Companion Plants by group: Herbs, Flowers, Trees, Vegetables, Berries, Fruit and Mushrooms
Healthy fruits come from healthy plants that live in a community.
Pollination is essential and all fruiting plants and trees should have some pollinator plants (like herbs and flowers) growing in proximity. For easy maintenance of fruit trees it is very useful to plant a nitrogen or nutrient accumulating plant such comfrey or borage closeby.
Companion Planting is an integral part of permaculture and a holistic approach to gardening where you plant different crops in proximity for maximising the use of space, providing nutrients, shade or support, increasing crop productivity, attracting beneficial insects, pest control / repelling pests, pollination or providing a space for beneficial creatures. The concept is an ongoing process of living and learning with nature and increasing biodiversity to support a sustainable Eco system. Below is a quick reference guide for fruit companion planting:
| Name | Good Companions | Not a Companion |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Clover, chives, garlic, leeks, nasturtium, foxgloves, southernwood, daffodils, comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, marigold and other flowers. | Cedar, walnut, grass, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, potatoes. |
| Apricot | Alliums, comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, basil, nasturtiums, buckwheat, plums, peaches, tansy and other flowers, sounternwood. | Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, wheat, eggplant, oats, barley, sage. |
| Avocado | Velvet beans, soya-beans, ration beans, cowpeas, lupin flowers, medics, wheat, rye, barley, teff, vetches, desmodiums, groundnuts, and buckwheat. | |
| Banana | Comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, beans, peas and legumes, flowers, nasturtiums, papaya and sweet potato. | |
| Citrus | Lavender, thyme, dill, hyssop, lemon balm, parsley, marigold, nasturtium, borage, comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, clover, alfalfa. | Avoid plants that are prone to mildew and other fungal infections. |
| Fruit Trees | Fruit trees should be planted in tandem (at least two together), and their best companions are alliums, tansy, comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, nasturtiums, marigold, marjoram, lemon balm, mustards, dandelions, daffodils, borage and other flowers. | Avoid plants that are prone to mildew and other fungal infections. |
| Grapes | Mulberry, elm tree, hyssop, basil, beans, geraniums, oregano, clover, peas, blackberries. | Garlic. |
| Melon | Chamomile and other flowers like nasturtium, oregano, summer savoury, corn, pumpkin, radish, squash. | |
| Papaya | Comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, beans and other climbers, flowers, nasturtiums, banana and sweet potato. | |
| Passion fruit | Potatoes, beets, Swiss chard, carrots, spinach, strawberries, eggplants, onions, leeks, lettuce. | Corn, cowpea, sorghum, sweet potatoe and okra. |
| Peaches | Tansy, borage, basil, southernwood, comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, garlic, onion, asparagus. | Grass, potato, tomato and raspberries. |
| Pear | Any aromatic plant, comfrey and other nitrogen fixing plants, flowers. | Grass, potato, tomato and raspberries. |