When you’re companion planting, the goal is to encourage as many positive relationships between plants as possible while minimizing the natural competition they can have with one another.
Plants often compete for root space, sunlight, and nutrients, so thoughtful placement helps each one thrive.
At the same time, certain plants bring added benefits to the garden. Some can enhance the flavor of nearby crops or improve the soil. Others help deter pests and diseases, while some act as magnets for pollinators that support the whole garden ecosystem.
To help you grow an edible garden to its full potential, check out these lists we’ve put together of companion plant suggestions, including herbs and flowers.
Vegetable Companion Plant List
Asparagus: Plant with carrot or tomato. Avoid garlic, onion, and potato.
Beans, Bush: Plant with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, pepper, tomato, eggplant, potato, beet, sweet potato. Avoid garlic and onion.
Beans, Pole: Plant with broccoli, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, corn, spinach, cucumber, melon, squash. Avoid garlic, onion, beet, and sweet potato.
Beets: Plant with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, bush beans, onions, radish, sweet potato. Avoid pole beans.
Broccoli: Plant with beets, bush beans, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, cucumber, melon, peas. Avoid mustards, tomato, pepper, potato, and eggplant.
Brussels Sprouts: Plant with beets, bush beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, cucumber, melon, peas. Avoid mustards, tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant.
Cabbage: Plant with beets, bush beans, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, cucumber, melon, peas. Avoid mustards, tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant.
Cauliflower: Plant with beets, bush beans, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, cucumber, melon, Avoid mustards, tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant.
Carrots: Plant with bush beans, pole beans, lettuce, spinach, mustards, peas, garlic, onion, tomato, radish. Avoid celery and potato.
Celery: Plant with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, peas, bush beans, pole beans, garlic, onion pepper, tomato, eggplant. Avoid carrots and corn.
Corn: Plant with pole beans, peas, squashes, cucumbers, melons. Avoid tomato, potato, pepper, celery.
Cucumber: Plant with peas, bush beans, pole beans, garlic, onion, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, kale. Avoid potato.
Eggplant: Plant with peas, bush beans, pole beans, melons, cucumbers, lettuce. Avoid broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale.
Garlic: Plant with lettuce, spinach, tomato, carrots, celery, squashes, cucumber, melon, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beets. Avoid asparagus, peas, bush beans, pole beans.
Lettuce: Plant with onion, garlic, peas, bush beans, pole beans, tomato, radish, potato, pepper, eggplant. Avoid broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, celery.
Melons: Plant with peas, bush beans, pole beans, garlic, onion, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, kale. Avoid potato.
Onion: Plant with beets, spinach,, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, lettuce, squashes, cucumbers, melons, tomato, potato, pepper, eggplant. Avoid asparagus, bush beans, pole beans, peas.
Peas: Plant with carrots, celery, corn, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, melon, tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato. Avoid onion and garlic.
Peppers: Plant with peas, bush beans, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic. Avoid corn, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.
Potato: Plant with peas, pole beans, bush beans, garlic, onion, beets, sweet potato. Avoid corn, cucumber, melon, squash, carrots, asparagus.
Radish: Plant with carrots, beets, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, lemon, squashes. No major dislikes.
Spinach: Plant with carrots, peas, bush beans, pole beans, pole beans, garlic, onions, peppers, cucumbers, melon. No major dislikes.
Squashes: Plant with corn, garlic, onion, peas, bush beans, pole beans, tomato. Avoid potato and sweet potato.
Sweet Potato: Plant with beets, bush beans, potato. Avoid pole beans, squashes.
Tomato: Plant with squashes, cucumbers, melons, bush beans, garlic, onion, carrots, asparagus. Avoid pole beans, corn, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.
Download this information as a printable PDF, HERE.
Herbs and Flowers for the Vegetable Garden
Aster: Enhances many crops. Distracts aphids, mites. Attracts bees.
Agastache: Enhances cole crops and grapes. Distracts cabbage loopers. Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Alyssum: Attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Basil: Enhances tomatoes. Can repel/distract asparagus beetle, thrip. Attracts bees.
Borage: Enhances most crops- notable for cucumber, melon, and strawberry. Distracts many oests. Attracts bees and predatory insects.
Calendula: Attracts bees and other pollinators. Trap crop for slugs.
Chamomile: Enhances other herbs, cole crops, cucumbers, melons. Attracts hoverflies and predatory wasps.
Cilantro/Coriander: Enhances spinach, peas, beans. Can repel/distract aphids, mites, and whitefly. Attracts beneficial insects.
Chives: Enhances tomatoes, cole crops, carrots. Can repel/distract cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot rust fly. May reduce or inhibit mildew.
Chrysanthemum: Enhances many crops. Distracts aphids, mites. Attracts bees.
Dianthus: Attracts pollinators. Trap crop for slugs.
Dill: Enhances lettuce, spinach, onion, garlic, cole crops, cucumbers, melons. Can repel/distract aphids, mites, cabbage loopers, squash bugs, some beetles. Attracts bees, hoverflies, predatory wasps, and many butterflies.
Geranium/Pelargonium: Enhances corn, peppers, beets, lettuce, spinach. Can repel/distract leafhoppers and some beetles.
Hyssop: Enhances cole crops and grapes. Distracts cabbage loopers. Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Lavender: Enhances cole crops, lettuce, spinach, onion, garlic, tomatoes, squashes. Attracts many pollinators.
Lovage: Enhances most crops. Attracts predatory insects.
Marigold: Enhances all crops. Distracts slugs and snails. Deters leafhoppers, nematodes, cutworms, some weeds and diseases.
Mints: Enhances cole crops. Can repel/distract cabbage maggot, cabbage looper, ants. Use carefully-very aggressive.
Nasturtium: Enhances cucumbers, melons, peas, beans, cole crops. Can repel/distract aphids, some beetles, leafhoppers, whitefly, cabbage looper. Attracts predatory insects.
Oregano: Enhances tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants. Distracts aphids.
Pansy/Viola: Attracts bees and butterflies. Trap crop for aphids and slugs. Can grow in shade of larger plants.
Parsley: Enhances corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant. Attracts predatory wasps and many butterflies.
Petunia: Enhances asparagus, cucumber, melon, squashes. Can repel/distract aphids, beetles, and leafhoppers.
Rosemary: Enhances cole crops, peas, beans, carrots. Can repel/distract beetles and cabbage maggot.
Sage/Salvia: Enhances cole crops, peas, beans, carrots. Can repel/distract flea beetles, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot rust fly. Attracts bees.
Savory: Enhances peas, beans, onions, garlic.
Sunflower: Enhances corn, tomato. Trap crop (distraction) for aphids and ants.
Tarragon: Enhances all crops, especially good for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant. Repels many pests.
Thyme: Enhances cole crops. Can repel/distract whitefly. Attracts pollinators.
Yarrow: Enhances herbs. Improves soils.
Zinnia: Enhances all crops. Can repel/distract whitefly. Attracts bees.
Download this information as a printable PDF, HERE.
Learn More About Companion Planting & Watch Our Class Recording
Learn from Angelee Kirkland about the basics of what plants grow well together, and which ones should be grown apart.