Companion Planting Garden

For those that don’t know, companion planting refers to planting vegetables, plants and flowers together, that benefit each other in some way.

For example, planting onions next to carrots helps repel carrot fly.  All beans fix nitrogen into the soil via nodules on their roots. Nitrogen is vital for green leafy vegetables, so they will benefit from being planted together, or be planted in the same soil, after the beans have been harvested.

French marigolds produce a pesticidal chemical from their roots and as the old saying goes – plant marigolds everywhere.

There are a number of different combinations, some repel pests and some provide vital nutrients for other plants. The awesome graphic above was created by Roots Nursery, for more information and to see a much larger version of the graphic, check out the link below.

 

Vegetables
Common name	Scientific name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels/Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Alliums	Allium	fruit trees, nightshades (tomatoes, capsicum peppers, potatoes), brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, etc.) carrots	carrots		slugs, aphids, carrot fly, cabbage worms[1]	beans, peas, parsley	Alliums include onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives, and others
Asparagus	Asparagus officinalis	Tomatoes[2]	Aster Family flowers, Dill, Coriander, Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil, Comfrey, Marigolds	coupled with Basil seems to encourage lady bugs		Onion, Garlic, Potatoes
Brassicas	Brassica	potatoes, cereals (e.g. corn, wheat)	geraniums, dill, alliums (onions, shallots, garlic, etc.), rosemary, nasturtium, borage		wireworms	mustards, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, etc.)	Brassicas are a family of species which include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and cauliflower.
Beans	Phaseolus	Corn (see Three Sisters), Spinach, lettuce, rosemary, summer savory, dill, carrots, brassicas, beets, radish, strawberry and cucumbers and mint	Eggplant, Summer savoury		California beetles	Tomatoes, chili peppers, alliums (onions, garlic, etc.), brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, etc.)	Hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria, a good fertiliser for some plants, too much for others
Beets	Beta Vulgaris	lettuce, kohlrabi, onions and brassicas	Catnip, Garlic, Mint			Runner or pole beans[2]	Good for adding minerals to the soil through composting leaves which have up to 25% magnesium. Runner or pole beans and beets stunt each other's growth.
Broccoli	Brassica oleracea		geraniums, dill, alliums, rosemary, nasturtium, borage			mustards, Tomatoes, peppers	Rosemary repels cabbage fly, geraniums trap cabbage worms, same general companion profile as all brassica (cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.)
Cabbage	Brassica oleracea		geraniums, dill, alliums, rosemary			mustards, Tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and pole/runner beans	Rosemary repels cabbage flies, geraniums trap cabbage worms, same general companion profile as all brassica (cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.)
Carrots	Daucus carota	Tomatoes, Alliums (onions, chives, etc.), lettuce	alliums (leeks, shallots, etc.), rosemary, wormwood, sage, beans, flax	assassin bug, lacewing, parasitic wasp, yellow jacket and other predatory wasps		Dill, parsnip, radish	Tomatoes grow better with carrots, but may stunt the carrots' growth. Beans (which are bad for tomatoes) provide the nitrogen carrots need more than some other vegetables. Aromatic companion plants repel carrot fly. Sage, rosemary, and radishes are recommended by some as companion plants, but listed by others as incompatible. Alliums inter-planted with carrots confuse onion and carrot flies. For the beneficial insect-attracting properties of carrots to work, they need to be allowed to flower; Otherwise, use the wild carrot, Queen Anne's Lace, for the same effect. Flax produces an oil that may protect root vegetables like carrots from some pests.
Celery	Apium graveolens		Cosmos, Daisies, Snapdragons			corn, Aster flowers	Aster flowers, can transmit the aster yellows disease
Corn / Maize	Zea mays	beans	Sunflowers, legumes (beans, peas, soybeans etc.), peanuts, cucurbits (squash, cucumbers, melons, etc.), amaranth, white geranium, lamb's quarters, morning glory, parsley, and potato[2]			Tomato, Celery	Provides beans with a trellis, is protected from predators and dryness by cucurbits, in the three sisters technique
Cucumber	Cucumis Sativus		Nasturtiums, radishes, marigolds, sunflowers, peas, beets, carrots, and Dill	Beneficial for ground beetles		Tomato, Sage
Common name	Scientific name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels/Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Eggplant or Aubergine	Solanum melongena	Beans, Peppers	Marigolds, tarragon, mints				Marigolds will deter nematodes.
Leek	Allium ampeloprasum v. porrum	Celery, apple trees	carrots		cabbage worms, aphids, carrot fly, others	Legumes (beans, peas, etc.), Swiss chard	Same companion traits as all alliums (onions, garlic, shallots, chives, etc.)
Lettuce	Lactuca sativa		Radish, Kohlrabi, beans, carrots			celery, cabbage, cress, parsley	Mints (including hyssop, sage, and various "balms") repel slugs, a bane of lettuce and cabbages
Mustard	Brassicaceae, Sinapis alba	Cabbage, cauliflower, radish, Brussels sprouts, turnips			various pests		Same general companion profile as all brassica (cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.)
Nightshades	Solanaceae		carrots, alliums, mints (basil, oregano, etc.)			beans, black walnuts, corn, fennel, dill, brassica (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.)	Nightshade plants include tomatoes, tobacco, chili peppers (including bell peppers), potatoes, eggplant, and others
Common name	Scientific name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels/Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Onion	Allium cepa	Tomatoes, brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, etc.)	Carrots		aphids, carrot fly, other pests	Beans, lentils, peas, parsley	Same companion traits as all other alliums (chives, garlic, shallots, leeks, etc.)
Peppers	Solanaceae, Capsicum	themselves, marjoram	tomatoes, geraniums, petunias	Tomato Hornworm		beans, kale (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.)	Pepper plants like high humidity, which can be helped along by planting with some kind of dense-leaf or ground-cover companion, like marjoram and basil; they also need direct sunlight, but their fruit can be harmed by it...pepper plants grown together, or with tomatoes, can shelter the fruit from sunlight, and raises the humidity level.
Potato	Solanum tuberosum		Horseradish			Atriplex, carrot, cucumber, onion, raspberries, squash, sunflower, tomato	Horseradish increases the disease resistance of potatoes
Parsnip	Pastinaca Sativa	fruit trees		a variety of predatory insects			The flowers of the parsnip plant left to seed will attract a variety of predatory insects to the garden, they are particularly helpful when left under fruit trees, the predators attacking codling moth and light brown apple moth. The root also contains Myristricin, which is toxic to fruit flies, house flies, red spider mite, pea aphids, a simple blender made extraction of three blended parsnips roots to one litre of water through a food processor (not one for preparing food) and left overnight, strained and use within a few days.
Pumpkin and other Squash	Curcurbita spp	corn, beans	Buckwheat, catnip, tansy, radishes	Spiders, Ground Beetles			Radishes can be used as a trap crop against flea beetles, Curcurbita can be used in the three sisters technique
Radish	Raphanus sativus	squash, eggplant, cucumber,[2] lettuce			flea beetles, cucumber beetles		Radishes can be used as a trap crop against flea beetles
Spinach	Spinacia oleracea		Peas, Beans				The peas and beans provide natural shade for the spinach
Tomatoes	Solanum lycopersicum	roses, peppers, asparagus	basil,[3] oregano, parsley, carrots, marigold, Alliums, celery, Geraniums, Petunias, Nasturtium, Borage, any type of onion or chives	Tomato Hornworm	asparagus beetle	Black walnut, corn, fennel, peas, dill, potatoes, beetroot, brassicas (kohlrabi, cabbage, etc.), rosemary	Black walnuts inhibit tomato growth, in fact they are negative allelopathic to all other nightshade plants (chili pepper, potato, tobacco, petunia) as well, because it produces a chemical called juglone. Dill attracts tomato hornworm. Growing tomatoes with Basil does not appear to enhance tomato flavour but studies have shown that growing them around 10 inches apart can increase the yield of tomatoes by about 20%.[3]

Herbs

Herbs
Common name	Scientific name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels / Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Basil	Ocimum basilicum	tomato,[3] peppers, oregano, asparagus, petunias	chamomile, anise	butterflies	asparagus beetle, mosquitoes, thrips and flies	common rue	is said to make tomatoes taste better, chamomile and anise are supposed to increase the essential oils in many herbs like basil
Borage	Borago officinalis	Almost everything, especially strawberry, cucurbits (cucumber, gourds), tomatoes and cabbage		Predatory insects, honeybees	many pests		Predict a square meter for its adult size. Borage is the magic bullet of companion plants[citation needed]
Caraway	Carum carvi	Strawberries		Parasitic wasps, parasitic flies
Chamomile	Matricaria recutita	Basil, Wheat, Onion, Cabbage, Cucumber		Hoverflies, wasps			Growing near herbs will increase their oil production.
Chervil	Anthriscus cerefolium	Radish, lettuce, broccoli			aphids	radish	loves shade, fortunately it grows well with shade-tolerant food plants; will make radishes grown near it taste spicier
Cilantro / Coriander	Coriandrum sativum	spinach	beans, peas	tachinid fly	aphids, spider mites, white flies and potato beetle
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum	Apples, carrots, tomatoes, brassica (broccoli, cabbage, mustard, etc.), many others	carrots		cabbage worms, carrot fly, aphids	beans, peas	Same companion traits as all alliums (onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, etc.)said to prevent apple scab after 3 years planting at base of apple trees
Common name	Scientific name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels / Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Dill	Anethum graveolens	Cabbages, Corn, Lettuce, Onions, Cucumbers		Tiger Swallowtail butterflies/caterpillars, Hoverflies, Wasps, Tomato Hornworm, honeybees, Ichneumonid Wasps	Aphids, spider mites, squash bugs, cabbage looper	carrots, tomatoes	one of the few plants said to grow with fennel
Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare	Dill	Dill	ladybugs, syrphid fly, tachinid fly	aphids	Almost everything	Fennel is allelopathic to most garden plants, inhibiting growth, causing to bolt, or actually killing many plants
Garlic	Allium sativum	Apple trees, Pear trees, Roses, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Celery			Aphids, cabbage looper, ants, rabbits, cabbage maggot, vampires	Beans, cabbages, peas	Deters rabbits, same companion traits as all alliums (onions, chives, shallots, leeks, etc.)
Hemp	Cannabis sativa L. subsp. sativa	Brassica (cabbage, brussels sprouts, other kales)					Repels many types of beetles which attack cabbages.
Hyssop	Hyssopus officinalis	Cabbage, grapes		honeybees, butterflies	Cabbage moth larvae, Cabbage Butterflies		Stimulates growth of grapes.
Lovage	Levisticum officinale	Almost all plants	beans	Ichneumonid Wasps, ground beetles (good)		rhubarb	Is thought to improve the health of almost all plants, like borage and geraniums, is considered a "magic bullet" of companion planting
Oregano	Origanum vulgare	Tomatoes, peppers, many other plants	basil		aphids		provides ground cover and much-needed humidity for pepper plants if allowed to spread among them
Parsley	Petroselinum crispum	Asparagus, corn/maize, tomatoes		Swallowtail Butterflies, wasps, flies		Alliums, lettuce	Sacrificially attracts insects that predate upon tomatoes
Common name	Scientific name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels / Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Peppermint	Mentha piperita	Brassica (cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, and the other kales)			cabbage fly, ants, cabbage looper		Repels cabbage flies, has same general companion properties as other mints
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis	sage, cabbage, beans, carrots, thyme			bean beetle	basil	Deters cabbage flies, repels many bean parasites
Sage	Salvia officinalis	rosemary, cabbage, beans, carrots		honeybees, cabbage butterfly	cabbage flies, carrot fly, black flea beetle, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot		Deters cabbage flies, repels many bean parasites
Southernwood	Artemisia abrotanum	Fruit trees					Controls cabbage moths and malaria mosquitoes.
Spearmint	Mentha spicata				ants, aphids		Controls ants and aphids, has same general companion properties as other mints.
Summer Savoury	Satureja hortensis	Green beans, onions,					also delays germination of certain foul herbs
Tansy	Tanacetum vulgare	beans, cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, etc.), corn, roses		honeybees	flying insects(Ichneumonid Wasps), Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs and ants		Is reputed to generally repel insects (except for nectar-eating types). This herb should not be consumed, as it is quite toxic.
Tarragon	Artemisia dracunculus	Everything, but especially eggplant					Its scent is disliked by most pests, and this plant is also thought to have Nurse Plant properties, enhancing the growth and flavor of crops grown with it.
Thyme		Cabbage and broccoli					Deters white fly

Flowers

Flowers
Common Name	Latin Name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels / Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Geraniums	Pelargonium spp.	Roses, corn, peppers, grapes			leafhoppers, Japanese beetles	Tomatoes, Tobacco, Eggplants and other nightshades	A trap crop, attracting pests away from roses and grape vines, distracts beet leafhoppers, carrier of the curly top virus, keep away from Solanaceous plants like eggplant, and tobacco
Lupin	Lupinus	Cucurbits, brassica, lettuce, rosemary, dill, strawberry	summer savory	Honeybees		tomatoes and other solanaceae	This wildflower is a legume, hosting bacteria that fixes nitrogen in the soil, fertilizing it for neighboring plants
Marigold	Asteraceae Calendula Tagetes	most plants, especially tomatoes and peppers, cucurbits (cucumbers, gourds, squash), brassicas (broccoli, kale, cabbage)		snails	nematodes, beet leaf hoppers, other pests		Marigolds are a wonder-drug of the companion plant world, invoking the saying "plant them everywhere in your garden". French marigolds produce a pesticidal chemical from their roots, so strong it lasts years after they are gone. Mexican marigolds do the same, but are so strong they will inhibit the growth of some more tender herbs. Certain Varieties of marigolds (Tagetes) can help manage eelworms (Root-knot nematode) when planted the year before [1]. Tagetes has also been found effective against perennial weeds such as Ranunculus ficaria (Celandine), Aegopodium podagraria (Ground elder), Glechoma hederacea (Ground ivy), Agropyron repens (Couch grass), Convolvulus arvensis (Field bindweed), Equisetum arvense (Field/Common Horsetail) and other 'starchy' weeds.[citation needed]
Petunia	Petunia x hybrida	cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, cucumbers), asparagus			leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, aphids, asparagus beetle		Is a trap crop almost identical to geraniums in function
Nasturtium	Tropaeolum majus	Many plants, especially cucurbits (melons, cucumbers, gourds), beans, tomatoes, apple trees, brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, etc.), radish[citation needed]		predatory insects	aphids, cabbage looper, squash bug, white fly, cucumber beetles	radish[citation needed], cauliflower	Both work as trap crops for aphids, is among the best at attracting predatory insects[citation needed]
Sunflower	Helianthus annuus	corn, tomatoes			aphids		Was grown as a companion for corn(maize) before modern Europeans arrived in the Americas, supposedly increases their production, ants herd aphids onto sunflowers, keeping them off neighboring plants
Tansy	Tanacetum vulgare	cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, etc.), raspberries and relatives, roses, corn			sugar ants, Japanese beetles, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, mice		Toxic to many animals, don't plant it where livestock browse
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	many plants		predatory wasps, ladybugs, hoverflies, damselbugs			May increase the essential oil production of some herbs. Also improves soil quality, use the leaves to enrich compost, or as mulch.
Zinnia	Zinnia	beans, tomatoes, peppers			whiteflies		Attracts hummingbirds that eat whitflies, attracts pollinators

Other

Other
Common Name	Latin Name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels / Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Alfalfa	Medicago sativa	Cotton		assassin bug, big-eyed bug, Ladybug, parasitic wasps	Lygus bugs		Used by farmers to reduce cotton pests, a good crop to improve soil; fixes nitrogen like beans do. Also breaks up hardpan and other tough soil.

Trees

Common Name	Latin Name	Helps	Helped by	Attracts	Repels / Distracts	Avoid	Comments
Apple	Malus domestica		Clover, Chive, Garlic, Leek, Nasturtium, Southernwood, Daffodils, Comfrey			Cedar because of apple-cedar rust. Walnut because its roots produce growth inhibitors that apple trees are sensitive to[4]
Apricot	Prunus armeniaca					peppers	A fungus that peppers are prone to can infect apricot trees causing a lot of harm.
Walnut	Juglans		European Alder (sacrifice plant)				Black walnut is harmful to the growth of all nightshade plants, including Datura or Jimson weed, eggplant, mandrake, deadly nightshade or belladonna, capsicum (paprika, chile pepper), potato, tomato, and petunia.