Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops to grow in the home garden, sometimes with less than desirable results. To boost your yields, you might try companion planting next to tomatoes. Luckily, there are many suitable tomato plant companions. If you are new to companion planting, the following article will give you some insight into plants that grow well with tomatoes.
Companions for Tomatoes
When we are talking about companions for tomatoes, we aren’t talking about the type of support humans get from friends and family, but in a sense, maybe we are. Companion planting is a form of polyculture or using multiple crops in the same space to the mutual benefit of each – much as humans benefit from those we interact with. These benefits include pest and disease control, aid in pollination, and offering refuge for beneficial insects, all of which will increase crop yields. Companion planting also increases the diversity of the garden, much as mankind’s diversity has been increased with various ethnicities, religions, and cultures. This merging brings out our strengths, but it can also bring out our weaknesses. The same is true when growing tomato plant companions. The right tomato companions will engender a healthier plant with better fruit yields. The wrong tomato companions can have disastrous results.
Companion Planting Next to Tomatoes
Plants that grow with tomatoes can include vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
Vegetables
Plants that grow well with tomatoes include all the members of the onion family such as chives, onions, and garlic. Their pungent odor is said to deter insect pests. Can you plant tomatoes and peppers together? Peppers, both sweet and hot, are excellent companion plants. Probably since they are related; they are both in the nightshade family. Many greens, such as spinach, lettuce, and arugula, enjoy the company of tomatoes and benefit from the shade provided by the taller tomato plants. Carrots are also plants that grow well with tomatoes. Carrots can be started when the tomato plants are small and will grow in conjunction and are then ready to harvest about the time the tomato plants are taking over the space. Can tomatoes and cucumbers be planted together? Absolutely. Cucumbers and tomatoes have similar growing conditions, so they make excellent neighbors. Asparagus and tomatoes, when planted together, get mutual benefits. For the tomatoes, the close proximity of asparagus wards off nematodes and for the asparagus the nearness of tomatoes repels asparagus beetles.
Herb plants and flowers
Borage deters tomato hornworm. Parsley and mint are also good companion herbs for tomatoes and deter a number of pests. Basil is also a favorable plant to grow near tomatoes and purportedly increases not only the vigor of the tomatoes, but their flavor as well. Flowers such as marigolds keep nematodes from attacking tomato plants and their sharp odor confuses other insects. Nasturtiums help to deter whiteflies as well as aphids.
Plants to Avoid Planting with Tomatoes
Plants that should not share space with tomatoes include the Brassicas, such as broccoli and cabbage. Corn is another no-no and tends to attract tomato fruit worm and/or corn ear worm. Kohlrabi thwarts the growth of tomatoes and planting tomatoes and potatoes increases the chance of potato blight disease. Fennel shouldn’t be planted near tomatoes, or near much of anything else actually. It inhibits the growth of the tomatoes and many other types of plants too.
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FAQs
All I knew was marigolds and tomatoes grow great together. Not that marigolds helped repel the tomato hornworm, and borage helps repel the hornworm as well. Planting basil next to tomatoes will help enhance their flavor.
What pairs well with tomatoes? ›
If you want to experiment with more herbs, here are a few extra options that taste great with Tomatoes:
- Parsley.
- Dill.
- Rosemary.
- Thyme.
- Chives.
More Herbs & Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away: Don't just stop at planting Marigolds with your tomatoes. For further protection from pest bugs, you can also plant basil, beans, bee balm, borage, sweet alyssum, chives, garlic, nasturtium, mint, anise, onion, and parsley.
What causes tomatoes to grow together? ›
Why are my tomatoes growing together? A fasciation of flowers can cause two fruits to fuse and grow together. This phenomenon can occur in many different fruits. Genetics, bacteria, fungal or viral problems, the environment, and herbicide damage can cause the fasciation of plant parts.
Should I plant all my tomatoes together? ›
They recommend spacing tomato plants two feet or more apart. Air circulation is particularly important considering that disease spread quickly in humid situations, according to researchers from the UC Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center.
What should not be mixed with tomato? ›
Tomatoes, which are considered acidic, do not mix well with starchy carbs such as pasta. This already-cumbersome combo turns into a recipe for digestive problems when you add dairy to it.
Can you put bananas with tomatoes? ›
This pair is actually on the list of what fruit and veggies not to store together. Fruits and vegetables that do a lot of ripening after they're picked, such as tomatoes, bananas, kiwis and honeydew melons, are best stored apart.
What flower keeps bugs off tomatoes? ›
Petunias
Another great flower to have in your vegetable garden are petunias. Known for warding off tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, and squash bugs, petunias are a pesticide-free way to protect your garden from unwanted pests.
Why plant marigolds with tomatoes? ›
Marigolds help attract bees and other beneficial insects to tomato plants. Although tomato plants are self-pollinating plants, they do benefit from insect pollination to increase the fruit production of each plant. Marigolds also attract beneficial insects that will eat pests that would otherwise harm tomato plants.
Can I plant peppers next to tomatoes? ›
Tomatoes. Although it's usually recommended to not plant tomatoes and peppers right after each other in the same bed every year, they can be grown together in the same garden bed (and then rotated to another bed next season).
Cucumbers and tomatoes can be planted by each other as they share similar growing habits and therefore you can grow tomatoes by cucumbers. Greg Volente from Greenhouse Today explains that: 'Cucumbers and tomatoes are two vigorous growers in a spring garden. They're both vining plants and share similar basic needs.
What to put under tomato plants? ›
Compost and composted manure are great additions to the soil for tomatoes and lots of other plants. Compost adds basic nutrients and improves soil structure. Composted manure provides nutrients all season long. Composted manure: This provides a slow release of nutrients over the growing season.
Can you plant zucchini and tomatoes together? ›
Zucchini and tomatoes can be grown as close neighbors and will make satisfactory companion plants. Both vegetables thrive in the same environmental conditions, so a garden plot that is ideal for one plant is therefore ideal for the other. They both need a location with full sun and benefit from nutrient-rich soil.
