They can be used to fill gaps between growing tomato plants early in the season, and to create ground cover to retain soil moisture and reduce weeds. Many of the nuances of plant communication and interaction are still lost on us. Jan 10, 2020 - Grow better tomatoes by learning which crops are the best tomato companion plants to increase your tomato harvest, reduce pests, and improve flavor. Companion planting can help you boost the number of tomatoes you can harvest. Perennial herbs can be planted on the fringes of such an area, or even grown in pots or containers nearby. She has created booklets and aided in the design of Food Kits to help gardeners to cool and warm climates to grow their own food, for example. It also improves soil quality as the leaves are used as a mulch or to enrich your compost. This can reduce competition from weeds, reduce water loss, and keep soil healthy. It is especially beneficial for attracting insects when in flower. Plant lovage and, again, this will help bring plenty of beneficial insect species into your garden. Amaranths host beneficial predatory beetles which can predate the bad bugs that bother your tomato plants. Over time, mint, like basil, can also spread around the base of the plants and create good ground cover. Well, for starters, companion planting is a northern hemisphere concept that works a treat up there, but not as well down here in Australia. Growing borage along with tomatoes can help to deter the worms and keep your tomatoes healthy. Check out our robust list of the best tomato companion plants. Others might provide a support for other growing plants. Amongst other things, she has designed private gardens in regions as diverse as Canada, Minnesota, Texas, the Arizona/California desert, and the Dominican Republic, commercial aquaponics schemes, food forests and community gardens in a wide range of global locations. Companion planting is all about experimentation, with a good amount of common sense and basic ecosystem knowledge thrown in. There are also some plants that need to avoid grow next to tomatoes. One final type of plant to consider are those commonly called ‘weeds’. We have the answers to all of your “how to” gardening questions here. Now let’s talk about the best companion plants for tomatoes and other crops. Companion planting is an age-old method of combining vegetables that grow best when planted grouped together in the garden. But this negative may be outweighed by its other benefits. But nitrogen fixing beans are generally a good plant to scatter all around your garden, and tall climbing beans can work well between and amongst cordoned tomato plants. Borage also has a fresh flavor to it so you can use the smaller leaves for salads or refreshing drinks. When planning a planting layout and crop rotation plan, these are some other fruits and vegetables that you could plant alongside your tomatoes: This suggestion comes with a caveat. Their spreading form and large leaves means they create good ground cover, reducing water loss from the site. Make sure the area you’ve selected has room for all your tomato plants (spaced 2-3 feet apart) as well as their companions. Often, it will be important to think not only about space but also about time. Carrots. This book could be used as a classroom text. So you could plant not only the flowers mentioned above, but a wide range of native flowers for beneficial effect. Beans are often planted alongside squash, since they are nitrogen-hungry. Companion planting can combine two or more crops together, planting them in the same row, alternating between them. Companion planting of carrots and onions, for example, is beneficial because the strong smells of both distract pests to either one. Most companion planting teachings are passed down by gardeners who experimented with pairing plants with some success. Plants that are often called weeds can, in the right places, be incredibly useful and resilient. And never plant tomatoes with potatoes! This is another herb that works well with tomatoes in the garden as well as in the kitchen. Wherever you use them, of course, many herbs attract beneficial insects, and can also delight human inhabitants with their scents. But integration is always better than segregation. Through this buddy system, the plants help to protect each other so they can thrive better. Finally, some companion plants help their neighbors by helping to enhance the environment in some way. But along with tomatoes and perhaps beans, squash could serve the same function that they do in that other guild. All of these features are hard to measure, since little scientific research exists to back up the claims, and many other factors may be involved. Companion Plants for Tomatoes . If you are growing your tomatoes in an annual growing area, you must consider a number of different factors when choosing companion plants. A lot of plants are touted as improving the health, vigor, and flavor of tomatoes. Beneficial companion plants of this type include peas, beans and other nitrogen fixers, which take nitrogen from the air and bring it into the soil in a usable form with the help of micro-organisms living on the roots. Companion planting tomatoes is a lot easier than trying to lay out your entire vegetable garden with good companions. See what works best where you live? Tomatoes can be consumed raw, or as an element in many dishes, sauces, and drinks. Riotte extensively studied all types of plants from vegetables to weeds. This can make things easier in a smaller space. Petunias can look good planted close to your tomatoes. 18, 2020 PUBLISHED 7:29 PM EDT Jun. Stinging nettles may not seem like a wonder-crop. Cunningham's book, written more casually, is jam-packed with information. It will also be vital to consider your crop rotation plan. What are Companion Plants? This is a great bee-attracting plant. Companion plants are plants that help each other out in your garden. Calendula is another flower that can also be an edible crop. Here are some flowers you should consider growing with your tomatoes: Borage’s beautiful blue flowers look great against tomato plants. It could be particularly beneficial in areas with lower rainfall, or where water is scarce. This can be true in a home garden or on a much larger commercial property. Some companion planting is all about maximising yield on a given site. Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener. Companion planting is the careful placement of plants (especially vegetables and herbs) which have been shown to have beneficial effects on one another. when you grow members of this family in the same bed after one another. Companion planting involves grouping plants together so that they can help each other to grow better. Matching the two groups into a garden plan is often difficult, especially in a small space. Help Out your Tomato Plants By Planting Companion Plants. Again, anise attracts a range of beneficial insects. Mar 31, 2019 - Companion planting has been practiced for a very long time. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. Chives are wonderful pollinators and are known to help prevent disease. Asparagus is one of the better known perennial vegetables. However, bigger problems arise with diseases etc. She is a practical, hands-on gardener, with a background in philosophy: (an MA in English-Philosophy from St Andrews University). Well, yes and no. You should think about whether companion plants will be grown alongside tomatoes right up until harvest, or grown as an interim crop before your tomatoes really get going. Plus, it's an edible flower, making a pretty--and tasty--addition to salads. It is great at attracting syriphidae that eat aphids. Sweet potato scurf; Flea beetles; White blister; Stem rot ; Fungal leaf diseases; Conclusion. Companion planting is simply planting two or more mutually beneficial plants next to each other. Before we start to look at the options for companion plants to grow with your tomatoes, we should look at the different types of companion plants. Some companion plants reportedly help boost the health and vigor of the tomato plants, some improve the tomato flavor, and other companion plants allegedly repel and deter ​insect pests and diseases. Plant. Companion plants would help improve the yield of sweet potatoes by repelling pests that reduce the quality of the product and introducing useful nutrients to the soil for the sweet potatoes’ benefits. Remember, what works well in one climate, or one soil type and conditions, may not work well in another. And the cheery yellow flowers attract beneficial insects too. What about plants to avoid planting near tomatoes? The celery may also benefit from the shade from the tomato plants. Lettuces can be harvested before the brassica plants reach maturity. Companion planting also works in a physical way. Some of these companion plants also help keep garden pests at bay. It is important to realise that the science of companion planting is not much studied, nor are plant interactions fully understood. Sage also does well planted around the edges of a tomato container or growing area and, like so many other herbs, will help attract the insects you want and repel those you do not want in your garden. Again, oregano works well with tomato in the ground as well as in a range of dishes. Cucumbers (and other members of that plant family) can also work well with tomatoes. Tomato Companion Plants: Vegetables. Flowers can also be great companions for tomatoes in beds, borders or containers. Horehound will attract Braconid and Icheumonid wasps and Tachnid and Syrid flies to your garden. Cunningham groups her vegetables into neighborhoods and makes pairing appropriate companions a bit easier. Tomatoes Companion Planting Chart companionplant 2020-05-06T16:44:59+00:00. Nothing beats a homegrown tomato, and we are close to seeing some early tomatoes ripe for the picking. And members of the cabbage family should not be grown with tomatoes. Some seem to think that corn and tomatoes are a good combination, and others disagree. Some plants create good ground cover. Finally, companion plants help each other out when it comes to preventing damage from pests. Hyssop is also said to be beneficial for tomatoes and also improves insect biodiversity, bringing in predatory species. Another Mediterranean herb to consider for your tomato bed or container is thyme. She has made many strides in attracting local wildlife and increasing biodiversity on the site. I would not recommend growing corn and tomatoes in the same bed. Again, they can be annual or perennial, and be included in a wide range of different garden zones. Without these pollinators it would be difficult to gain any harvest and so it is important to make sure that you have companion plants which will attract them to the area and keep them there. In permaculture gardens, smallholdings and on organic farms, biodiversity is one of the keys to successful growing. Secondly, it doesn’t work so well because i… The ever popular topic of companion plants for tomatoes, includes beans, squash, as well as cucumbers. Dandelions are another surprising edible that many people just think of as a common weed. Tomatoes grow better with carrots, but may stunt the carrots' growth. I actually know people who grow them, and don’t really care for them that much {weirdos}. But more than this, borage is an excellent companion plant because it deters tomato hornworms. Comfrey can also be used to make a nutrient rich liquid fertilizer. But why not try some experimentation. Herbs are also great choices for companions if you are growing tomatoes in containers. Tomatoes love warmth in the summer and perennial Mediterranean herbs do too. Tomato Companion Plants. Oregano is a beneficial pollinator. Pests and Diseases of Sweet Potatoes. Their strong smell can repel a range of pests that might otherwise bother your tomatoes. But having nettles in your garden can be beneficial in a range of different ways. Tomatoes are not a particularly nitrogen-hungry plant. Beneficial insects like bees and other pollinators also love its blossoms. It is well known that the tomato is a fruit, and is actually considered a berry. Some herb, flowers, and vegetables are compatibles for tomato companion plants. Improves pollination - … Growing certain plants together will also help deter insect pests ruining your carefully tended plants before you get the chance to enjoy them. Companion planting is simply the process of planting different plants together. If you are interested in learning more about companion planting, you might want to look at two great books on the subject: Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte and Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham. They complement each other’s growth habits and benefit each other. This technique is an integral part of permagardening. Native Americans were amongst the first to use companion plants to improve the vitality of plants. 3. Not only will the parsley help the tomatoes with ground cover, the tomatoes may also help the parsley by providing shade during the heat of summer. Amaranth is a great companion plant for tomatoes. Companion planting refers to the practice of planting different crops in close proximity to each other to enhance nutrient uptake, provide pest control, encourage pollination, and increase crop production. Another well known and extremely useful dynamic accumulator is comfrey, which has deep roots. Flowers such as marigolds keep nematodes from attacking tomato plants and their sharp odor confuses other insects. A few nettles around your tomato patch could be a great thing – and you can even eat them or use them in a range of other ways around your homestead as an additional yield. One example of this is lettuces inter-planted with crops in the brassica family. Carrots are great companion plants for your tomatoes. Also known as companion planting, this practice helps improve the health of tomatoes. By layering plants in space and through time, you can gain a higher yield than by simply planting one crop and watching it grow. For example, a companion plant might compete with tomatoes for water and nutrients. Planting Tomatoes in your Garden . It too is said to improve the health of the tomato plants grown nearby. As an aromatic herb, it makes an excellent companion for a number of different plants. Instead, it involves thinking carefully about how different plants will benefit from their neighbors, and how plants can help each other in a range of different ways. Companion planting benefits one or both plants planted near each other. When choosing companion plants, it is important to keep a kind of balance sheet of pros and cons. They also need well-drained soil. It not only benefits by being planted in the shade of taller tomato plants, but it provides a living mulch--helping to keep the soil cool and moist. Visit her website here and follow along on her Facebook page here. Spatial interaction of plants occurs in most gardens naturally. The list is in no particular other of importance or benefits to your tomatoes so be sure to read through it all to know which one will benefit your situation the most. There are plants that work well together and plants that should be kept apart. And a blanket of this spreading weed around the base of tomatoes can help to reduce soil moisture evaporation. Companion plants for tomatoes include Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Carrots, Marigold, Geraniums, Petunias, Borage, any type of Onion or Chives. It’s an herb with umbrella-shaped flowers that are excellent at attracting beneficial insects (like ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitoid wasps, and lacewings) that will prey … The attractive flowers also drawn in beneficial aphid predators, as well as providing a beneficial additional edible crop. Marigolds repel pests and reduce root-knot nematodes in soil. Herbs can help to improve tomato taste and deter some garden pests, flowers can attract pollinators, and some vegetables get the benefit when it grows close to tomatoes. But keep it on the fringes of a tomato growing area, rather than as a direct neighbour to your plants. Tomatoes might find a space, for example, in gaps in a perennial herb garden. It can also allow you to grow more food in less space. Copyright © 2020 Rural Sprout on the Seasoned Pro Theme, 15 Potato Growing Tips To Significantly Increase Your Harvest, 18 Self-Seeding Flowers, Herbs & Veggies You'll Never Have To Plant Again, in a wide range of other ways around your homestead, Permaculture Design: Vegetable & Herb Guilds, individual companion plants for edible crops in containers. Borage is supposed to protect tomatoes from tomato hornworms, but the science behind that has yet to be proven. What comes before and after your tomatoes is often just as important as what is planted with them. Plants recommended for companion planting with tomatoes include amaranth, asparagus, basil, bean, borage, calendula (pot marigold), carrots, celery, chive, cleome, cosmos, cucumber, garlic, lemon balm, lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, peas, sage, and squash. Rather than leaving the bed largely empty between asparagus harvests, it can be a good idea to plant tomatoes (and other companion plants) to take up the time and space. For example, some plants might cast beneficial shade. Marjoram is one example. It can be difficult, when new to companion planting, to come up with schemes that will work. What is more, tomatoes and peppers grow at the same time, and like similar conditions. Tomatoes planted with horehound are said to crop for longer and crop more heavily. Too many gardeners create division between their fruit and vegetable plot and their ornamental flower beds. Wherever you grow your tomatoes, companion plants can help you increase the yield from your crop. Carrots can also be companion planted with tomatoes and many people believe that though carrots will be a bit smaller as a result, overall yield will be improved. In fact, marigolds are a recommended companion for many different edible plants. What is more, they also release ethylene gas, so could allow your fruits to ripen more quickly. Here are some herbs to plant alongside tomatoes: Basil and tomato go very well together on the plate. Sometimes, this comes down to simple physical reasons – taller plants provide shelter from sun and wind for plants that need protection. She has filled the rest of the garden with a polytunnel, a vegetable patch, a herb garden, a wildlife pond, woodland areas and more. Lettuce and other low-growing leafy greens can also be slotted into spaces between and beneath tomato plants. Benefit for Tomato. Rodents hate peppermint oil: https://bit.ly/39yxsFq And once the asparagus has been harvested in spring, the bed may see no action for the rest of the year. It can also be used in a wide range of other ways around your homestead. Nasturtium, summer savory, and rosemary: Nasturtium and rosemary both deter bean beetle pests. It is said to improve the fruiting of tomatoes and peppers grown nearby. Garlic, onions, chives and other alliums all work well as companions to a number of other plants. The reasoning goes that planting these crops together can be problematic because diseases (like blight, for example) can easily spread between them. Rather than leaving the bed largely empty between asparagus harvests, it can be a good idea to plant tomatoes (and other companion plants) to take up the time and space. This post may contain affiliate links. Even if they taste wonderful together in a meal, they do not make the greatest of friends in the garden. Borage will help suppress weeds and is a general health improver for the plants around it. Parsley and mint are also good companion herbs for tomatoes and deter a number of pests. Companion Plants for Tomatoes Amaranth. Rather than planting carrots at the same time, it may be better to consider overlapping the cropping times of the plants, planting and harvesting early carrots in the tomato bed before they really take off, and perhaps adding a second crop once the tomato plants are past their best. In addition, summer savory repels bean beetles and improves the flavor and overall growth of bean plants. Though companion plants sown together can sometimes lower the yield of individuals, overall, the yield can be increased. Nasturtiums planted a short distance from tomatoes can act as a trap crop – luring aphids to feast on them rather than on your prize tomatoes. Still, it is interesting to try them out in your own garden. Borage, a flowering herb with blue star-shaped blossoms, is a big favorite of pollinators in general, and it also repels tomato hornworms. And they go very well together in the garden too. Squash and tomatoes also require similar growing conditions, and so can work well together. Companion planting is part experience, part folklore, and part wishful thinking. In summer, the shade cast by your tomato plants will also prevent lettuce from bolting and prematurely going to seed. With bee balm, the name says it all. But they can also be beneficial because they naturally deter a wide range of insects that could pose a problem for your tomato plants. These two feature in the famous companion planting combination – the ‘three sisters’ (along with corn). Perhaps one of these ideas will be the right mix for where you live? It is a far better alternative to mono-crop cultivation. Although, last year I … She graduated from allotment gardening to organically managing 1/3 of an acre of land, including a mature fruit orchard,which she has turned into a productive forest garden. However there are a lot of variables that can impact the effectiveness of plant companions. Climbing plants can be trained up over taller plants to maximise production in small spaces. These are just a few examples of the polycultures you can create around tomato plants with companion planting. Elizabeth Waddington is a writer, permaculture designer and green living consultant.