Grow the Sweetest Strawberries With These Companion Plants

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Growing strawberries with other plants is an effective way to enhance fruit size and health. Companion planting can attract beneficial insects and pollinators, essential for strawberries to produce fruit. Some companions also repel pests or enrich the soil with nitrogen, enhancing the flavor of the strawberries.

While not all gardeners are convinced by companion planting, many see tangible benefits, such as pest protection and improved plant vitality. By choosing plants that complement strawberries’ needs, gardeners can create a beautiful, productive garden.

Here are 14 companion plants to consider for your strawberry garden.

Chives

Chives are superb companion plants for strawberries. Their strong, pungent scent helps repel aphids and reduce issues like fungus and fusarium wilt, which often affect strawberries. When allowed to flower, chives attract essential pollinators to your garden.

Additionally, as slender, shallow-rooted plants, chives won’t overshadow your strawberries or compete for water, making them an ideal choice for co-planting.

Onions

Growing onions near strawberries is highly beneficial. Like chives, the scent of onions helps keep away pests that usually target strawberry plants.

As members of the allium family, onions have a growth habit similar to chives, so they won’t overshadow your strawberries or compete for water. This makes onions an excellent companion for co-planting with strawberries.

Spinach

Spinach is a great companion for strawberries. It produces saponins, natural compounds that repel various garden pests. Additionally, spinach is a low-growing plant that complements strawberries well, allowing you to harvest more from a limited space without competing for resources.

Lettuce

Lettuce grows low enough to enjoy the small shade from strawberries. It is a light feeder, so it does not compete with strawberries for nutrients or water. This doesn’t technically mean that lettuce improves or hinders the growth of strawberries. Instead, it gives additional yield from a limited space. Its large leaves mask the red berry fruits from being devoured by birds. 

Dill

Dill is a good strawberry companion when it flowers because its flowers attract beneficial insects that feed on thrips and aphids. 

Borage

Borage is beneficial for strawberry plants as it helps prevent worm attacks and attracts predator insects such as parasitic wasps. Bees and butterflies are drawn to borage’s nectar, and after visiting, they often move to strawberry flowers, aiding in pollination.

Sage

Sage is a useful companion for strawberries due to its musky smell, which repels pests and may even enhance the berries’ flavor. It’s also a culinary favorite, ideal for flavoring autumn roasts, soups, and drying.

Sage is particularly effective at keeping slugs away from strawberries. When allowed to grow freely, sage attracts beneficial insects and pollinators to your garden.

Catnip

Spider mites and strawberry aphids can harm strawberry plants, but catnip offers a natural defense. Catnip produces a substance called iridoid that repels these pests.

Additionally, its nectar attracts insect pollinators and predatory wasps, enhancing the garden’s ecological balance. Research has also found that catnip can be as effective as synthetic DEET in repelling mosquitoes and other flying insects.

Thyme

Thyme is a valuable addition to vegetable and fruit gardens. This low-growing perennial features delicate flowers that attract beneficial insects. Known for its natural compounds that repel ants and aphids, thyme is an excellent companion plant for strawberries, helping protect them from pests.

Marigolds

Their strong aroma helps repel predators. French marigolds are known to produce a substance that is toxic to root knot nematodes, making them the best marigold variety to intercrop with strawberries. Their flowers also have repellant properties that keep whiteflies and rabbits away.

Yarrow

When grown together with strawberries, they magnify pollinators and predator bugs to help you grow better quality strawberries. They also make a nice cut flower table center display and are used in herbal treatments. Its foliage has a strong scent that repels critters.

Sweet Alyssum

It is a tried-and-true flower that attracts beneficial insects and predators to your garden. In addition, it protects your strawberries from pest attacks.

Garlic

Garlic is highly effective in the garden due to its strong aroma, which repels many pests and makes it a great companion for strawberries. Beyond its well-known culinary uses, garlic’s potent scent helps keep unwanted pests at bay, protecting nearby plants.

Leek

Leeks make excellent companions for strawberries. Their strong odor naturally repels many common berry pests, and strawberries thrive when planted nearby. This pairing enhances garden health and helps protect strawberries from unwanted insects.

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