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Blackberries, with their sprawling bushes, provide a steady supply of sweet, juicy fruit throughout their growing season. While blackberries are relatively easy to grow, their success depends on careful companion planting.
Some plants can benefit your blackberry bushes by improving soil health, repelling pests, and boosting yields. However, others can do more harm than good by competing for nutrients, attracting destructive insects, or even stunting blackberry growth. To keep your berry patch thriving and productive, be sure to plant your blackberries far from the following crops.
Potatoes
Potatoes are susceptible to the same pests and diseases as blackberries, particularly aphids, blight, and rust. Planting them together means these issues can easily spread between the two plants.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes and blackberries share many common pests, including aphids, whiteflies, and hornworms. Additionally, both can suffer from similar fungal diseases like powdery mildew.
Raspberries
Raspberries and blackberries are closely related and share susceptibility to the same pests and diseases, such as raspberry beetles and verticillium wilt.
Eggplants
Growing eggplants can be tricky, as they need plenty of nutrients, sunshine, and water to thrive. Blackberries will outcompete eggplants for all these growth-boosting essentials and increase the risk of soil-borne diseases like Fusarium wilt.
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Cabbages
Cabbages and other brassica crops are incredibly greedy feeders, quickly depleting nutrient levels in the soil. They can also attract pests like aphids and caterpillars, which may also target blackberry plants and reduce fruit production.
Fennel
Fennel has very few friends in the garden, as it produces a chemical that can inhibit the growth of nearby plants. This makes it a poor companion for blackberries, leading to stunted plants and poor fruit production.
Strawberries
Strawberries are often recommended as a good companion for blackberries, but there are drawbacks to this pairing. While strawberries are great for creating ground cover, they may compete for nutrients and space with blackberry plants.
In addition, strawberries and blackberries attract similar pests, which could increase the likelihood of pest issues.
Peppers
Peppers can be susceptible to aphids, spider mites, and other pests that also target blackberries.
Carrots
Root crops like
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While some gardeners remain skeptical about companion planting, many have experienced firsthand the benefits of strategically pairing crops. Healthier plants, fewer pest issues, and a more abundant harvest are just a few of the advantages that make this method worthwhile. Here are 21 plants that can help your strawberries thrive.
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Planting the right companion plants near blueberry bushes can help to ensure successful fruiting. Here are some plants that you should grow alongside blueberry bushes to help them thrive.
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Kate Chalmers
Kate is a passionate gardener who has a keen interest in all things related to homesteading and sustainability. She resides in Portugal with her husband and menagerie of animals and has over 15 years of experience in the UK veterinary industry. In 2020, Kate and her husband took on a dilapidated Portuguese house and abandoned olive grove, turning it into an abundant food forest and home for nature.
Life on the homestead is never the same from one day to the next, and Kate has mastered many skills that she is keen to pass on to anyone with an interest in becoming more self-sufficient. Kate believes that living a sustainable lifestyle is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that everyone can make simple changes that connect us back to nature and reduce our impact on the planet.
