Which Vegetables Grow Well Together

Through the many centuries that humans have cultivated gardens, people have noticed which vegetables grow well together, and which plants seem to stunt each other’s growth. Some vegetables, herbs and flowers benefit each other by improving soil, while others deter pests from one another. Companion planting provides a fascinating blueprint for a higher garden yield.

Some vegetables grow well in containers. See which ones in this slideshow.

Companion Planting

Companion planting is the art and science of laying out a vegetable garden so that complimentary types of vegetables are planted in the same bed. Unlike crop rotation, which means successively planting vegetables from different plant families in the same garden area season after season or year after year to minimize insect and disease problems, companion planting aims to create a harmonious garden by allowing nature to share her strengths.

Rules of a Green Thumb

The rule of (green) thumb for companion planting is to note which family the vegetables come from, and think about planting vegetables from complimentary families together. Vegetables from the cabbage family, for example, like to be planted with beets and members of the green leafy vegetable family. Certain herbs will help them by deterring pests. Mint will also improve the flavor of cabbages. You could plant any member of the cabbage family, such as plain old cabbage, broccoli, kale, and others alongside these plants and see a higher yield and improved disease resistance.

Vegetable Enemies

Just like people have likes and dislikes, vegetables actually have likes and dislikes too, particularly for their “next door neighbors” planted alongside them in the garden. Some vegetables will actually stunt the growth and yield from other vegetables. Consult a companion planting chart, such as the one provided below, to make sure you plant vegetables next to each other that do well together.

Easy Reference of Which Vegetables Grow Well Together

The chart below provides quick and easy references for not only which vegetables grow well together, but which to avoid planting together.

Other Companions for Vegetables

Many old-fashioned vegetable gardens, also called kitchen gardens, mixed vegetables, herbs and flowers together. Not only does this type of garden look beautiful, but it also harnesses the power of nature to create an organic garden that naturally repels pests.

Consider the following plant combinations and what they do for one another:

• Marigolds: Marigolds planted near anything repel many insects. You can plant marigolds around tomatoes to repel the ugly green hornworms. These big insects can devour an entire tomato plant in one night. Plant marigolds around your entire vegetable garden to add bright color and repel insects.
• Herbs: Herbs add flavor to foods, and they can also repel insects. Nasturtium and rosemary deter beetles that attack beans. Thyme repels the cabbage worm. Chives and garlic deter aphids. Oregano, like marigolds, is a good all-purple plant for the organic gardener to repel most insect pests. Plant herbs freely among vegetables, tucking basil, oregano, rosemary and chives in among the tomato and pepper plants. You can pretty much harvest the whole thing and make one great tasting dinner!

Companion planting offers every gardener the chance to harness the power of nature for higher yields as well as natural, organic insect control. By tucking a few extract plants among the vegetables, you can increase the garden yield and enjoy a bountiful harvest..

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