Companion Planting

Most of us who have gardened for a couple of seasons have heard the term “companion planting”. Although there are numerous definitions of this term in books and all over the internet, the simplest, and to my opinion the best explanation of the term is “the practice of planting crops in a way that will create a harmonious and mutually beneficial environment for the focal plants.”

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What that means is that for every plant you are trying to grow, there is a plant that can help it grow better. The most common and well known pair of companion plants are tomatoes and basil. Not only do they go well together in Italian cousin, but they also do well together in your garden.

There are different ways plants can benefit each other in different ways. Some help by producing chemicals that repel the pests from the focal plant. Others help by breaking down nutrients so your focal plant can absorb them better and faster.

Companion planting is a very old practice. Long ago, farmers must have noticed that when certain plants grow next to their crop, their crop grows better or is less in danger of being attacked by harmful insects. They tried multiple combinations of crops and companion plants and over the years, creating a list that is still used by many gardeners around the world.

The list below is put together from a combination of information from around the internet. Keep in mind that gardening in California is not the same as it is for the majority of the US. Lettuce is a winter crop for us, so planting it with tomatoes would not work. Please share your experience and the plant companions that work for you.

COMPANION PLANTING CHART

Plant Type	Compatible For Companion Planting	Incompatible
Anise	Coriander
Basil	Tomatoes
Bee Balm	Tomatoes, Peppers
Borage	Tomato, Squash, Strawberries
Caraway	Peas	Fennel
Catnip	Turnips, Eggplants, Peppers
Chives	Tomatoes, Carrots, Grapes, Roses	Peas, Beans
Cilantro / Coriander	Beans, Spinach, Peas	Fennel
Dill	Onions, Lettuce, Cucumbers	Carrots, Cabbage, Tomatoes
Fennel	plant by itself if possible.	Cilantro
Garlic	Roses, Cabbage, Raspberries, Tomatoes, Eggplant	Peas, Beans
Horseradish	Potatoes
Lemon Balm	Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Turnips, Rutabagas
Mint	Cabbage, Tomatoes
Parsley	Tomato, Corn, Asparagus
Rosemary	Beans, Cabbage, Carrots, Sage
Sage	Rosemary, Cabbage, Carrots	Cucumbers, Beans
Savory	Beans, Cabbage, Onions
Thyme	Cabbage, Eggplants, Potatoes, Tomatoes
Marigold	Potatoes, Peppers, Eggplants	Beans
Nasturtiums	beans, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins
Sunflowers	melon, pumpkin, squash

Blackberries	Dill, Carrots
Grapes	Blackberries, Beans, Peas	Radish, Cabbage
Melon (Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Watermelon)	Sunflower, Radishes, Beets, Corn	Potatoes
Strawberries	Borage, Peach Trees	Possibly Cabbage
Asparagus	Tomato, Parsley, Basil, Lettuce
Beans, Bush	Potato, Celery, Cucumbers, Corn, Strawberry, Summer Savory, Carrots	Onions, Fennel, Sage
Beans, Pole	Corn, Summer Savory, Radish, Tomato	Onion, Beets, Kohlrabi, Garlic, Chives, Sage
Beets	Bush beans, Lettuce, Onions, Kohlrabi, Cabbage, Mint, Carrots	Pole beans, Mustard
Broccoli	Marigold, Sage, Beets, Nasturtium, Lettuce	Tomato
Brussels Sprouts	Aromatic Herbs, Carrot, Dill	Tomato
Cabbage	Celery, Onions, Potatoes, Aromatic Herbs, Beets, Chamomile, Spinach, Chard	Strawberries, Tomatoes, Pole beans, Dill
Cabbage, Chinese	Celery, Onions, Potatoes
Carrots	Lettuce, Radish, Onions, Tomatoes, Peas, Rosemary, Sage, Leeks, beans	Dill, Anise
Cauliflower	Sage, Thyme, Mint	Grapes
Celeriac	Leeks, Tomato, Beans, Cabbage
Celery	Onions, Tomato, Cabbage, Bush Beans, Nasturtium, Leeks
Chard		Potatoes
Chervil	Radishes
Corn	Pumpkins, Sunflower, Peas, Beans, Cucumbers, Potatoes, Squash	Tomatoes
Cucumbers	Corn, Peas, Radishes, Beans, Sunflowers, Cabbage	Aromatic herbs, Potatoes, Sage
Eggplant	Beans, Marigold, Lettuce
Garlic	Roses, Cabbage, Raspberries, Tomatoes, Eggplant	Peas, Beans
Kohlrabi	Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower	Tomatoes, Beans, Strawberries
Leeks	Carrots, Onions, Celery	Peas, Beans
Lettuce	Onions, Strawberries, Beans, Carrots, Radishes, Peas, Cucumbers, Cabbage, Broccoli. Tomatoes
Okra	Marigolds, Eggplant, Peppers
Onions (& family including, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives)	Lettuce, Beets, Carrots, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Cabbage, Summer Savory	Peas, Beans, Sage
Parsnip	Peas, Beans
Peas	Carrots, Cucumbers, Corn, Turnips, Radishes, Beans, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Aromatic Herbs	Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Shallots, Gladiolus
Peppers	Tomato, Basil, Parsley, Petunias, Carrots, Onions, Okra, Marigolds, Cilantro, Catnip, Tansy, Nasturtium	Fennel, Kohlrabi, Beans
Potatoes	Beans, Corn, Cabbage Family, Marigolds, Horseradish, Lettuce, Radishes, Scallions	Pumpkin, Squash, Tomato, Cucumber, Sunflower, Chard, Raspberries
Pumpkins	Corn, Marigold, Beans, Sunflowers	Potato, Raspberries
Radishes	Beets, Carrots, Spinach, Parsnips, Cucumbers, Beans, Lettuce, Peas, Kohlrabi, Nasturtium, Peas	Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Turnips, Hyssop, Grapes
Rutabaga	Mint, Sage, Thyme, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage	Grapes, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Pole beans, Dill
Spinach	Celery, Eggplants, Cabbage, Peas, Onions, Brussels Sprouts, Peppers
Squash	Radishes, Cucumbers, Corn, Nasturtium, Mint, Aromatic Herbs	Potatoes, possibly Tomatoes
Tomatoes	Carrots, Onions, Nasturtium, Asparagus, Cucumber, Aromatic Herbs (Parsley, Dill, Lovage, etc.), Spinach, Basil	Cabbage, Cauliflower, Fennel, Potatoes, Black Walnut, possibly Squash
Turnip	Peas, Brussels Sprouts, Beans	Potatoes

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