Companion Planting Table
Companion planting is not a new idea to the gardening world. There is evidence of farmers using these same techniques dating back to ancient Roman times. Many people are familiar with the idea of planting the “Three Sisters,” a Native American technique that combines corn, squash, and beans. These are time-tested planting methods that some dismiss as old wives tales. They would rather plant in organized, monoculture plots that tend to have the same appearance as different color cars parked in a mall parking lot.
By planting only one crop or separating crop by type, you are actually creating a situation that requires a dependence on pesticides or herbicides, organic or not. If you examine a wooded forest lot or a marsh that has not been infringed upon by humans, you will see an interrelated system that works in natural harmony within itself. There are bugs that feed the birds, small mammals that maintain a manageable level of ground growth, and larger mammals that manage the level of smaller ones; the system requires no external inputs. This is the type of environment that can be created in one’s garden space, making it harmonious for the birds and the bees, while providing a peaceful retreat for family and friends to enjoy.
A companion planting plan integrates Mother Nature’s traits as well as your choice of crops. Some underlying techniques in companion planting include:
| Plant | Companion(s) and Effects |
| Asparagus | Tomatoes, parsley, basil |
| Basil | Tomatoes (improves growth & flavor); said to dislike rue; repels flies & mosquitoes |
| Bean | Potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, summer savory, most other veggies & herbs |
| Bean (bush) | Sunflowers (beans like partial shade, unless you live up north, sunflowers attract birds & bees for pollination), cucumbers (combination of heavy and light feeders), potatoes, corn, celery, summer savory |
| Bee Balm | Tomatoes (improves growth & flavor). |
| Beet | Onions, kohlrabi |
| Borage | Tomatoes (attracts bees, deters tomato worm, improves growth & flavor), squash, strawberries |
| Cabbage Family (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi) | Potatoes, celery, dill, chamomile, sage, thyme, mint, pennyroyal, rosemary, lavender, beets, onions; aromatic plants deter cabbage worms |
| Caraway | Loosens soil; plant here and there |
| Carrot | Peas, lettuce, chives, onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, tomatoes |
| Catnip | Plant in borders; protects against flea beetles |
| Celery | Leeks, tomatoes, bush beans, cauliflower, cabbage |
| Chamomile | Cabbage, onions |
| Chervil | Radishes (improves growth & flavor). |
| Chive | Carrots; plant around base of fruit trees to discourage insects from climbing trunk |
| Corn | Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, squash |
| Cucumber | Beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers |
| Dead Nettle | Potatoes (deters potato bugs) |
| Dill | Cabbage (improves growth & health), carrots |
| Eggplant | Beans |
| Fennel | Most plants are supposed to dislike it. |
| Flax | Carrots, potatoes |
| Garlic | Roses & raspberries (deters Japanese beetle); with herbs to enhance their production of essential oils; plant liberally throughout garden to deter pests |
| Horseradish | Potatoes (deters potato beetle); around plum trees to discourage curculios |
| Hyssop | Cabbage (deters cabbage moths), grapes; keep away from radishes |
| Lamb’s Quarters | Nutritious edible weeds; allow to grow in modest amounts in the corn |
| Leek | Onions, celery, carrots |
| Lemon Balm | Here and there in the garden |
| Marigold | The workhorse of pest deterrents; keeps soil free of nematodes; discourages many insects; plant freely throughout the garden. |
| Marjoram | Here and there in the garden |
| Mint | Cabbage family; tomatoes; deters cabbage moth |
| Nasturtium | Tomatoes, radish, cabbage, cucumbers; plant under fruit trees; deters aphids & pests of curcurbits |
| Onion | Beets, strawberries, tomato, lettuce (protects against slugs), beans (protects against ants), summer savory |
| Parsley | Tomato, asparagus |
| Pea | Squash (when squash follows peas up trellis), plus grows well with almost any vegetable; adds nitrogen to the soil |
| Petunia | Protects beans; beneficial throughout garden |
| Potato | Horseradish, beans, corn, cabbage, marigold, limas, eggplant (as a trap crop for potato beetle) |
| Pot Marigold | Helps tomato, but plant throughout garden as deterrent to asparagus beetle, tomato worm & many other garden pests |
| Pumpkin | Corn |
| Radish | Peas, nasturtium, lettuce, cucumbers; a general aid in repelling insects |
| Rosemary | Carrots, beans, cabbage, sage; deters cabbage moth, bean beetles & carrot fly |
| Rue | Roses & raspberries; deters Japanese beetle; keep away from basil |
| Sage | Rosemary, carrots, cabbage, peas, beans; deters some insects |
| Soybean | Grows with anything; helps everything |
| Spinach | Strawberries |
| Squash | Nasturtium, corn |
| Strawberry | Bush beans, spinach, borage, lettuce (as a border) |
| Summer Savory | Beans, onions; deters bean beetles |
| Sunflower | Cucumber |
| Tansy | Plant under fruit trees; deters pests of roses & raspberries; deters flying insects, also Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs; deters ants |
| Tarragon | Good throughout garden |
| Thyme | Here and there in garden; deters cabbage worm |
| Tomato | Chives, onion, parsley, asparagus, marigold, nasturtium, carrot, limas |
| Valerian | Good anywhere in garden |
| Wormwood | As a border, keeps animals from the garden |
| Yarrow | Plant along borders, near paths, near aromatic herbs; enhances essential oil production of herbs |