Companion Planting Information and Chart
An updated chart of basic companion plants we’ve grown successfully over the years
We recently received an e-mail from a gentleman in China looking for…
… what plants you may have in your garden that you can transplant next to your rose or your apple tree to see how they nurture each other over time.
As a result I thought I would post our own updated list of companion plants for him and anyone else interested. While I would love to say this plant or that plant are “best” I feel I must remind folks to keep in mind your climate, soil and many, many other factors that determine how well these plants cooperate together. Trial and error is the best choice to begin companion planting but the chart below should lead you in the right direction….
What is Companion Planting? A gardening method which makes use of the synergistic properties found in nature: cooperation between plants to achieve optimum health and viability.
P = Perennial plant in our Mediterranean climate
|
Vegetable/Herb |
Likes |
Dislikes |
|
Anise |
Coriander |
Basil, rue |
|
Asparagus (P) |
Tomato, parsley, basil |
|
|
Basil |
Tomato, sweet peppers |
Rue, anise |
|
Beans |
Beets, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, corn, cucumber, marigolds, potatoes, strawberry, summer savory |
Onion, garlic, gladiolus, fennel |
|
Beets |
Onion, kohlrabi, bush beans, lettuce, cabbage family |
Pole beans, mustards |
|
Borage |
Strawberry, fruit trees |
|
|
Cabbage Family (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, collards, cabbages etc.) |
Aromatic herbs, hyssop, thyme, wormwood, potatoes, celery, dill, chamomile, beets, onion, sage, peppermint, rosemary, oregano |
Strawberry, tomato, beans, mustards, pole beans |
|
Calendula (P) |
Garden tonic, nutrient accumulator, chard, radish, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, parsley |
|
|
Carrots |
Peas, lettuce, chives, onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, tomato, wormwood, parsley |
Dill |
|
Celeriac |
Scarlet runner beans |
|
|
Celery |
Leek, tomato, bush beans, cauliflower, cabbage |
|
|
Chard |
Roots crops, lettuce, radish, celery, mint |
|
|
Chayote (Sechium edule) |
Cucumbers, Pumpkin, peppers, squash, corn |
celery, mint, or snap beans |
|
Chives (P) |
Carrots, apple orchards |
Peas, beans |
|
Collards |
Tomatoes |
|
|
Comfrey (P) |
Nutrient accumulator/mulch |
|
|
Coriander/Cilantro |
Anise, carrots, radish, chard |
Fennel |
|
Corn |
Potato, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, squash, melons, marigolds, sunflowers, sunchokes |
|
|
Cucumbers |
Beans, corn, peas, radish, sunflowers, okra |
Potato, aromatic herbs |
|
Eggplant |
Beans, okra |
|
|
Fennel |
Most annuals DO NOT like it |
Coriander, wormwood |
|
Garlic |
Drip line of fruit trees, roses, tomatoes |
Peas and beans |
|
Horseradish (P) |
Fruit trees, potatoes |
|
|
Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) (P) |
Corn |
|
|
Lavender (P) |
Broccoli and cabbage family |
|
|
Leek |
Onions, celery, carrots |
|
|
Lettuce |
Carrots, radish, strawberry, cucumber |
Celery, cabbage, cress, parsley |
|
Melon |
Corn, sunflowers, morning glory, okra |
Potatoes |
|
Mint (P) |
Cabbage, tomatoes, nettles |
Chamomile |
|
Nettle |
Increases oil content of most herbs |
|
|
Okra |
Melons, cucumbers, sweet peppers, eggplant |
|
|
Onion and garlic |
Beets, strawberry, tomato, lettuce, summer savory, chamomile, roses |
Peas, beans |
|
Parsley |
Tomato, asparagus, roses, carrots |
|
|
Peas |
Carrots, turnips, radish, cucumber, corn, beans, potatoes, aromatic herbs |
Onions, garlic, gladiolus |
|
Peppers –sweet |
Basil, okra |
|
|
Potato |
Beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish, marigold, eggplant |
Pumpkin, squash, cucumber, sunflower, tomato, raspberry |
|
Pumpkin |
Datura, corn, pole beans, |
Potato |
|
Radish |
Peas, nasturtium, lettuce, cucumber, beets, spinach, carrots, squash, melons, tomatoes, beans |
Potato, hyssop |
|
Rhubarb (P) |
Columbines |
|
|
Rue (P) |
Roses, raspberries, fig trees |
Basil |
|
Sage (P) |
Rosemary, cabbages, carrots, |
Cucumbers |
|
Savory –both (P) |
Onions, beans |
Cucumbers |
|
Spinach |
Strawberries, other greens |
|
|
Squash |
Nasturtium, corn, clover |
|
|
Strawberries (P) |
Beans, spinach, borage, lettuce |
Cabbage |
|
Sunflower |
Cucumber |
Potato |
|
Sweet potato |
White Hellebore |
|
|
Tomato |
Chives, onion, parsley, asparagus, marigold, nasturtium, carrot, garlic, roses, bee balm |
Kohlrabi, potato, fennel, cabbage, corn |
|
Turnip |
Peas, vetch |
|
|
Valerian (P) |
Calendula, echinacea |
|
|
Sweet woodruff (P) |
Orchards |
|
|
Watermelon |
Potatoes mulched with straw* |
*generally melons do not like potatoes |
|
Fruit trees (P) |
Chives, garlic, carrots, bulbs, borage, strawberries, nasturtiums, comfrey, plantain, columbine, daylilies |
Bare soil |
Above is a basic chart of companion plants; I’m sure there is a more expansive list out there. This is simply a chart of plants we’ve been successful growing together — or not — over the years. The plants are listed by the plants they like, the ones they don’t and also if they are a perennial (otherwise they are an annual or biannual in this Mediterranean climate).
I’m also working on a Plant Guild Matrix or species matrix chart which details various plants, their unique characteristics as well as their specific use and ecological function. This type of chart easily organizes the mind when designing a plant guild and forest garden — which is a different way of thinking about species cooperation as compared to companion planting. Plant guilds are composed of a central species — like an apple tree — surrounded by nurturing plant species and occasional animal disturbance. In essence companion planting is one aspect to consider when designing a plant guild.
How can we get a printable copy of this? For this organic farm in Bali: https://www.indonesiaorganic.com/detail.php?id=25&cat=9 Thanks
If you screenshot it, you can paste it into a document and print it out.
thank you , I will use this
Darsih, I’ve attached the link to the pdf file from our website below. The farm in Bali looks like a wonderful project. Good luck to all involved!
https://www.gaiacreationsecoland.com/files/Companion_Plants_2011.pdf
I hope the list is helpful, Avinashi!
It would be interesting to make more of these for every climate. Wild plants could also be integraded, because they also give al lot of beneficials.
I’m so happy to find this website and companion planting chart online. My East Texas garden is already growing very nicely and this companion planting chart has been a great guideline to me. I appeared to have a very happy garden and very much appreciate all the great advice. Thanks so much!
Just what I’ve been looking for, and so clearly laid out. Many thanks! Very helpful.
Thank you for your generosity in sharing the companion plants guide… It is very useful!!
Kind regards, Sabine
Thank you so very much for your response to my question. It appears there is a fair amount of interest in companion planting. I live in the high desert of the Colorado Basin. We are zone 3 to be safe and zone 4 most years. While it is a much different climate as we are near 6000′ elevation and have a hard clay soil My experience is limited with companion planting. I noted some things you have had success with that I found work together. I am using raised beds extensively this year and have one bed that became the “got to save that plant” bed and has tomatoes, parsley, sage, horseradish, basil, jicma, cucumbers, mints, lettuce, chives and a number of other plants. Only the jicma and cucumbers don’t act very happy. Although, once I trellised them they are doing better. I’m growing Valencia peanuts in the shade of kale and they are doing fine now that I have found the key to their water needs. I plant marigolds and nasturtium extensively for insect control. I tried borage one year in the past and again this year. Corn and beans I have planted together since I was a child many decades ago. I tried beans and potatoes and liked the results. Most of my companion planting has been experimental using things I read or heard.. Thank you so very much for the chart. I have hopes it will be helpful with the gardening class I am teaching at the Grange Hall, if that is OK with you.
Hi! I’m so happy to find this.. I’m 20, live in Tasmania and am after the self sufficient lifestyle.. I’ve done a lot of it by myself but it’s good to this stuff to give me a hand. Keep me motivated…
Wondering how closed to plant the onions and leeks, normally I leave six to eight inches between leeks. So would that the spacing for onions and leeks. I am trying to put some in a pot. When I normally grow leeks I grow them in a raised bed in an area by themselves and the onions in another area. But I am doing these in a pot for my daughter. I am a gardener in southeast Texas to central Texas.
Research each companion. You would find how to space the same species next to each other, this would give you an idea of how much space each plant needs.
Zucchini would be the same as cucumber?
Zucchini is a squash. I feel cucumber is more like a melon.
Zucchini = courgette = summer squash
hello, i wanna grow organic heirloom seeds in south east london, when you mean fruit trees and fruit tree drip lines i dont fully understand, please elaborate, thx for your time I really appreciate :) <3
Drip line fruit trees. It basically means trees that’s on a drip system. A continuous water supply that slowly waters the trees. Some trees like fruit trees need a system like this when growing a good amount of fruits.
The drip line of a fruit tree or any other tree is the outer circumference of the branches. If you were standing under the tree during a normal rain this is where the rain would drip on you.
What a great site. I am a biodynamic gardener in France and companion planting is a really important part of this method. It is so good to bounce off other people particularly around the world.
Thank you.
Great chart, but I’d love to see one that also includes planting density with companions. It would also be cool to get a chart with whole guilds and planting density.
I think for this one would have to research each plant to see the dimentions of the plant (thus the space it needs). Info on a plant usually includes how to space the same species (growing density, right?) , but this would guide you to how much space a certain specie needs. So you would research each companion.
The literature speaks of growing marigolds with various veg BUT what grows well in a marigold patch?
Sebastian, the tree drop line is the area under the outer branches. So if the tree canopy is 12 get sound, the drip line is a 12 ft circle.
Thank you for this invaluable information!!!! Appreciate it so much :)
When you say a certain veggie/ herb “doesn’t like” another… what exactly do you mean by that? What are the ramifications of planting them near each other?
Exactly what I want to know! BEEN searching for an in depth guide as such
In my own experience, the vegetables did not grow well and I ended up just pulling them off. That was my first mistake when I started my vegetable garden. I just planted different vegetables together before I learned about companion planting. I guess it’s like living with a neighbor that torture you day and night.
Does anyone know of info on WHY companions are companions? For example reasons such as ‘they compete for nutrients’ ; ‘they compete for root space’ ; ‘one shades out the other’ .. I feel this is extremely nessecary.
Question, l don’t have a garden the size of Texas, my garden is 100ft.X 100 ft. How far away is far enough in companion gardening?