I thought I would re-post it for you to reference when you are planting your garden over the next few weeks.

~Mavis

For more garden tips check out my garden archives!

Plant Name	Plant Close To:	Keep Away From:	Repels
Basil	Most Garden Crops–especially tomatoes and lettuce	Rue	Mosquitoes
Bush Beans	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Catnip, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumbers, Marigolds, Potatoes, Savory, Strawberries	Fennel, Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Shallots
Pole Beans	Corn, Marigolds, Potatoes, Radishes	Beets, Garlic, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Onions, Shallots
Beets	Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Bush Beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Kohlrabi, Onions	Charlock, Field Mustard, Pole Beans
Borage	Squash, Strawberries		Tomato Worms
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts	Beets, Buckwheat, Calendula, Carrots, Chamomile, Dill, Hyssop, Marigolds, Mints, Nasturtiums, Onions, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Wormwood	Strawberries
Cabbage and Cauliflower	Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Chard, Spinach	Strawberries
Cantaloupe	Corn
Carrots	Cabbage, Chives, Early Potatoes, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Peas, Radishes, Rosemary, Sage, Salsify, Wormwood
Chives	Apples, Berries, Carrots, Grapes, Peas, Roses, Tomatoes		Aphids and Japanese Beetles
Corn	Beans, Cucumbers, Early Potatoes, Melons, Peas, Pumpkins, Soybeans, Squash	Tomatoes
Cucumbers	Beans, Cabbage, Early Potatoes, Radishes, Sunflowers	Late Potatoes
Dill	Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Lettuce, Onions	Carrots
Eggplant	Green Beans, Peppers, Potatoes, Tomatoes
Garlic	Cabbage, Cane Fruits, Fruit Trees, Roses, Tomatoes	Peas, Beans	Japanese Beatles and Aphid, Ermine Moths, and Late Potato blight.
Kale	Aromatic herbs, Buckwheat, Cabbage Family, Marigolds, Nasturtiums	Pole Beans, Strawberries
Kohrabi	Cabbage/Cauliflower Companions {except tomatoes}	Fennel, Pole Beans, Tomatoes
Lettuce	Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Radishes, Strawberries	Cabbage Family
Marigolds	All Garden Crops		Bean Beetles, Aphids, Potato Bugs, Squash Bugs, Nematodes, and Maggots
Marjoram	All Garden Crops
Mustard	Alfalfa Cover Crops, Fruit Trees, Grapes, Legumes
Nasturtiums	Apples, Beans, Cabbage Family, Greenhouse Crops, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Radishes, Squash		Aphids, Potato Bugs, Squash Bugs, Striped Pumpkin Beetles, and Mexican Bean Beetles.  Destroys whiteflies in greenhoues.
Onions	Beets, Cabbage Family, Carrots, Chamomile, Lettuce, Parsnips	Beans, Peas	Many insects/pests–especially maggots
Oregano	All Garden Crops		Many insects/pests
Parsley	Corn, Roses, Tomatoes
Parnips	Onions, Radishes, Wormwood
Peas	Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Early Potatoes, Radishes, Turnip	Garlic, Leeks, Onions Shallots
Peppers	Basil, Carrots, Eggplant, Onions, Parsley, Tomatoes	Fennel, Kohlrabi
Potatoes	Basil, Beans, Cabbage Family, Corn, Eggplant, Flax, Hemp, Marigolds, Peas, Squash	Apples, Birch, Cherries, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Raspberries, Sunflowers, Tomatoes, Walnuts
Radishes	Cervil, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Nasturtiums, Root Crops	Hyssop	Cucumber Beetles
Rosemary	Beans, Cabbage, Carrots		Bean Beetles, Cabbage Moths, and Carrot Flies
Sage	Cabbage Family, Carrots, Tomatoes	Cucumbers	Cabbage Moths and Carrot Flies
Soybeans	Corn, Potatoes
Spinach	Celery, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Strawberries
Strawberries	Borage, Bush Beans, Lettuce, Pyrethrum, Spinach	Cabbage Family
Sunflowers	Cucumbers	Potatoes
Swiss Chard	Bush Beans, Kohrabi, Onions	Pole Beans
Tarragon	All Garden Crops
Thyme	All Garden Crops		Cabbage Moths
Tomatoes	Asparagus, Basil, Carrots, Gooseberries, Mustard, Parsley, Onions, Rosemary, Sage, Chives, Bee Balm, Celery, Pepper	Fennel, Kohlrabi, Potatoes, Walnuts, Dill, Corn
Turnips and Rutabagas	Peas	Knotweed, Mustard