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Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable (or fruit) in home gardens. They’re delicious, juicy, and perfect for fresh eating and preserving. If you’re planning to grow tomatoes, consider companion planting. Certain plants can help produce beautifully juicy tomatoes, maximizing your harvest and promoting healthier growth.
Companion planting is an age-old gardening method that can help prevent common plant issues and boost crop yields. This cultivation system pairs plants together to form a mutually beneficial relationship that reduces troublesome pests and improves plant health. By using some of the best companion plants for tomatoes, your harvests will be better than ever.
Here are the 15 best companion plants for your tomato garden.
1. Basil
One interesting aspect of companion planting is that many crops that pair well in the kitchen also thrive together in the garden. For example, basil is one of the best companion plants for tomatoes, and they also taste great together!
Basil is a leafy herb that enjoys the shady spots under taller tomato plants. In exchange for this shade, basil repels aphids and squash bugs and attracts pollinating insects. Basil also helps to improve the flavor of home-grown tomatoes.
2. Lettuce
Lettuce grows well in the shade under tomato plants, providing dense ground cover that suppresses weeds and prevents moisture from evaporating.
This pairing works well for ‘cut and come again’ lettuce varieties, which can be harvested with tomatoes all summer. Lettuce has low nutrient requirements, so it will not compete with tomato plants for essential nutrients.
3. Chives
Chives are a delicious herb with a mild onion-like smell that repels aphids and mites. Planting small clumps of chives among tomatoes is a good way to keep pests at bay. They also make a great addition to a tomato salad. The large pom-pom flowers of chive plants will also attract pollinating bees to your tomato plants.
4. Marigolds
It is very common to see rows of colorful marigolds planted alongside tomatoes. This companion pairing is a favorite among gardeners and homesteaders.
Marigolds have vibrant red, orange, and yellow flowers that attract a host of beneficial insects to the garden, from pollinating bees to pest-destroying wasps and butterflies. They are also one of the few companion plants that deter white flies, a destructive sap-sucking insect that targets tomato plants.
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5. Sage
Sage is a low-maintenance perennial herb that deters cabbage moths, a troublesome insect that targets several vegetable crops. Its flowers also attract many beneficial insects that boost pollination and keep aphids under control.
Sage can be easily rooted from cuttings, so add this flavorsome herb to all your vegetable beds to maximize the benefits.
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6. Black-eyed Peas
Black-eyed peas work slightly differently to boost tomato harvests by acting as a sacrificial trap crop. Southern green stink bugs, which spread bacterial wilt to tomato plants, cannot resist black-eyed peas and will leave your tomato plants well alone. Plant a clump of black-eyed peas a few yards away from the main tomato bed for the best results.
7. Parsley
Parsley is a low-growing herb that forms a mat of ground cover under tomato plants. When used as a companion plant in the summer, it produces an abundance of tiny flowers that attract ladybugs, a major predator of aphids and hornworms. Parsley also tastes great alongside freshly harvested homegrown tomatoes.
8. Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are fast-growing annual flowering plants that attract parasitoid wasps—tiny flying insects that feed on aphids and hornworms. They can also be grown as a trap crop, luring aphids away from your vegetable crops. The colorful flowers have a delicious peppery flavor that makes a great addition to tomato salads.
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9. Radishes
One great way to maximize space in the vegetable plot is to grow radishes amongst tomato plants. These fast-growing root vegetables shade the soil, creating a ground cover that suppresses weeds. Radishes grow quickly and can be harvested in just a few weeks, so sow regularly to ensure a continuous crop.
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10. Cilantro
Cilantro is a fast-growing annual herb that attracts parasitoid wasps, tiny insects that feed on tomato hornworms. Its distinctive aroma can also help repel Colorado potato beetles, which eat potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. Cilantro will quickly flower and go to seed in the warmer summer months and is best sown every few weeks for maximum benefit.
11. Thyme
Thyme, a low-growing perennial herb, is a must-have in every vegetable garden. The tiny, delicate flowers of thyme are irresistible to insects that boost pollination and keep pests under control. Thyme also contains compounds that can repel ants, aphids, and wireworms.
12. Sweet Alyssum
If you often have problems with aphids in the vegetable plot, then sweet alyssum might be the answer. This low-growing annual flower is highly effective at attracting parasitoid wasps, and it is one of the best insects for pest control. Sweet alyssum self-seeds easily without becoming too invasive.
13. Borage
Borage is a low-maintenance annual plant that will be buzzing with insects feeding on its delicate purple flowers. These insects then pollinate tomato plants and feed on pests such as aphids and hornworms. Borage plants self-seed easily but can become quite prolific, so weed out unwanted seedlings early in the spring.
14. Calendula
Calendula has a distinctive musky fragrance that will repel hornworms, aphids, and flea beetles from your vegetable plot. They are easy to grow and will form a mat of colorful flowers under your tomato plants all summer long.
15. Carrots
Carrots grow deep into the ground, helping to aerate the soil and boost the health of tomato plants. These two plants work well as companions as they have differing nutrient needs, avoiding any competition. The carrots will benefit from the shade provided by tomato plants, creating a ground cover that keeps weeds at bay.
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