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Watermelons are relatively easy to grow, but they’re often vulnerable to pests and disease. Choosing the right companion plants can help protect your crop and improve your chances of harvesting sweet, juicy melons all summer long.
But the wrong plant pairings can do more harm than good, making it harder for your watermelons to thrive or produce fruit. To set your crop up for success, here are the best companion plants to grow alongside your watermelons.
1. Marigolds
Marigolds are excellent companions for watermelons because they excel at repelling pests such as plant-parasitic nematodes, aphids, and beetles. They also attract beneficial pollinators and insects that help to reduce the number of pests on your plants.
To grow these great companions together, plant marigolds around the perimeter of the watermelon patch. Both plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil but need regular water during dry spells.
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2. Radishes
Radishes are the perfect companion plant for watermelons, as well as other fruiting crops such as cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. They act as a trap crop, luring squash bugs and cucumber beetles away from your watermelon plants. And although these bugs will nibble at the leaves of your radish plants, beneath the soil is a delicious root that can be harvested and eaten.
Grow radishes with watermelons by sowing them in rows directly in the soil between watermelon plants. Radishes grow quickly and can be harvested before the watermelon vines spread too much.
3. Corn
The height and dense foliage of corn plants can help alter the climate in which watermelons are grown. When planted on the south side of your watermelon patch, corn will provide shade during the hottest part of the day, ideal for long, hot summers. In cooler climates, plant corn on the north side of your watermelon patch to provide shelter from cold winds.
4. Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are often grown as a trap crop, attracting aphids who love to feast on the flowers of this pretty plant. They can also help to reduce squash bug populations and attract beneficial insects to your vegetable plot.
Because
5. Beans
Beans enrich the soil with nitrogen, producing vigorous watermelon growth and large, juicy fruits. They can also provide shade or shelter from the wind.
6. Lettuce
Watermelons planted in the spring grow slowly for the first month until soil temperatures warm up. During this period, maximize the use of your garden space by planting lettuces, as this fast-growing salad will be ready to harvest in just a few weeks. This will provide ground cover to suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.
7. Basil
Basil repels insects and attracts pollinators, making it a good companion for watermelons. Plant basil a couple of feet from your watermelons to prevent them from being swamped by mounds of leafy growth.
8. Garlic
The strong scent of
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9. Dill
Dill attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and wasps that prey on harmful pests in the vegetable garden. Grow a border of
10. Sunflowers
Sunflowers are excellent for attracting pollinators and beneficial insects, and they can provide some shade for watermelons in hotter climates.
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11. Onions
Like
12. Peas
Peas are excellent companion plants for watermelon because they enrich the soil with nitrogen, promoting vigorous growth and producing large, juicy fruits. Additionally, peas can provide shade and shelter from the wind, enhancing the watermelon’s growing conditions.
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