Companion planting is defined as "the idea that certain plants can benefit others when planted next to, or close to one another". The reasons for doing so can singular or multiple: pest repellant, beneficial bug attractant, trap cropping, putting nutrients back into the soil, shading more tender crops, or protecting younger crops.
Below are two charts copied over to help you get started in determining which plants to grow together, some of which you might already know.
| COMPANION PLANTING CHART FOR HOME & MARKET GARDENING (compiled from traditional literature on companion planting) - from ATTRA | ||
| CROP |
COMPANIONS
|
INCOMPATIBLE
|
| Asparagus | Tomato, Parsley, Basil | |
| Beans | Most Vegetables & Herbs | |
| Beans, Bush | Irish Potato, Cucumber, Corn, Strawberry, Celery, Summer Savory | Onion |
| Beans, Pole | Corn, Summer Savory, Radish | Onion, Beets, Kohlrabi, Sunflower |
| Cabbage Family | Aromatic Herbs, Celery, Beets, Onion Family, Chamomile, Spinach, Chard | Dill, Strawberries, Pole Beans, Tomato |
| Carrots | English Pea, Lettuce, Rosemary, Onion Family, Sage, Tomato | Dill |
| Celery | Onion & Cabbage Families, Tomato, Bush Beans, Nasturtium | |
| Corn | Irish Potato, Beans, English Pea, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Squash | Tomato |
| Cucumber | Beans, Corn, English Pea, Sunflowers, Radish | Irish Potato, Aromatic Herbs |
| Eggplant | Beans, Marigold | |
| Lettuce | Carrot, Radish, Strawberry, Cucumber | |
| Onion Family | Beets, Carrot, Lettuce, Cabbage Family, Summer Savory | Beans, English Peas |
| Parsley | Tomato, Asparagus | |
| Pea, English | Carrots, Radish, Turnip, Cucumber, Corn, Beans | Onion Family, Gladiolus, Irish Potato |
| Potato, Irish | Beans, Corn, Cabbage Family, Marigolds, Horseradish | Pumpkin, Squash, Tomato, Cucumber, Sunflower |
| Pumpkins | Corn, Marigold | Irish Potato |
| Radish | English Pea, Nasturtium, Lettuce, Cucumber | Hyssop |
| Spinach | Strawberry, Faba Bean | |
| Squash | Nasturtium, Corn, Marigold | Irish Potato |
| Tomato | Onion Family, Nasturtium, Marigold, Asparagus, Carrot, Parsley, Cucumber | Irish Potato, Fennel, Cabbage Family |
| Turnip | English Pea | Irish Potato |
|
HERB |
COMPANIONS AND EFFECTS |
|
Basil |
Companion to tomatoes; dislikes rue intensely. Improves growth and flavor Repels flies and mosquitoes. |
|
Beebalm |
Companion to tomatoes; improves growth and flavor. |
|
Borage |
Companion to tomatoes, squash and strawberries; deters tomato worm; improves growth and flavor. |
|
Caraway |
Plant here and there; loosens soil. |
|
Catnip |
Plant in borders; deters flea beetle. |
|
Chamomile |
Companion to cabbages and onions; improves growth and flavor |
|
Chervil |
Companion to radishes; improves growth and flavor |
|
Chives |
Companion to carrots; improves growth and flavor |
|
Dead nettle |
Companion to potatoes; deters potato bug; improves growth and flavor |
|
Dill |
Companion to cabbage; dislikes carrots; improves growth and health of cabbage |
|
Fennel |
Plant away from gardens. Most plants dislike it. |
|
Flax |
Companion to carrots, potatoes, deters potato bug; improves growth and flavor |
|
Garlic |
Plant near roses and raspberries; deters Japanese beetle; improves growth and flavor |
|
Horseradish |
Plant at corners of potato patch to deter potato bug |
|
Henbit |
General insect repellant |
|
Hyssop |
Deters cabbage moth; companion to cabbage and grapes. Keep away from radishes. |
|
Lamb’s-quarters |
This edible weed should be allowed to grow in moderate amounts in the garden, especially in corn. |
|
Lemon Balm |
Sprinkle throughout garden. |
|
Lovage |
Improves flavor and health of plants if planted here and there |
|
Marigolds |
The workhorse of the pest deterrents. Plant throughout garden; it discourages Mexican bean beetles, nematodes, and other insects. |
|
Mint |
Companion to cabbage and tomatoes; improves health and flavor; deters white cabbage moth. |
|
Marjoram |
Plant here and there in garden; improves flavors |
|
Mole plant |
Deters moles and mice if planted here and there |
|
Nasturtium |
Companion to radishes, cabbage, and curcubits; plant under fruit trees. Deters aphids, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles; improves growth and flavor. |
|
Petunia |
Protects beans |
|
Pot marigold |
Companion to tomatoes, but plant elsewhere in garden too. Deters asparagus beetle, tomato worm, and general garden pests. |
|
Purslane |
This edible weed makes good ground cover in the corn. |
|
Pigweed |
One of the best weeds for pumping nutrients from the subsoil, it is especially beneficial to potatoes, onions, and corn. Keep weeds thinned. |
|
Peppermint |
Planted among cabbages, it repels the white cabbage butterfly. |
|
Rosemary |
Companion to cabbage, bean, carrots, and sage; deters cabbage moth, bean beetles, and carrot fly. |
|
Rue |
Keep it far away from sweet basil; plant near roses and raspberries; deters Japanese beetle. |
|
Sage |
Plant with rosemary, cabbage, and carrots; keep away from cucumbers. Deters cabbage moth, carrot fly. |
|
Southernwood |
Plant here and there in garden; companion to cabbage, improves growth and flavor; deters cabbage moth. |
|
Sowthistle |
This weed in moderate amounts can help tomatoes, onions and corn. |
|
Summer savory |
Plant with beans and onions; improves growth and flavor. Deters bean beetle. |
|
Tansy |
Plant under fruit trees; companion to roses and raspberries. Deters flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, ants. |
|
Tarragon |
Good throughout garden. |
|
Thyme |
Plant here and there in garden. Deters cabbage worm. |
|
Valerian |
Good anywhere in garden. |
|
Wild morning glory |
Allow it to grow in corn. |
|
Wormwood |
As a border, it keeps animals from the garden. |
|
Yarrow |
Plant along borders, paths, near aromatic herbs; enhances essential oil production. |
The above table is taken from ORGANIC GARDENING AND FARMING MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY, 1972. Copied over from www.gardensimply.com .
Companion planting is the way that nature itself grows. You do not walk into a field in the wild and see only one plant growing there. There are always plants that help each other grow, alternately help control growth, attract beneficial and pollinating insects, or even repel pests.
It is only when people started using mono-culture, that is the planting of a single plant over a wide area, that we began to have serious pest issues in the form of insects or weeds. Now we are not using the natural order of plant growth to keep things in check, and are beginning to reap what we have sown. A movement back to a more natural pattern of existence is our best bet.