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Growing your own eggplants can feel like a huge achievement for any gardener! These notoriously slow-growing plants often fail to thrive and can be hindered by poor soil fertility, low pollination rates, and numerous garden pests. If your eggplants have been plagued by problems in the past, companion planting could be the answer.
Eggplants thrive when grown alongside the right plants, benefiting from pest control, improved soil health, and better yields. Some plants help deter common eggplant pests like flea beetles and aphids or attract vital pollinators, while others enrich the soil with nutrients, suppress weeds, or provide beneficial shade.
Let’s take a look at the best eggplant companion plants.
Basil
The leaves and flowers of basil emit a pungent aroma that repels pests like aphids, spider mites, and hornworms. It also attracts pollinating insects and can enhance the flavor of your eggplant harvest.
Marigolds
Marigolds can significantly decrease root-knot nematodes in the soil, boosting eggplant growth and increasing crop yields. Their bright blooms also attract pollinators and beneficial insects that feed on aphids, whiteflies, and flea beetles.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are the perfect companions for every vegetable garden. This fast-growing plant is a great trap crop, luring aphids and flea beetles away from eggplants. It can also deter whiteflies and provide ground cover to stabilize soil moisture and suppress weed growth.
Beans
All types of beans can boost soil nitrogen levels, which eggplants need for strong growth.
Peas
Like beans,
Spinach
Low-growing leafy
Lettuce
With shallow roots, fast-growing
Borage
Borage is another must-have in the vegetable garden – this herb attracts bees and other pollinators, which helps improve eggplant fruit production. It also repels tomato hornworms, a common eggplant pest that can decimate your crop.
Thyme
In midsummer, thyme flowers buzz with tiny predatory wasps and hoverflies that love to feast on garden pests. This is one of the best herbs you can grow to boost biodiversity in your garden.
Oregano
The pungent aroma of oregano can mask the smell of eggplants from pests like flea beetles. It also attracts vital pollinators and beneficial insects like ladybugs.
Garlic
The sulfur compounds released by
Radishes
Fast-growing
Catnip
The aroma of
Tarragon
The delightful aroma of tarragon helps mask eggplants from harmful insects while attracting vital pollinators that boost your harvests.
Rosemary
Rosemary is a strong-scented herb that repels whiteflies and spider mites, two common eggplant pests.
Cilantro
Cilantro can attract beneficial predatory insects like hoverflies and ladybugs, which help control aphid populations near eggplants.
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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.
