While I believe the best way to get started with gardening is to just get started, there are some things that you can do to boost your success rate. One of these ways is to work with companion planting.
This post is going to show you the ultimate guide to companion planting!
There are some plants that are best friends and can compliment each other super well and some plants that…aren’t. In this guide we will go over what vegetables to plant together to increase yield, help with pests or improve flavour.
I followed companion planting when I first started my garden and it yielded very good results! This year I am planning my garden using square foot gardening techniques as well as companion planting.
Let’s dive in to the ultimate guide to companion planting!
Why should you start using companion planting in your garden?
There are so many reasons companion planting makes sense! Here are a few of the reasons.
- You can significantly improve the flavour of your vegetables by planting them together. Things like tomato and basil compliment each other and the basil makes the tomatoes more flavourful. We will cover this more down below.
- You can repel pests. Planting onions with your carrots can keep bugs away as their strong odour will mask the scent of the other vegetables. I am all for finding ways to decrease pests naturally!
- They can increase yield. Back to tomato and basil as the basil will help boost the growth of the tomatoes and planting beans and peas will help fix the nitrogen in the soil for nitrogen loving plants such as sweet corn (which is why the three sisters garden method was so popular!)
- Some flowers can attract pest eating bugs (hello ladybugs!) and others can be a decoy plant that caterpillars or aphids prefer over your tender plants so you can yield a less disturbed harvest.
How to start companion planting
After you have decided which plants you want to grow in your garden, it is time to start the planning process. There are a few ways you can do this.
First you will need to figure out how much space you are working with and then you need to figure out what type of gardening you are going for.
You can absolutely just throw some seeds in the dirt and hope for the best but having a structured plan will increase your yield and allow you to put some of these companion planting principles into place.
I start with this garden planner to figure out which seeds I am going to start and when and then I move on to the layout of my garden. Click below for a free garden planning printable to start this process.
Companion planting chart
Now is the time to consult the companion planting chart to figure out what goes where. (You can download this chart below.)
Let's start with the foes
There are far fewer foes when it comes to planting so it is easier to start there. Here is a list of plants you should NEVER plant together. (Never is a strong word, but try to avoid it if you can.)
Broad beans and onions
Bush beans and chives, garlic, leeks, beets, and onions
Beets and borage
Brassicas and eggplant, peppers, potatoes or tomatoes
Carrots with dill, parsnips and potato
Chives and beans/peas
Corn and celery or potatoes
Cucumber and potato and sage
Dill and carrots and tomato
Eggplant and fennel
Fennel goes with almost nothing lol If you want to grow it, plant it away from your precious veggie garden
Garlic and peas or beans
Kohlrabi and peppers pole beans, strawberries and tomatoes
Leeks and beans and peas
My pepper plants with cucumber and zinnias plus my dog, Molly. We got a huge harvest from companion planting in our raised beds!
Companion planting pairs
Now that we have gotten the foes out of the way, we can move on to which plants you should absolutely plant together for huge harvests.
Tomato and basil (improves tomato flavour and repels pests)
Carrots and onions (the strong scent of onion keeps away pests)
Beans and corn (beans fix the nitrogen in the soil for the corn)
Cucumber and nasturtium (lures away pests)
Lettuce and tall plants such as sunflowers or corn (lettuce is a cool weather crop so the shade can be beneficial)
Marigolds and almost all plants (marigolds deter whitefly and other pests while attracting pollinators)
Squash and corn (part of the 3 sisters pairing)
Garlic and beans (the garlic deters pests)
Parsley and almost any plant (parsley attracts beneficial insects that can control pest insects)
If you are looking for a chart that outlines all of the best and worst companion pairings, click the link below for your free download. This will help you plan out your garden for much better yields.
Now that we understand why we should companion plant...
It is time to make the plan. I like to take my garden planner and companion planting chart and print them off so I have a hard copy in front of me to play with as well as a 4×4 blank grid.
It is important to know your goals as that will change the way we plan. For instance, if you are looking for an herb garden, you aren’t going to focus on the vegetables. If you only want a garden for snacking, you will choose plants that you don’t need to cook.
Decide which type of garden you want to grow and start in the top corner with plants that have fewer companions. If I were growing an herb garden, I would put cilantro in one of the corners as it has fewer companions. Next I would add basil to one of the side squares and oregano to the other side. Then you can keep working up from there.
This same method works for all different types of gardens and is the best way to ensure space is maximized.
There you have it! The ultimate guide to companion planting with a companion planting chart!
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