tomato companion plants

Companion planting tomatoes is a lot easier than trying to lay out your entire vegetable garden with good companions. Luckily, tomatoes make good companions with many popular garden vegetables. A few nettles around your tomato patch could be a great thing – and you can even eat them or use them in a range of other ways around your homestead as an additional yield. Wherever you grow your tomatoes, companion plants can help you increase the yield from your crop. Carrots are great companion plants for your tomatoes. Companion planting refers to the practice of planting different crops in close proximity to each other to enhance nutrient uptake, provide pest control, encourage pollination, and increase crop production. Jan 10, 2020 - Grow better tomatoes by learning which crops are the best tomato companion plants to increase your tomato harvest, reduce pests, and improve flavor. A lot of plants are touted as improving the health, vigor, and flavor of tomatoes. In summer, the shade cast by your tomato plants will also prevent lettuce from bolting and prematurely going to seed. And members of the cabbage family should not be grown with tomatoes. Through this buddy system, the plants help to protect each other so they can thrive better. Experienced gardeners have known for years that companion planting produces the juiciest, plumpest and most flavorful tomatoes. Companion plants are plants that help each other out in your garden. Carrots Love Tomatoes helped make the idea of companion planting popular. when you grow members of this family in the same bed after one another. Their spreading form and large leaves means they create good ground cover, reducing water loss from the site. Stinging nettles may not seem like a wonder-crop. Some of these companion plants also help keep garden pests at bay. But be sure to stay away from planting tomatoes with Brassicas, such as cabbage, broccoli and kohlrabi. Companion planting is simply planting two or more mutually beneficial plants next to each other. Here are some flowers you should consider growing with your tomatoes: Borage’s beautiful blue flowers look great against tomato plants. PUBLISHED 7:29 PM ET Jun. Horehound will attract Braconid and Icheumonid wasps and Tachnid and Syrid flies to your garden. By layering plants in space and through time, you can gain a higher yield than by simply planting one crop and watching it grow. Research has suggested that planting marigolds in between tomato plants is beneficial because the marigolds like similar conditions. You are probably going to grow some of these plants anyway, so why not experiment on your own and use some of them as companion plants for your tomatoes? Carrots can also be companion planted with tomatoes and many people believe that though carrots will be a bit smaller as a result, overall yield will be improved. That said, let’s take a look at some companion plants that may work well when planted alongside tomatoes. Our final companion plants for tomatoes is Borage. Companion plants are fruits, vegetables, herbs, shrubs, or flowers that provide a benefit to their neighbor, whether that’s through nutrients, providing shade, or protection from pests or disease. And flowers are produced over the long period, leading right up to the last frost. Attracting creatures that prey on pest species can help keep the garden or farm ecosystem in balance. And peppers can benefit from the shade and humidity created by the tomato plants close by. They also need well-drained soil. Marigolds repel pests and reduce root-knot nematodes in soil. This should help you understand why we companion plant, and the benefits it can have in your garden or growing areas. Borage is supposed to protect tomatoes from tomato hornworms, but the science behind that has yet to be proven. Carrots and tomatoes also go well together, although carrots grow little stunned if planted too close to the tomato plants but their flavor will be higher. Cunningham groups her vegetables into neighborhoods and makes pairing appropriate companions a bit easier. When choosing companion plants, it is important to keep a kind of balance sheet of pros and cons. Carrots. Growing certain plants together will also help deter insect pests ruining your carefully tended plants before you get the chance to enjoy them. Companion planting involves grouping plants together so that they can help each other to grow better. Comfrey can also be used to make a nutrient rich liquid fertilizer. Some gardeners and gardening books will tell you to never plant members of the Solacaceae family together. Companion planting is an age-old method of combining vegetables that grow best when planted grouped together in the garden. With bee balm, the name says it all. If you are interested in learning more about companion planting, you might want to look at two great books on the subject: Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte and Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham. But it can also help because them can excrete a chemical from their roots which kills harmful root-knot nematodes in the soil and stop them from spoiling your tomato plants. The book focuses on the vegetable garden. They are naturally repellent to aphids and the roots have anti-fungal properties. Wherever you use them, of course, many herbs attract beneficial insects, and can also delight human inhabitants with their scents. The attractive flowers also drawn in beneficial aphid predators, as well as providing a beneficial additional edible crop. A Companion Planting Trio @ thespruce.com. Secondly, it doesn’t work so well because i… Although, last year I … It’s an herb with umbrella-shaped flowers that are excellent at attracting beneficial insects (like ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitoid wasps, and lacewings) that will prey … Best Companion Plants for Tomatoes. Another Mediterranean herb to consider for your tomato bed or container is thyme. Benefit for Tomato. One example of this is lettuces inter-planted with crops in the brassica family. Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener. Cilantro (also called coriander) is considered one of the best companion plants to potatoes. What about plants to avoid planting near tomatoes? Annual herbs can be rotated in your annual areas with your fruits and vegetables. But there are few peer-reviewed scientific studies to actually back up these results. This can make things easier in a smaller space. Depending on your climate, you may grow them outdoors, or in a greenhouse or polytunnel. If planted too closely, the carrots may not get as large as they should, but they will still taste good. Perennial herbs can be planted on the fringes of such an area, or even grown in pots or containers nearby. Rather than leaving the bed largely empty between asparagus harvests, it can be a good idea to plant tomatoes (and other companion plants) to take up the time and space. This is a great bee-attracting plant. Not only will the parsley help the tomatoes with ground cover, the tomatoes may also help the parsley by providing shade during the heat of summer. One study showed that flower strips planted along the edge of a tomato cultivation area acted as a trap crop and reduced damage from sap-sucking insects to the crop itself. Beans provide the … Nasturtiums planted a short distance from tomatoes can act as a trap crop – luring aphids to feast on them rather than on your prize tomatoes. And a blanket of this spreading weed around the base of tomatoes can help to reduce soil moisture evaporation. Again, oregano works well with tomato in the ground as well as in a range of dishes. Well, yes and no. When she is not gardening, Elizabeth spends a lot of time working remotely on permaculture garden projects around the world. She has created booklets and aided in the design of Food Kits to help gardeners to cool and warm climates to grow their own food, for example. Herbs can help to improve tomato taste and deter some garden pests, flowers can attract pollinators, and some vegetables get the benefit when it grows close to tomatoes. Beans supply nutrients to the soil around tomatoes. Finally, purslane is another edible weed that could be good for creating ground cover around tomato plants. But nitrogen fixing beans are generally a good plant to scatter all around your garden, and tall climbing beans can work well between and amongst cordoned tomato plants. What is more, tomatoes and peppers grow at the same time, and like similar conditions. 1. What comes before and after your tomatoes is often just as important as what is planted with them. Sometimes, this comes down to simple physical reasons – taller plants provide shelter from sun and wind for plants that need protection. Beans are often planted alongside squash, since they are nitrogen-hungry. “Good examples are like tomatoes and marigolds,” offers the expert. We have the answers to all of your “how to” gardening questions here. All of these features are hard to measure, since little scientific research exists to back up the claims, and many other factors may be involved. Chives are wonderful pollinators and are known to help prevent disease. Asparagus is one of the better known perennial vegetables. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. Dandelions are another surprising edible that many people just think of as a common weed. Another well known and extremely useful dynamic accumulator is comfrey, which has deep roots. This technique is an integral part of permagardening. Basil (annual herb) Repels whiteflies, mosquitoes, spider mites, aphids, hornworms. Elizabeth Waddington is a writer, permaculture designer and green living consultant. Petunias can look good planted close to your tomatoes. As well as companion planting to maximise yield, companion planting can also help to increase the amount of nutrients available in a given piece of soil and made available to crops. But integration is always better than segregation. Growing plants that require the same primary nutrients together means that they will be competing for resources, which can slow down growth for all. Thyme is not only great for attracting beneficial wildlife, it can also create good ground cover around the edges of a tomato bed. But their deep tap roots are also great at bringing nutrients up to the soil surface when chopped and dropped before they go to seed. Help Out your Tomato Plants By Planting Companion Plants. Sweet potato scurf; Flea beetles; White blister; Stem rot ; Fungal leaf diseases; Conclusion. Some companion plants are extremely useful because they distract or repel pests that could otherwise decimate your crops. Companion planting is part experience, part folklore, and part wishful thinking. Growing them together, therefore, can sometimes be the better option. Like the dandelion, it has a deep tap root that can bring up nutrients from far below the soil surface. Keep in mind, veggies like fennel, corn, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower can stunt or inhibit tomato growth, so avoid planting these veggies near tomato plants. Plant lovage and, again, this will help bring plenty of beneficial insect species into your garden. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. She has filled the rest of the garden with a polytunnel, a vegetable patch, a herb garden, a wildlife pond, woodland areas and more. Beneficial insects like bees and other pollinators also love its blossoms. These are just a few examples of the polycultures you can create around tomato plants with companion planting. The list is in no particular other of importance or benefits to your tomatoes so be sure to read through it all to know which one will benefit your situation the most. One more herb that you might not have considered is hyssop. It is great at attracting syriphidae that eat aphids. But companion planting is not about cramming in as many plants as we can in a random way. Companion planting also works in a physical way. As an aromatic herb, it makes an excellent companion for a number of different plants. Also Read: Carrot Companion Plants. Oregano is a beneficial pollinator. The tomato is well regarded as one of the most versatile foods with a multitude of diverse uses. And never plant tomatoes with potatoes! Rodents hate peppermint oil: https://bit.ly/39yxsFq Visit her website here and follow along on her Facebook page here. She has made many strides in attracting local wildlife and increasing biodiversity on the site. Since I generally get a smaller harvest of tomatoes when I grow them outside, I haven't really experienced that this combination might not be optimal. Some herb, flowers, and vegetables are compatibles for tomato companion plants. It too is said to improve the health of the tomato plants grown nearby. My Homemade Tomato Fertilizer Recipe Perfected Over 30 Years >>>. Companion planting can help you boost the number of tomatoes you can harvest. Nasturtium not only looks lovely planted with tomatoes, but it also serves as a trap crop for aphids. The ever popular topic of companion plants for tomatoes, includes beans, squash, as well as cucumbers. Companion planting can combine two or more crops together, planting them in the same row, alternating between them. But more than this, borage is an excellent companion plant because it deters tomato hornworms. This gorgeous plant can help ward off insects. Extra Tips. Planting Tomatoes in your Garden . Check out our robust list of the best tomato companion plants. Though companion plants sown together can sometimes lower the yield of individuals, overall, the yield can be increased. Some companion plants reportedly help boost the health and vigor of the tomato plants, some improve the tomato flavor, and other companion plants allegedly repel and deter ​insect pests and diseases. Amaranth is a great companion plant for tomatoes. And as another aromatic herb, it may improve the health and flavor of your tomatoes. Instead, it involves thinking carefully about how different plants will benefit from their neighbors, and how plants can help each other in a range of different ways. They need a good boost of potassium to flower and fruit well. Companion planting is simply the process of planting different plants together. It is important to realise that the science of companion planting is not much studied, nor are plant interactions fully understood. So you could plant not only the flowers mentioned above, but a wide range of native flowers for beneficial effect. Even if they taste wonderful together in a meal, they do not make the greatest of friends in the garden. Plant companions which gather nutrients either from the air or from deep in the soil and make them available for the use of other plants near them are called dynamic accumulators. She has long had an interest in ecology, gardening and sustainability and is fascinated by how thought can generate action, and ideas can generate positive change. Borage. Flowers such as marigolds keep nematodes from attacking tomato plants and their sharp odor confuses other insects. Before we start to look at the options for companion plants to grow with your tomatoes, we should look at the different types of companion plants. But keep it on the fringes of a tomato growing area, rather than as a direct neighbour to your plants. Most companion planting teachings are passed down by gardeners who experimented with pairing plants with some success. My Top 5 plants that tomatoes love to be planted with and two they hate. Carrots. These two feature in the famous companion planting combination – the ‘three sisters’ (along with corn). This post may contain affiliate links. They also improve yields. Now, the “Big Question”: does it work? Spatial interaction of plants occurs in most gardens naturally. The yield from the garden is increasing year on year – rapidly approaching an annual weight in produce of almost 1 ton. If you are growing your tomatoes in an annual growing area, you must consider a number of different factors when choosing companion plants. The anecdotal evidence for the benefit of certain plant combinations does stack up. Squash and tomatoes also require similar growing conditions, and so can work well together. Native Americans were amongst the first to use companion plants to improve the vitality of plants. Tomatoes are one of the most popular edible plants to grow at home. Plants that are often called weeds can, in the right places, be incredibly useful and resilient. Improves pollination - … They too share similar needs in terms of their environment and growing conditions. It doesn ’ t know everything about plants by planting tomatoes with Brassicas, such as marigolds keep nematodes attacking. 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