Companion planting is pretty important to growing the best homegrown garden tomatoes and with many other things, too! And I will show you why!
When you set a tomato plant in the dirt, gently tamp down the soil around its roots, and water it in, you expect to get a bumper crop of juicy, delicious red fruits. However modern gardeners often overlook time-tested ways to increase yields and create symbiotic relationships in their gardens. Like people thrive with healthy friendships, so it seems do many plants.
In her classic book on companion planting Carrots Love Tomatoes, Louise Riotte has taught generations of gardeners how to use the natural benefits of plants to protect and support each other.
I have read it several times and always learn something new. And now I will share some of the wisdom with you!
Companion Planting Basics
Companion planting is thought to work, in part, because it increases plant diversity. Imagine a hungry insect population finding its way into your garden. If it encounters an entire row of its preferred food, you can bet that the entire row will be decimated before you even notice. However, what if that insect population found one plant of its favorite food, only to be halted from moving onto the next one because there’s a plant it doesn’t like in its way? You would probably notice the damage and might be able to control the problem before losing your entire crop.
And, the insects may move on to “greener pastures” if undesirable plants are mixed in with desirable ones.
In its simplest form, companion planting is alternating two types of vegetables in a single row. This is sometimes called intercropping, and alternating garlic or basil with tomato plants is a popular example.
Intercropping
You can also intercrop more than two varieties. A classic multi-species intercropping example is growing onions, lettuce and carrots together. Each of these plants grows its roots at different levels in the soil, so they don’t compete with each other for nutrients. Above ground, these plants have such distinct growth habits and foliage shapes that they don’t crowd each other for sunlight or space.
Bush beans and peas are popular vegetables to intercrop with plants that are heavy nitrogen feeders. This is because beans and peas are nitrogen fixers, meaning they can utilize atmospheric nitrogen for their growth and reproduction. They have symbiotic bacteria that live on their roots and form nodules rich in nitrogen. Plants growing near them will be able to intertwine their roots with the beans’ roots and utilize the nitrogen stored there. (source)
An ancient and popular companion planting is the Three Sisters garden. The Three Sisters method is a unique Native American way of growing corn, pole bean, and squash. These three plants mutually benefit each other as they grow. The corn provides a living trellis for the pole beans, the pole beans provide nitrogen for use by the corn, and the squash provides living mulch. The three plants create a synergy that produces a greater yield, increased nutrition and more food calories than if only one of the crops was grown alone in the same space. The Anasazi added another sister, flowering bee plant, Cleome serrulata, to the plant mix to improve pollination of the beans and squash and provide pollen to the bees. (source)
Companion Gardening at a Glance
This is a page from Louise Riotte’s book that gave me lots of ideas for approximately how far to space things that were and were not compatible. Such a wonderful potager (kitchen garden); I can just imagine walking through it in my mind.
Tomatoes have a whole group of other plants they are friends with.
What to Companion Plant Near Tomatoes:
Chives, Onions, and Garlic~ Members of the onion family are great companions and beneficial to plant with many types of crops due to the pungent odor they emit. This helps deter many insect pests.
Peppers (sweet and hot) are in the same family (nightshade) as tomatoes and are compatible companions.
Borage helps deter the dreaded defoliating tomato hornworm.
Marigold help deter harmful nematodes from attacking tomatoes. The pungent odor can also help confuse other insect pests. To deter nematodes, the best practice is to grow the marigolds, then chop and till them into the soil at the end of the season.
Nasturtium help deter white fly and aphids.
Carrots companion well with tomatoes because they share space well. The carrots can be planted when the tomatoes are still quite small, and can be happily growing and ready to harvest by the time the tomato plants start to take over the space.
Basil: Growing tomatoes and basil together increases the vigor and flavor of both crops.
Spinach, Lettuce, Arugula: These are also helpful crops for tomatoes. They stay fairly small, and will grow better in the heat of summer when shaded by the growing tomato plants. Although I have not read it anywhere until recently, I always have had good success planting lettuce (Romaine, particularly) in the shade at the side of tomatoes as seen below. Both benefit nicely.
What Not to Plant with Tomatoes:
• Brassicas: Tomatoes and all members of the brassica family repel each other and will exhibit poor growth when planted together. This includes broccoli and cabbages.
• Corn: Tomato fruit worm and corn ear worm are nearly identical, and planting these two crops together increases the possibility that you will attract one (or both) of these pests.
• Fennel: Fennel inhibits the growth of tomatoes (and many other things, too).
• Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi inhibits the growth of tomatoes.
• Potatoes: Planting tomatoes and potatoes together makes potatoes more susceptible to potato blight.
More Tips & Answers for Common Questions:
Plant in same place or a new place??
Wilt disease and blossom end rot??
Smokers warning.
On page 26 of Mrs. Riotte’s book Carrots Love Tomatoes, it says,
• Unlike most other vegetables, tomatoes prefer to grow in the same place year after year.
• If you have a disease problem, plant in a new area.
• Since they are heavy feeders, give them ample quantities of compost or decomposed manure.
• Mulch and water in dry weather to maintain soil moisture and stave off wilt disease and blossom end rot.
• Never water tomatoes from the top. Water from below and water deeply.
• If you smoke, wash your hands thoroughly since tomatoes are susceptible to diseases transmitted through tobacco.
There are so many wonderful tomato varieties to try and a taste to suit every palate, especially in heirloom tomatoes. I hope you find this helpful in growing the best tomatoes ever. And every year you will get better and better at it. Have fun as a family and grow your own tomatoes.
Store-bought tomatoes can never compare to ones you grow yourself!
• Olivia’s Tomato Pie: A Savory, Cheesy Summertime Favorite
• The Totally Easy Way To Freeze Diced Or Pureed Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes & Their Fascinating, Sometimes Funny Stories
“The federal government has sponsored research that has produced a tomato that is perfect in every respect, except that you can’t eat it. We should make every effort to make sure this disease, often referred to as ‘progress’, doesn’t spread.” ~Andy Rooney
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Sara Shay @ YourThrivingFamily
I’ve also read that there are things that won’t even grow in the same soil you have had tomatoes growing in for up to 3 years after they are no longer growing there. One being strawberries, too bad I read that AFTER trying.
I have radish and carrot going with mine right now. But I may move some other stuff into the beds after reading this!
Jacqueline
Sara, That is really interesting…I have my strawberry 4′ x8′ right next to my tomato box…makes me wonder b/c the strawberries (an everbearing) is just not as nice as I thought they’d be and slightly mushy. Hmmm…
Blessings to you!
Africanaussie
I have spare carrot tape I didn’t know where to plant – going to set that out between my tomatoes. I also heard that peppers are good next to tomatoes.
Jacqueline
Yes, they are. I forgot to mention them (I may just go into the post to add that 😉 they are both nightshades and do well together !
I am so glad about the carrots…perfect place for the tapes 🙂
Full of Grace, Mercy and Prayer
I have enjoyed reading your blog! I am a newbie, and I will be sure to come back and read more. I wonder if you would mind sharing where you get your beautiful Victorian pictures?
Thank you for your inspiring thoughts!
Jacqueline
Hello! Thank you so much for your encouraging words.
For lovely artwork, I just search google for Daniel Ridgway Knight, Bouguereau, or English painters…search around…careful on Bouguereau, though. He paints nudes, as well.
LindaG
I knew about basil, and read about marigolds somewhere earlier this year.
Did NOT know about potatoes. Perhaps that is why my volunteer plants started dying off…
I have an old copy of that book that I hope I can find once we get to our retirement property. Not sure which box I packed it in. Pretty sure I did not donate it to the library…
Don’t forget you can plant beans or peas with your corn, too. The ‘three sisters’ of veggies. :o)
Jacqueline
Yes, the ‘three sisters’ method stood the Pilgrims in good stead. I have found that raccoons don’t like to get tangled and won’t generally go into the thicket. Thanks for the reminder.
I hope you can find your book 🙂
MIRIAM LUIZA
Tomates faz muito bem à saúde, e deixa o prato colorido e apetitoso. Colhê-los antes de consumir é muito melhor! Seu blog está muito informativo e útil. Abraços!
Tomatoes do well for health, and makes the dish colorful and appetizing. Your blog is very informative and useful. Hugs!
Lisa
Thanks so much for this post, Jacqueline! We’re growing tomatoes for the first time ever this year and need all the help and advice we can get! My starts are doing well and we have a new raised bed ready for them. I’ll be sure to plant my carrots all around them. 🙂 We’re following “Square Foot Gardening” as much as is possible this year with our garden layout to maximize our small garden and get the most from it; this companion gardening thing is something we must look into!
Blessings,
Lisa @ HappyinDoleValley 🙂
Jacqueline
Lisa, I forgot to add that peppers are perfect companions to tomatoes…don’t know why I didn’t add that…going to do it now!! Blessings!
Rhonda Devine
Thanks for sharing–that sounds like a great read–we have toyed around with different companion plantings–I always plant marigolds around my garden edges to keep pests away.
Crystal
I just started reading your blog a couple weeks ago and I am enjoying it so much! In the picture above of the book alongside some seedlings, are those homemade newspaper pots you have your plants growing in? Do you have a post somewhere about how you make those? I have used peat pots before but found that the plant roots had a hard time penetrating through when I put the whole pot in the ground. Newspaper seems like such a great idea!
Jacqueline
Hello, Crystal,
thank you for your kind words, yes, I do have a post on the seedling pots. They are very easy to make: https://deeprootsathome.com/?p=20643
I hope they are helpful to you as you work on your garden…Many blessings to you and your family 🙂
Pattu
This is visual treat . It also is encouraging me to plan my terrace garden in a better way for next year. Thanks a lot.
Jacqueline
Thank you for your kind words, Pattu. I am glad it is a help to you 🙂
Cherry
Coming by for my first visit here on your blog! Looks like a fun and encouraging place! Enjoyed reading of the companion planting ideas. We’re really enjoying having a veggie garden again this summer, after a break of a number of years.
Jacqueline
Welcome, Cherry. Glad you are doing a garden again 🙂 God’s rich blessings as you work together!
What Joy Is Mine
Jacqueline…I didn’t know tomatoes do better by one veggie than another. I always learn something when I come to by to visit. Thank you for your wisdom, friend, and for always sharing at WJIM.
Amy
I know some plants should not be planted in the same soil year after year…is that not the case with tomatoes? I’m wondering this because of the marigold suggestion. If you till it into the ground at the end of the season, you’d have tomatoes growing the same spot two years in a row, right? (I’m new at this, please forgive my ignorance =)
Jacqueline
Amy,
I got out Mrs. Riotte’s book again (I do this often), and I looked to verify and clarify. I went into the draft of the post and typed in the paragraph where she speaks to the practice of planting in the same place. We have planted in the same place for 3 years and have not had problems, but we use borage and chives in the same boxes. We just put the cages on yesterday …if we waited a day longer it would have broken the branches! They are getting so big! You are NOT ignorant; there is not a dumb question 🙂 Blessings!
Amy
Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for =) I’m so excited to give this all a try! I’ll make sure to plant some chives or onions (etc.) along with tomatoes next spring. Thanks again for taking the time to answer!
Chris
Very helpful, keep posting such great, informative tid bits. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading of this posting. I will be checkin in from time to time.
Take care,
Chris
Eastern NC
Chris
just a comment so that i could include the appropriate associated link with my profile picture – sorry about the prior post that includes a link to a site that is not associated with gardening. It’s called being a blog owner of a wide array of topics. (laughing)
Majestic Adventures in Backyard Homesteading
take care, Chris
Penny Lane
By a streak of pretty dumb luck, I think we did really good on this. We’ve got basil, garlic, and the only one I knew was a good idea, marigolds, near our tomatoes. I’ll have to try the carrots idea next year! Thanks for sharing, I’ve got so much to learn about gardening!
Eve
Hi there.
Just came across your blog whilst looking for some info on sweet potatoes…..so glad I found you. Great blog with really informative information. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Eve
Jacqueline
Welcome, Eve,
I am coming over for a visit 🙂 I love meeting like-minded new friends!