To help you begin to formulate your own companion planting plan, here are a few companion planting schemes that others have used. SHARE. That said, let’s take a look at some companion plants that may work well when planted alongside tomatoes. 13 Comments. One example of this is lettuces inter-planted with crops in the brassica family. They are naturally repellent to aphids and the roots have anti-fungal properties. Cunningham groups her vegetables into neighborhoods and makes pairing appropriate companions a bit easier. For example, a companion plant might compete with tomatoes for water and nutrients. But their deep tap roots are also great at bringing nutrients up to the soil surface when chopped and dropped before they go to seed. Plant lovage and, again, this will help bring plenty of beneficial insect species into your garden. 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. I would not recommend growing corn and tomatoes in the same bed. Remember, what works well in one climate, or one soil type and conditions, may not work well in another. Calendula is another flower that can also be an edible crop. Finally, companion plants help each other out when it comes to preventing damage from pests. Luckily, tomatoes make good companions with many popular garden vegetables. Cucumbers (and other members of that plant family) can also work well with tomatoes. It is especially beneficial for attracting insects when in flower. Finally, some companion plants help their neighbors by helping to enhance the environment in some way. The bio-diversity that tomato companion planting provides is also excellent for pollinators, wildlife, and overall soil health. We have the answers to all of your “how to” gardening questions here. But they can also be beneficial because they naturally deter a wide range of insects that could pose a problem for your tomato plants. Since moving to the property she has also rescued many chickens from factory farms, keeping them for their eggs, and moved much closer to self-sufficiency. What comes before and after your tomatoes is often just as important as what is planted with them. Lettuce and other low-growing leafy greens can also be slotted into spaces between and beneath tomato plants. Even if they taste wonderful together in a meal, they do not make the greatest of friends in the garden. This post may contain affiliate links. Another well known and extremely useful dynamic accumulator is comfrey, which has deep roots. This book could be used as a classroom text. 3. Here are some flowers you should consider growing with your tomatoes: Borage’s beautiful blue flowers look great against tomato plants. You are probably going to grow some of these plants anyway, so why not experiment on your own and use some of them as companion plants for your tomatoes? Matching the two groups into a garden plan is often difficult, especially in a small space. For example, some plants might cast beneficial shade. Perennial herbs can be planted on the fringes of such an area, or even grown in pots or containers nearby. Amaranth is another great companion for tomatoes. Again, oregano works well with tomato in the ground as well as in a range of dishes. Tomatoes grown in an annual polyculture can also benefit from herbs grown nearby. Companion planting is simply the process of planting different plants together. 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. Sweet potato scurf; Flea beetles; White blister; Stem rot ; Fungal leaf diseases; Conclusion. 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. Here are the companion plants for your tomatoes. One final type of plant to consider are those commonly called ‘weeds’. Horehound will attract Braconid and Icheumonid wasps and Tachnid and Syrid flies to your garden. It can also be used in a wide range of other ways around your homestead. when you grow members of this family in the same bed after one another. Mint is also a fragrant herb that can repel certain pest species. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. Carrots. Nasturtium, summer savory, and rosemary: Nasturtium and rosemary both deter bean beetle pests. It is also said to improve the essential oil yield of other aromatic herbs planted nearby, so may increase other companion plants’ efficacy. Companion planting tomatoes is a lot easier than trying to lay out your entire vegetable garden with good companions. Here are some weeds that it may actually be beneficial to allow to grow close to your tomatoes: Yarrow is often considered to be a weed. 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. Beneficial insects like bees and other pollinators also love its blossoms. It can also allow you to grow more food in less space. Mar 31, 2019 - Companion planting has been practiced for a very long time. Companion plants are plants that help each other out in your garden. 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. Benefit for Tomato. The celery may also benefit from the shade from the tomato plants. What is more, they also release ethylene gas, so could allow your fruits to ripen more quickly. Many of the nuances of plant communication and interaction are still lost on us. In fact, marigolds are a recommended companion for many different edible plants. 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. It can help you increase resilience in your garden, cope with pests and maintain fertility. However, I tend to fit celery in with brassicas, since the celery is said to repel the cabbage white butterfly. But more than this, borage is an excellent companion plant because it deters tomato hornworms. While scientists refer to the idea of companion planting as "pseudoscientific," as it hasn't been scientifically validated, many experienced gardeners vouch for their carefully compiled lists of companions. Garlic, onions, chives and other alliums all work well as companions to a number of other plants. Companion Planting for Tomatoes @ insteading.com. A Companion Planting Trio @ thespruce.com. Companion planting benefits one or both plants planted near each other. Tomato plants need full sun in cooler climates and afternoon shade in warmer areas. 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. If you are growing your tomatoes in an annual growing area, you must consider a number of different factors when choosing companion plants. With bee balm, the name says it all. Marjoram is one example. Petunias can look good planted close to your tomatoes. There is a fairly limited amount of actual scientific information on companion planting, but it is safe to say that some combinations do seem to work, while others can be a bit hit and miss. Flowers such as marigolds keep nematodes from attacking tomato plants and their sharp odor confuses other insects. Tomatoes also do well with beans, peas, peppers, onions and lettuce. Some plants create good ground cover. 18, 2020 PUBLISHED 7:29 PM EDT Jun. 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. 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. Tomatoes are one of the most popular edible plants to grow at home. One study showed that flower strips planted along the edge of a tomato cultivation area acted as a trap crop and reduced damage from sap-sucking insects to the crop itself. My Top 5 plants that tomatoes love to be planted with and two they hate. I actually know people who grow them, and don’t really care for them that much {weirdos}. Check out our robust list of the best tomato companion plants. Borage also has a fresh flavor to it so you can use the smaller leaves for salads or refreshing drinks. Elizabeth Waddington is a writer, permaculture designer and green living consultant. Carrots Love Tomatoes helped make the idea of companion planting popular. Still, it is interesting to try them out in your own garden. This family includes potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Companion planting can help you boost the number of tomatoes you can harvest. Sow thistle is another common weed which is said by some gardeners to aid the growth of other plants close by. Wherever you use them, of course, many herbs attract beneficial insects, and can also delight human inhabitants with their scents. 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. 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. It is well known that the tomato is a fruit, and is actually considered a berry. You might even grow them in containers on a patio, balcony or sunny windowsill – or even upside down. Some herb, flowers, and vegetables are compatibles for tomato companion plants. Lettuces can be harvested before the brassica plants reach maturity. Nothing beats a homegrown tomato, and we are close to seeing some early tomatoes ripe for the picking. Growing them together, therefore, can sometimes be the better option. Research has suggested that planting marigolds in between tomato plants is beneficial because the marigolds like similar conditions. Carrots planted near tomatoes help loosen soil. And peppers can benefit from the shade and humidity created by the tomato plants close by. She is undertaking ongoing work for NGO Somalia Dryland Solutions and a number of other non governmental organisations, and works as an environmental consultant for several sustainable companies. This technique is an integral part of permagardening. We don’t know everything about plants by any means. For starters, Justin says you want another plant that’s going to help what you initially planted. But along with tomatoes and perhaps beans, squash could serve the same function that they do in that other guild. She has long had an interest in ecology, gardening and sustainability and is fascinated by how thought can generate action, and ideas can generate positive change. Too many gardeners create division between their fruit and vegetable plot and their ornamental flower beds. But by experimenting with combinations that may work, and noting our results, we can begin to build up a picture of what works well for us where we live. 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. Hyssop is also said to be beneficial for tomatoes and also improves insect biodiversity, bringing in predatory species. Beans supply nutrients to the soil around tomatoes. But integration is always better than segregation. It is great at attracting syriphidae that eat aphids. And they go very well together in the garden too. Tomatoes are like the measure of every good gardener. It is a far better alternative to mono-crop cultivation. 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