nasturtium

Your Companion Planting Guide to Deter Pests and Thrive

Which crops you choose to plant next to each other makes a difference. The right choice can provide nitrogen, deter pests, improve flavor, and provide shade or protection. Choosing the wrong plants can stunt your hard work in the garden.

Companion planting examples such as the 3 sisters – corn, beans, and squash. The beans provide nitrogen for the corn. The corn provides support for the squash vines, as well as some shade. Some of the vining beans can help confuse squash bugs.

Other examples include calendula to deter deer and rabbits, and flowers to provide pollinators.

Basil will improve the flavor and reduce pests when grown close to tomatoes.

Basil
Basil

Nasturtiums will deter cabbage moths. Plus the nasturtiums have a wonderful mustard-like flavor. I plant nasturtiums intermixed with my climbing beans and they climb up the trellis together.

nasturtium
Nasturtiums deter many types of garden pests.

The wrong choice of companion plant can stunt the plants. It is unwise to plant tomatoes near potatoes or cabbages. They just don’t thrive next to each other.

Companion Planting Guide for Common Vegetables and Herbs

CropCompanions (Friend)Avoid (Foe)
BasilPeppers, Tomatoes – Basil improves the growth and flavor of tomatoes and peppers.Sage and Wormwood
BeansAny green leafy vegetable, Beets, Brassicas (cabbage), Corn, Radish, Squash.
Planting nasturtiums as a trap plant for aphids. Rosemary can deter pests.
Onions and other alliums
Some sites say avoid beets nearby.
BeetsLettuce, Cabbage, Bush beans, Onions.Some sites say avoid pole and runner beans nearby.
BroccoliOregano, other brassicas (cabbage), Potatoes
CabbageBush beans, Spinach, Onions, Beets, Potatoes, Celery. Plant nasturtiums, garlic and pungent plants nearby to deter pests. Strawberries, Tomatoes
CarrotsChives, Lettuce, Peppers, Onions and other alliums, Chives improve the growth and flavor of carrots and deter aphids, mites, and flies.  Tomatoes
CauliflowerBush beans, Spinach, Onions, Beets, PotatoesTomatoes
CeleryBeans, Brassicas (cabbage), Onions and other alliums.Corn, Tomatoes
CornPole beans, Squash, Pumpkins, Melons, Potatoes, Spinach.
Beans provide nitrogen, Corn provides structure. Also plant dill to deter aphids, and calendula to deter deer. Dwarf sunflowers can bring in ladybugs to deter pests.
Celery, Tomatoes
CucumbersCorn, Cabbage, Broccoli, Tomato, Bush beans, Peas.Potatoes. Some sites say avoid planting tomatoes nearby.
LettuceLettuce can be planted with everything.
Chives, onions, and garlic deter aphids and other pests by masking the scent of the lettuce with their aroma.  
Basil is thought to improve the flavor and growth of lettuce.  
Radishes can be used as a trap crop for flea beetles
Foe to none.
MelonsCorn
OnionsBeets, Cabbage, Carrot, Chard, Lettuce, Peppers, Tomatoes. Asparagus, Beans, peas
PeasCarrots, Turnips, Lettuce, Spinach, Radish, CornGarlic and Onion will stunt the growth of peas.
PeppersBush beans, Carrots, OnionPotatoes
PotatoesBeans, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, PeasTomato, Sunflower, Asparagus
PumpkinsCorn, Pole Beans, Oregano. Nasturtiums protect against squash bugs. Potatoes
RadishLettuce, Peas. Nasturtiums are a good trap crop for radishes.
SpinachPeas, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Onion
SquashCorn, Pole Beans, Oregano. Nasturtiums protect against squash bugs. Potatoes
TomatoesCarrots, Cucumber, Onions, Peas, Potatoes. Calendula, Basil, Dill, Thyme,
Corn, Potatoes, Brassicas (cabbage)
Corn, Potatoes, Brassicas (cabbage)
Companion Plants for Common Vegetables and Herbs

Sources:

Clyde’s Garden Planner from Baker Creek Seeds

clydes garden planner

Almanac.com Companion Planting Guide

Companion Planting Guide from WorldWaterReserve.com

Deter pests in the garden without pesticide

One thing that I found interesting about researching the “friend and foe” approach to companion planting was the added pest deterrence – all without using pesticides. I seldom get squash to full maturity without losing many to a squash bug invasion. I have had some luck with planting squash in a Milpa garden, among beans or buckwheat or something that shields the plants. I have similar luck with cabbage – if densely planted with other crops the cabbage moths do not get as many of them. In this chart, you can see several crops that that deter aphids and other pests, or act as trap crop, pulling bugs from other plants, such as tomatoes. The best companion crops for deterring pests are nasturtiums, calendula, oregano, and garlic.

Try these companion plants in your garden!


Cross posted from Thriving News – Thriving Community News, without the Noise.

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landrace gardening

Landrace gardening is adapting crops to your land and climate, and then saving seeds, while also selecting for the best flavor, color, and pest and disease resistance.

Joseph lives in the high mountains of Utah – a mountain valley with cold air coming down out of the mountains, yet sun almost every day in the Summer, and low humidity. He grows for the farmers market and for himself and friends, and with a shorter season and these conditions he had difficulty growing warm weather crops.

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