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Did you know plants have best friends and enemies? Your garden beds might as well be a catty high school cafeteria and you don’t want the potatoes sitting down at the tomato’s table. Ok maybe it’s not quite that bad (maybe I just have too many teenagers running around my house!). But plants do have “friends” and just like human friendships, plant friends help each other grow. This is called companion planting.
Science behind Companion Planting
There are plenty of ways plants can help each other out. Tall plants (like sunflowers) can help shade shorter shade loving plants (like lettuce). Sometimes a companion can deter pests that like to go after their friend. For instance, nematodes love to eat melons, but hate the smell of marigolds so by planting them together you can naturally deter nematodes.
Bean vines attract beneficial insects (like spiders) that like to prey on insects that will eat your corn. Onion’s strong smell can deter many kinds of pests. Some companions can also enhance the taste of plants they are sharing soil with. Basil will improve most plants, but works especially well with tomatoes. Dill & cucumbers are another obvious pairing.
Companion plants could also be plants that compliment rather than compete for resources. Beans help fix soil by adding in extra nitrogen – something that nitrogen loving tomatoes would appreciate. Calendula attracts a wide range of pollinators so makes a great friend for lots of plants that flower like squash and cucumbers.
The entire concept of companion planting just reinforces my belief that your garden is meant to be a diverse mix, not rows and rows of the exact same plant! A great way to showcase companion planting is in a square foot garden – click here to learn about square foot gardening




tomatoes & calendula
Bad Pairings
With every good there comes some bad. There are some plant pairings that you should avoid. Potatoes & tomatoes are both members of the nightshade family and are effected by the same types of blight. Planting them together can contribute to the spread of disease. They also are both heavy nitrogen feeders so they could compete for resources, stunting the growth of both. Carrots planted near tomatoes will have stunted growth due to tomato’s extensive root systems. Onions & beans can also stunt each other’s growth.
Companion Planting Guide for Common Backyard Plants
Following is a guide to some of the most commonly found plants for gardeners. “Friends” are plants that will help that plant, “enemies” are ones that will hinder that plant. They aren’t always the same! A good example is with carrots & tomatoes. When you plant carrots near tomatoes, the carrots will be stunted by the huge root structure of the tomato. But the tomato will grow better & be more flavorful. So carrots are a friend of tomatoes, but tomatoes are an enemy of carrots. Planting flowers like marigolds, calendula, sunflowers & nasturtiums not only make your garden gorgeous and more diverse, they also attract a ton of pollinators and beneficial insects so it’s a great idea to sprinkle them all around!
Asparagus
friends: tomatoes, parsley
enemies: onions, garlic, potatoes
Basil
friends: pretty much everyone, but especially tomatoes, asparagus & peppers
enemies: none
Beans, Bush
friends: beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, marigolds, potatoes, strawberries
enemies: garlic, leeks, onions, shallots
Beans, Pole
friends: corn, marigolds, potatoes, radishes
enemies: beets, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots
Brassicas (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower..)
friends: beets, chamomile, dill, mint, rosemary, sage, onions, garlic
enemies: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, strawberries
Carrot
friends: lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, rosemary
enemies: dill, parsnips, tomatoes, potatoes
Corn
friends: beans, cucumbers, melons, peas, pumpkins, squash, sunflowers
enemies: tomatoes, celery
Cucumber
friends: beans, cabbage, corn, radishes, sunflowers, marigolds, carrots, dill
enemies: late potatoes
Eggplant
friends: green beans, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, spinach
enemies: none
Garlic
friends: cabbage, cane fruits, roses, tomato, celery, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes
enemies: peas, beans
Lettuce
friends: beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, strawberries, onions, cucumbers, sunflowers
enemies: cabbage, celery, parsley
Marigold (Calendula)
friends: everyone!
enemies: none
Melons
friends: corn, marigolds, nasturtiums, pumpkin, radish, squash, sunflowers
enemies: potatoes
Nasturtiums
friends: apples, beans, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes
enemies: none
Onion
friends: beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, dill, strawberries, tomatoes
enemies: beans, peas, asparagus
Oregano
friends: everyone!
enemies: none
Peas
friends: beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, early potatoes, radishes, turnip, mint, strawberries, eggplant
enemies: garlic leeks, onions, shallots
Peppers
friends: basil, carrots, eggplant, onions, parsley, tomatoes, sunflowers
enemies: beans, kale, Brussel sprouts
Potato
friends: basil, beans, cabbage, corn, eggplant, marigolds, peas, squash, garlic
enemies: carrots, sunflowers, cucumber, pumpkin, tomato, melons
Spinach
friends: celery, cauliflower, eggplant, strawberries, peas, beans
enemies: potato
Strawberries
friends: bush beans, lettuce, spinach, garlic, onions, peas
enemies: brassicas
Sunflowers
friends: cucumbers, squash, pumpkins
enemies: potatoes
Tomatoes
friends: asparagus, basil, cabbage, carrots, parsley, onions, rosemary, sage, marigold, corn, beans
enemies: fennel, potatoes, dill, walnut trees




Sorry Beyonce, you nibble on too many of my plants – chickens are not a friend of the garden! But thanks for the compost
Carol
Saturday 14th of April 2018
Would we call basil, marigolds, and oregano the popular plants since they're friends with everyone? Super helpful post just in time for my garden planning, thanks for sharing! Oh and I love that you've named your barred rock Beyonce - our toddler named ours Buddy.
Liz
Sunday 15th of April 2018
Definitely! Basil, marigolds & oregano would certainly sit at the popular kids table lol. Beyonce has been an awesome hen who has lived up to her fabulous name :)