Not all plants make good neighbors.
Avoid these common companion planting mistakes in your vegetable or herb beds for a more productive garden.
In a healthy, productive garden, there are plants that should not be planted together.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
The buckwheat will help keep weeds away from brassica while attracting helpful insects.
It just takes a bit of research before you roll planting to know which plants pair well.
In this guide, you’ll find 11 companion planting mistakes to avoid.
Credit: Layne Kennedy
Strawberries do well alongside lettuce, spinach, and rhubarb.
Sage with Cucumber
Cucumber and sage just don’t get along.
The herb limits the growth of nearby cucumber vines and reduces harvests, too.
Credit:Bob Stefko
Sage repels pests from nearby crops like brassicas and tomatoes.
While this makesalliums great companionsfor most vegetables and herbs,asparagusand alliums just dont mix.
Alliums appear to inhibit the growth of asparagus, and their large bulbs can interfere with asparagus crowns.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Alliums are excellent neighbors to beets, brassicas, tomatoes, and more.
When interplanted together, alliums can stunt the growth of legume plants and reduce harvest yields.
What to try instead:Beans or peas are great corn companions, putting nitrogen back into the soil.
Credit: Bob Stefko
Corn also does well with sprawling, low-growing cucumbers and squash, giving them some needed shade.
Dill and Carrots
Dillandcarrotsare both members of the Umbellifer family, and they have similar growing needs.
Tryplanting carrotswith sage to ward off carrot rust flies or with radishes, which have similar growing needs.
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
But one plant you should keep away from grapevines is cabbage.
Other brassica plants, likecauliflower, may also not be the best choice for growing near grapevines.
What to try instead:Grapevines do well with many herbs, including thyme and rosemary.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Try cabbage with any of the many plants that repel cabbage worms, including alliums andcelery.
What to try instead:Rue makes an excellent companion torosesandraspberries, warding off common pests.
Basil does well alongside tomatoes and is even believed to improve the flavor of the fruits when grown together.
Credit:Kindra Clineff
If possible, avoid the plant pairings in this guide.
West Virginia University Extension.
Companion Planting & Botanical Pesticides: Concepts & Resources.
Credit: Brie Williams
National Center for Appropriate Technology.
Bahari Meymandi et al.
“Phytotoxicity Effect of Fennel Essential Oil on Germination and Growth Characteristics of Common Mallow and White Goosefoot.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
“Eco-phytochemical Journal of Medicinal Plants, vol.
1, 2022, pp.
130-145. doi:10.30495/ejmp.2022.1948906.1670
Cabbage Looper.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
