Grow Juicier Melons with These Cantaloupe Companion Plants

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Cantaloupes are a summer favorite for good reason. Their juicy, sweet flesh is perfect for fruit salads, smoothies, or just enjoying fresh from the farm. These sun-loving plants belong to the same family as cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash. They thrive in warm weather, which means late spring to early summer is the ideal time to plant them in most climates. 

But while cantaloupes are relatively easy to grow in the right conditions, they can benefit greatly from growing beside a few strategic companion plants. Let’s explore the best plants to grow beside cantaloupes.

1. Bush Beans

Bush beans are a great companion plant for cantaloupe because their roots host nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which replenish the soil for the nearby cantaloupe vines. Because bush beans are short, they won’t block the sun or tangle with melon runners. 

Give both crops full sun, loose soil, even moisture, and add a little compost to the side (one-time application) and leave the rest to the beans. Also, skip extra high-nitrogen fertilizers, as excessive nitrogen can cause the cantaloupe vines to produce more leaves than fruit if they receive too much.

2. Sweet Corn

Sweet corn and cantaloupes make great companion plants because neither tries to outcompete the other for space. While cantaloupe sprawls on the ground, corn grows skyward.

Their tall stalks provide dappled afternoon shade that helps protect cantaloupe fruit from scalding. Cantaloupes do not tolerate wet conditions, while corn is a thirsty crop that absorbs excess water from the soil when it is soaked, saving the melons from moisture stress. 

Plant corn in rich, well-drained soil once it’s warm, then sow melon seeds at the row edges two weeks later. Keep spacing wide so vines don’t smother young corn, and both crops will mature in harmony.

3. Radishes

Radishes confuse common cantaloupe pests, such as cucumber beetles and squash bugs, with their scent. The best part is that they grow quickly and are ready for harvest before cantaloupe vines start to spread, giving them enough room to grow.

Sow radish seed between hills in early spring or again in late summer; harvest within a month to prevent the roots from bolting and absorbing all the soil moisture. Pulling the crop as you harvest leaves tiny air channels that improve soil drainage around the cantaloupe mounds.

4. Marigold

The musky scent of marigolds masks the sweet aroma of cantaloupes from aphids and root-knot nematodes. French marigolds also double as a magnet for pollinators.

Plant them in clusters at bed corners or scatter them down rows to bloom all season long. Any well-drained soil and full sun will do. Deadhead spent blooms every week or two, and the plants will keep flowering right up to frost.

Related: The Worst Plants to Grow Near Marigolds (That No One Talks About)

5. Nasturtium

Nasturtiums can serve as a trap crop for pests such as aphids or flea beetles. Grow these cheerful trailers along bed edges and let them sprawl away from the cantaloupe, so they don’t clash.

You can snip a few edible flowers for salads, but as soon as colonies of pests build up, remove the whole nasturtium clump and toss it far from the patch. Nasturtiums are low-maintenance crops; direct-sow them after the frost in average soil, remember to water the plants when they are dry, and they’ll handle the rest.

6. Borage

Borage’s blue, star-shaped flowers are like neon signs that attract honeybees, which means better pollination and fatter fruits for the cantaloupes. Borage also has a deep taproot that absorbs trace minerals from the soil.

When frost hits, you can chop and drop them to naturally replenish the soil nutrients. Borage prefers full sun and doesn’t fuss about soil, though it appreciates being watered weekly when it gets dry. 

7. Dill

The umbels of dill flowers attract tiny wasps and hoverflies that prey on melon aphids. Sow a few dill seeds among the cantaloupe vines each month for a steady supply of flowers to house beneficial insects.

Dill bolts quickly in summer heat, but even the flower stalks are still useful. Leave them standing until the seed heads mature, and then you can harvest the seed for pickling.

8. Oregano

Oregano acts as a living mulch for cantaloupes, shading the soil and blocking weeds without competing hard for nutrients. It also repels some common cantaloupe pests, and the small pink flowers draw pollinators later in the season.

Plant rooted cuttings 12 inches from the cantaloupe hills. Once established, oregano needs little water and tolerates lean, sandy soil. Trim it back after flowering to keep the mat low and the runners in check.

9. Basil

Basil plants are compact enough to be slotted easily between cantaloupe mounds. They’re great companion plants because their fragrance helps confuse thrips and attracts bees in summertime. Harvest basil leaves often for kitchen use, as this encourages bushier plants that won’t cast shade on vines. 

Basil likes rich soil, steady moisture, and some mulch around to keep the shallow roots cool. Space them at least 12 inches from cantaloupe stems for good airflow.

10. Lettuce

Lettuce germinates in cool spring soil and is ready for harvest way before cantaloupe starts looking for more room to grow. But before then, it acts as a leafy canopy that cools the ground, reduces early weed pressure for cantaloupes, and holds moisture.

Sow a row of loose-leaf lettuce varieties around each hill and harvest outer leaves as they grow. Once it’s summer, you can pull whole heads. Keep the soil moist, as stressed lettuce turns bitter quickly.

11. Sunflowers

Growing a back row of sunflowers provides a natural trellis for the cantaloupe vines in small spaces. Their towering stalks and bright flowers also attract birds and beneficial insects that feed on melon beetles. However, you have to be smart about planting these two crops together, or the sunflowers might completely shade the cantaloupes. 

For example, since the sun moves across the south, you can start sunflowers on the north side of the bed so they won’t shade fruit. Stake giant sunflower varieties early, and when the heads mature, harvest most of the seeds to prevent them from dropping on the ripening cantaloupes and making a mess; you can leave a few for wildlife, though.

12. Onions

Onions grow well with cantaloupes. Their sharp smell repels aphids and thrips while occupying minimal space above the soil. Plant sets or seedlings in a ring around each cantaloupe mound, with each bulb 4 inches apart.

Provide full sun and loose, fertile soil. Also, weed regularly so onion roots aren’t crowded, and stop watering once the tops flop to cure the bulbs before storage.

13. Garlic

If you plant garlic the fall before, it’ll have grown enough to shield young cantaloupe vines from harsh spring winds. By midsummer, the garlic bulbs will be ready for harvest, and just in time, too, because the cantaloupe vines are just starting to sprawl. Garlic also helps with pest control. 

Choose sunny, well-drained spots to plant your garlic, and mulch heavily over winter. Once harvested, cure garlic bulbs in a cool, dark place and save a few cloves to plant again.

14. Calendula

Calendula is a great companion plant for pest control. It has sticky pollen that traps pests like thrips, and its sunny petals attract hoverflies and other beneficial insects. Direct-sow calendula in early spring and again in late summer for flowers that bloom through winter. 

Although Calendula prefers full sun, it can still tolerate light shade. It may self-seed too vigorously, so thin the seedlings to prevent them from crowding the cantaloupe runners.

15. Tansy

Tansy is great for pest control, as its strong scent repels cucumber beetles and ants. Plant a single clump of tansy at the end of a cantaloupe row and cut stems before seeds set to control its aggressive nature.

Tansy thrives in poor soil and full sun. Keep pets and children from chewing the leaves, as they contain toxins that can harm them.

16. Buckwheat

Sow buckwheat as a quick cover crop a month before transplanting cantaloupes outside. When it flowers, it attracts pollinators, such as bees, and when you cut the plants, you can use them as living mulch. Buckwheat grows in any well-drained soil but must be cut before seeds mature, or it will become a weed itself.

17. Carrots

Carrots have deep roots that can help loosen the soil, allowing cantaloupe roots to grow deeper. They also have delicate foliage that allows sunlight to reach the cantaloupe leaves.

Sow carrot seeds in loose, stone-free soil and keep the bed damp until germination occurs. Once they start growing, thin the seedlings to one inch apart so the roots size up, then harvest before the cantaloupe vines completely cover the ground.

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