Companion planting means growing certain plants side by side so they help each other. One plant might attract the insects that eat your pests, another might shade the soil, and a third might give a climbing crop something to hold on to.
This beginner’s guide gives you a simple companion planting chart for the most popular vegetables, explains why the pairings work, and is honest about which old garden claims hold up and which don’t.
How Companion Planting Actually Helps
Gardeners have passed down companion planting advice for generations. Some of it is backed by research, and some of it is folklore. These are the benefits with the strongest support:
- Attracting beneficial insects. Flowering herbs and flowers such as dill, cilantro, alyssum and calendula feed ladybugs, lacewings and tiny parasitic wasps that eat aphids and caterpillars.
- Confusing pests. A mix of plant heights, leaf shapes and scents makes it harder for some pests to find their favorite crop than a long row of one plant does.
- Trap crops. Some plants, like nasturtiums, attract pests away from your main crop so you can deal with them in one place.
- Physical support and shade. Tall plants like corn can hold up climbing beans, and big-leaved squash shades the soil, holding moisture and blocking weeds.
- Smart use of space. Fast crops like radishes and lettuce can grow between slow crops and be harvested before the big plants need the room.
An honest note: beans do add nitrogen to the soil, but neighbors get only a small share of it in the same season. Most of the benefit comes the following year, after the bean plants break down. Treat companion planting as one helpful tool, not a guarantee.
Companion Planting Chart for Vegetables
Use this chart as a starting point when planning your beds. “Good companions” grow well nearby; “keep apart” plants tend to compete, share pests or diseases, or slow each other down.
| Vegetable | Good companions | Keep apart |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Basil, carrot, lettuce, onion, parsley, marigold | Potato, corn, cabbage family, fennel |
| Pepper | Basil, onion, spinach, tomato | Cabbage family, pole beans |
| Bush & pole beans | Corn, cucumber, squash, potato, radish, carrot | Onion, garlic, leek, chives |
| Peas | Carrot, radish, cucumber, lettuce, corn | Onion, garlic |
| Cucumber | Beans, peas, radish, lettuce, dill, nasturtium | Potato, sage |
| Squash & zucchini | Corn, beans, nasturtium, borage | Potato |
| Corn | Beans, squash, cucumber, peas | Tomato |
| Carrot | Onion, leek, lettuce, tomato, radish, chives | Dill, parsnip |
| Onion & garlic | Carrot, beet, lettuce, tomato, cabbage family | Beans, peas, asparagus |
| Lettuce | Carrot, radish, onion, chives, cucumber, beet | Cabbage family (crowding) |
| Cabbage family | Onion, beet, celery, dill, thyme, nasturtium | Tomato, pepper, strawberries |
| Potato | Beans, corn, cabbage family, peas | Tomato, cucumber, squash |
| Beet | Onion, lettuce, cabbage family, bush beans | Pole beans |
| Spinach | Lettuce, peas, strawberries, radish | Potato |
The Best Companion Plants to Add to Any Garden
If you only add a few “helper” plants, choose these. They earn their space in almost any vegetable bed:
- Basil: grows happily under tomatoes and peppers, and its flowers feed pollinators.
- Marigolds: bright and easy. Their flowers attract beneficial insects, and some types can reduce root-knot nematodes, mainly when grown as a dense planting and turned into the soil.
- Nasturtiums: a classic trap crop for aphids, and the leaves and flowers are edible.
- Dill and cilantro: when they flower, they draw in ladybugs, lacewings and parasitic wasps. Keep dill away from carrots, which are in the same family.
- Sweet alyssum: a low, fragrant edging plant that feeds hoverflies, whose larvae eat aphids.
- Chives and onions: their strong scent may help mask nearby crops such as carrots from some pests.
How to Plan a Companion Planted Bed
- Start with your main crops. Decide what you most want to eat, such as tomatoes, beans or lettuce.
- Check the chart. Group crops that get along, and put “keep apart” crops in different beds or at opposite ends.
- Plan by height. Put tall crops on the north side of the bed so they don’t shade shorter ones.
- Tuck in helpers. Add a few flowers or herbs at the corners and edges of each bed.
- Fill gaps with quick crops. Sow radishes, lettuce or spinach between slow growers.
- Rotate every year. Move plant families to a different spot each season to reduce soil-borne diseases.
Building a new bed for spring? See How to Fill a Raised Garden Bed Cheaply before you plant.
Common Companion Planting Mistakes
- Overcrowding. Companions still need their normal spacing. Squeezing plants together causes more disease, not less.
- Ignoring sunlight. A tall companion can steal light from a short crop.
- Expecting miracles. Companion plants reduce pest problems; they rarely eliminate them. Keep checking your plants.
- Letting helpers take over. Mint, borage and nasturtiums can spread quickly. Grow mint in a pot.
More Companion Planting Guides
- Best Companion Plants for Tomatoes (and What Not to Plant Nearby)
- How to Plant a Three Sisters Garden: Corn, Beans and Squash
- Plants That Shouldn’t Be Grown Together: 10 Pairs to Keep Apart
Frequently Asked Questions
Does companion planting really work?
Some parts do. Attracting beneficial insects, using trap crops, mixing plants to confuse pests and growing corn as a bean support are well supported. Many specific “this plant repels that pest” claims have little or no research behind them.
Can I companion plant in containers?
Yes. A large pot can hold a tomato with basil at its base, or lettuce under a pepper. Just use a container big enough for both root systems.
What is the easiest companion planting combination for beginners?
Tomatoes with basil and a few marigolds nearby. It’s simple, it looks great, and you’ll use all three in the kitchen.
