Companion Plants by group: Herbs, Flowers, Trees, Vegetables, Berries, Fruit and Mushrooms
Every vegetable bed should have some herbs, nitrogen or nutrient accumulating plants, pollinator plants like flowers and insect plants.
Buy The Medicine Garden Companion Plants eBook. It is a simple reference guide organized into eight categories with an alphabetical listing. It includes Herbs, Berries, Fruit, Flowers, Vegetables, Trees, Plants, and Mushrooms.
Companion Planting is an integral part of permaculture and a holistic approach to gardening where you plant different crops in proximity to maximize the use of space, providing nutrients, shade, or support, increasing crop productivity, attracting beneficial insects, pest control, repelling pests, pollination, and 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 ecosystem.
Below is a quick reference guide for companion planting with vegetables:
| Name | Good Companions | Not a Companion |
|---|---|---|
| Alliums | Alliums include: onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives. Their best companions include fruit trees, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, brassicas, carrots, strawberries, marigolds and other flowers, herbs including mints. | Beans |
| Artichoke | Eggplant, garlic, onions, nasturtium. | |
| Asparagus | Tomatoes, basil, oregano, chives, parsley, beans, carrots, aster family flowers, dill, coriander, comfrey, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansy. | Onions, garlic and potatoes. |
| Beans & legumes | Beets, lettuce, okra, potato, spinach, cabbage, carrots, chards, eggplant, peas, tomatoes, brassicas, corn, cucumbers, grapes, summer savory, beets, cucumbers, borage, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower,corn, larkspur, strawberries, celery, lovage, marigolds, mustards, radish, potato, peppermint, rosemary, onion for some legumes, squash, lacy phacelia. | Alliums, dill, chili peppers, gladiolas. |
| Beetroot | Adds magnesium to the soil. Broccoli, bush beans, cabbage, lettuce, kohlrabi, onions, passion fruit, catnip, garlic, lettuce, most brassicas, mint (clippings as a mulch). | Runner or pole beans, raspberry. |
| Brassicas | Brassicas include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, radish, and turnip. Good companions are beets, onions, potatoes, cereals, spinach, aromatic plants, flowers such as chamomile and marigold, dill, sage, peas, peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, garlic, onions and alliums, geraniums nasturtium, borage, hyssop, tansy, tomatoes, thyme, wormwood, southernwood, beans and clover. | Mustard, nightshade family plants like tomatoes and peppers, pole beans, strawberries. |
| Broccoli | Basil, bush beans, cucumber, dill, garlic, hyssop, lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, potato, radish, rosemary, sage, thyme, tomato, turnip, clover and for flavour you can companion plant broccoli with celery, onions and potatoes. | Grapes, strawberries, mustards and rue. |
| Brussels sprouts | Sage, thyme, clover, barley. Also see brassicas in general. | |
| Cabbage | Beans, celery, clover, marigold, chamomile, larkspur, nasturtiums, dill, coriander, hyssop, onions, beetroot, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, pennyroyal, lettuce, green onions, chives, garlic, Chinese cabbage. | Strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, rue, grapes and pole beans. |
| Carrots | Basil, tomatoes, peas, leeks, onions, chives, beans, lettuce, passion fruit, rosemary, wormwood, sage, flax. | Dill, parsnip, parsley, cabbages, cauliflower, fennel, potatoes, broccoli. |
| Cauliflower | Beans, celery, spinach, peas, Chinese cabbage, marigolds, rape, sunflowers, spinach. | |
| Celery | Bush beans, brassicas in general, cucumbers, flowers, leeks, parsley, spinach, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage. | Corn, aster flowers. |
| Chili Peppers | Tomato, peppers, okra, cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, okra, Swiss chard and squash, basil, oregano, parsley and rosemary. | Beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, fennel. |
| Chives | Improves the flavor of carrots and tomatoes, helps apples and fruit trees, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, mustard and other brassicas. | Beans and peas. |
| Corn | Beans and other legumes, cucubits, soybeans, sunflowers, dill, peanuts, clover, amaranth, pumpkins and squash, geranium, morning glory, sweet potatoe, parsley, potatoe, field mustard, wine cap mushrooms. | Tomatoe, celery. |
| Cucumber | Beans, kohlrabi, lettuce, nasturtiums, radishes, marigolds, sunflowers, peas, chamomile, beets, carrots, dill, onions, garlic, amaranth, celery, spinach. | Potatoes and aromatic herbs. |
| Eggplant | Also known as aubergine. Best companions include beans, nightshade family such as peppers and tomatoes, passion fruit, marigolds, catnip, dill, green beans, tarragon, mints and thyme. | |
| Garlic | Tarragon (encourages growth), peas, vetch, brassicas, beets, roses, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, celery, Chinese cabbage, potatoes, apple trees, pear trees, peach trees. | Grapes (said to affect their growth if planted too close) and strawberries. |
| Ginger | Lillies, taro, other semi-shade loving plants. You can also grow your ginger with lemongrass, chilies and other Asian vegetables. | |
| Horseradish | Potatoes, fruit trees and plants in the nightshade family. Use a bottomless pot to keep them contained. | |
| Kohlrabi | Onions, beets, aromatic plants, cucumbers. | |
| Leek | Carrots, celery, onions, tomato, passion fruit, clover and similar to other alliums. | Beans and legumes. |
| Lettuce | Beets, beans, okra, onions, radish, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, carrots, passion fruit, dill, cucumbers, strawberries, thyme, nasturtiums, alyssum, coriander. | Celery, cabbage, cress, parsley. |
| Mustard | Beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, fruit trees, grapes, radish, Brussels sprouts, turnips. | |
| Nightshades | Includes potatoes, tomatoe, peppers, chili, tobacco. | Beans, black walnut, corn, fennel, dill, brassicas. |
| Okra | Sweet potatoe, tomatoes, peppers, beans, lettuce, squash. | |
| Onion | Beets, beans, brassicas, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, passion fruit, strawberries, chamomile, marigold. | Lentils, peas, asparagus. |
| Parsnip | Fruit trees, bush bean, garlic, marigolds, onion, pea, pepper, potatoe and radish. They can be planted with almost anything that enjoyed being watered regularly. | |
| Peas | Peas can return nitrogen to the soil if they are allowed to live out the season and dug back into the soil. Brassicas, corn, turnip, cauliflower, garlic, mints, celery, carrots, eggplant, spinach, strawberry, sweet pepper, tomatoes. | Chives, grapes, onions. |
| Peppers | Okra, beans, tomatoes, marjoram and other herbs like basil, mustard, fenugreek, lettuces, radishes, parsley, geraniums, clover, onions, petunias. | Fennel and brassicas. |
| Potato | Brassicas, beans, corn, peas, passion fruit, celery, horseradish, marigold, strawberries, peas, onion, garlic, thyme and clover. | Asparagus, carrot, cucumber, pumpkin, raspberries, squash, sunflower and tomato. |
| Pumpkin | Corn, melon, squash, garlic, chives, beans, buckwheat, jimsonweed, catnip, oregano, tansy, radish, nasturtiums. | Potatoes. |
| Radish | Asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, squash, eggplant, cucumber, lettuce, peas, beans, nasturtiums, spinach, beets, carrots, melons, parsnip. | Hyssop, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and turnips. |
| Rhubarb | All brassicas, specifically cabbage and broccoli, garlic, onions, fruit trees, roses and flowers. | |
| Soybean | Corn, snap beans, sunflowers. | |
| Spinach | Inter-plant with squash to use the space, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, lettuces, onion, strawberries, peas and beans for shade. | |
| Squash | Corn, beans, okra, borage, marigold, tansy, nasturtiums, radishes, catnip, mint, melon. | Potatoes. |
| Sweet potato | Okra, aromatic herbs like basil, dill, thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary, root crops like beets, parsnips, bush and pole beans. | Squash (due to space requirements) |
| Tomatoes | Asparagus, basil, beans, carrots, celery, chives, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, marigold and other flowers, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, pea, peppers and sow thistle. | Black walnut, alfalfa, corn, fennel, chili, dill, potatoes, beetroot, rosemary, brassicas. |
| Turnips | Nitrogen fixing plants. Cabbages, peas, broccoli. | Potatoes, radishes, mustard, or other root vegetables. |
Companion Plants by group: Herbs, Flowers, Trees, Vegetables, Berries, Fruit and Mushrooms
QUICK LINKS: Companion Plants online, Companion Plants eBook, Growing Guides, Basic Preparations, Plant Constituents, Plants for Bees – South African Calendar.