Companion planting combinations

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Monday, 13 May 2019 at 2:39 pm

Find out how to combine vegetables and flowers on the veg plot, controlling pests and encouraging healthy plants.

Save

Companion planting – combining plants for the benefit of one or both of the companions – is an age-old gardening tradition.

Companion plants can help to control pests by confusing them or by attracting predators. They can also act as sacrificial plants, luring pests away from a precious crop. They can also help each other by giving support, or by adding nutrients to the soil.

Discover 10 companion plants to grow, recommended by herb expert Jekka McVicar.

Though evidence for the benefits of companion planting is largely anecdotal, many combinations make good sense and can help to maximise use your space. It looks attractive, too.

Tuck the right flowers, herbs and other edibles around your veg in the garden or in containers for a great display, healthy plants and bumper harvests.

Tomatoes with tagetes

French marigolds (Tagetes patula) give off a distinctive smell that whitefly hate – so planting them under tomatoes, especially in the greenhouse, helps keep this pest at bay. Buy as inexpensive plugs and pop into borders, pots or growing bags between plants, 10cm apart.

Tomatoes and marigolds

Tomatoes ripening beside marigold flowers

Dwarf French beans with kale

Kales and cabbages thrive on the extra nitrogen beans draw into the soil from the air; in return, they provide sturdy, natural support. Sow kale three weeks before the beans, then sow a row of beans alongside them, 45cm-60cm apart. This combination does well in a raised bed or roomy container.

Kale and dwarf beans. Credit: Getty Images

French beans and kale planted together

Carrots with leeks

Carrot flies can zero in on a crop from a mile away with one sniff of crushed foliage, so growing pungent alliums, such as leeks, acts as a protective barrier. The distinctive scent of carrots confuses onion fly and leek moth, too. Sow plenty of each in a patchwork or thick strips and resow regularly.

Carrots and leeks

Carrots growing beside leeks

Brussels sprouts with nasturtiums

Nasturtiums can swamp low-growing crops but they're ideal companions for taller plants. They cover bare ground and lure aphids away from brassicas onto themselves. Sow direct or into modules, but wait until your Brussels sprouts reach 30cm high before planting them underneath, 25cm apart.

Brussels sprouts and nasturtiums

Nasturtiums growing beside Brussel sprouts

Broad beans with borage

Many claims are made about borage – it's believed to make strawberries grow better and repel a host of pests. What is certain is that the flowers are magnets for pollinating insects, including hoverflies, whose larvae feast on blackfly on broad beans.

Broad beans and borage

Blue-flowering borage growing beside broad beans

Fruiting veg with annual flowers

Annuals lure insects to pollinate fruiting plants, from squash and beans to tomatoes. They also attract predators to keep pests down. In autumn, sow annuals like pot marigolds (Calendula) to overwinter, so they'll flower in time for early summer crops.

Annual flowers

A pollinating insect on a marigold flower

Climbing beans with lettuce

A canopy of climbing beans is ideal for shade-loving lettuces. Lettuce set 15cm apart covers bare ground in return for a feed, as beans add nitrogen to the soil. Young lettuce beside direct-sown beans also lures slugs away, leaving bean seedlings alone.

Climbing beans with lettuce

Lettuces growing beneath climbing beans

Plant companion plants at the same time as your crops so that pests do not have a chance to establish.

Other companion planting combinations to try

Tomatoes with basil or pots of mint
Dwarf beans with tomatoes or sweetcorn
Carrots with spring onions, garlic or chives
Nasturtiums with cabbage, kale or sweetcorn
Broad beans with summer savory, or cabbage with sage.
Tomatoes with calendula and runner beans with sweet peas
Lettuce or chard with peas, kale or sprouts

The perfect gift for gardeners

Gift 12 months of Gardeners’ World magazine, and Niwaki Sentei Secateurs, to a loved one. Enjoy year-round expert tips for a thriving garden.

Gift a subscription today

Great gardening savings - straight to your inbox

Sign up to the BBC Gardeners’ World offers newsletter for exclusive deals, seasonal savings, and early access to special promotions.