Top Ten Veggie Companions For Less Pests

Companion planting has been used for many years for so many reasons. It helps repel parasitic garden bugs, help provide garden climates to different plants, and increase productivity yields. Below is an outline of crops I plant together for better yields and protection!

Tomatoes

The most famous companion for tomatoes is basil. This isn’t just for pizza and pasta night, but also in the garden! Basils aromatic smell repels hornworm. If anyone has ever dealt with hornworm, you know the best thing to do is never have them in your garden. It is also said that basil will make tomatoes sweeter too!

(Picture of my hornworm visitors last year - my chickens ate this guy right on up)

Other companions for tomatoes are chives, onions, garlic, thyme, and nettles!

Cucumbers

Believe it or not, dill is a great companion for cucumbers! Dill attracts beneficial insects that eat cucumber beetle. You can also plant corn and cucumbers together to provide a trellis for cucumbers to grow on!

Sweet Peppers

Sweet peppers respond well being grown near chives. Chives increase both productivity and flavor in sweet peppers. They are also a perennial herb, so you will only need to invest and plant this herb once!

Hot Peppers

Hot peppers respond well to being grown next to marigolds or chamomile, surprisingly. Both produce chemicals that will drive away eelworms and nematodes!

Hot peppers should never be planted next to beans or peas!

Beans

Beans are an amazing nitrogen fixer, which is why they typically should be planted next to nitrogen loving plants like squash. Nasturtiums are also a great companion plant. These flowers repel many common pests. My most favorite companion for beans is rosemary, which also helps repel bean beetles!

Squash

The largest predator for squash is squash bug or squash beetle. There’s a few herbs that can repel these pests: catnip, nasturtiums (quite a multipurpose plant as you can see), bee balm and marigolds.

Corn

Two beneficial herbs for corn are borage and thyme. Borage repels worms that attack corn, and thyme specifically repels corn earworms!

Peas

Mint is an all-time companion for peas. It not only repels pests, but it is said to improve the flavor of your peas! You can also plant peas with lettuces and carrots.

Onions

Onions can be planted next to many things. They repel aphids, Japanese beetles, and rabbits. Spices like rosemary and savory do specifically well with onions. It is said rosemary and onion profiles actually improve when planted close together!

Lettuce The last common plant but certainly not the least! Lettuce is one of my favorites, as it is a cut and come again crop. Carrots are a great companion for lettuce. Lettuce helps keep the soil shaded, while carrots take up residential space below the soil rather than above. Planting them next to each other can save garden space too!

(Some perennial companions: strawberries and asparagus)

There are many companion plants that can be placed near one another. These highlights are garden pairs I have decided to try this year, focusing on hopes of having a little less pests in my gardens!