source: Kellogg Garden Guide
Discerning what works well together and learning about the ways that individual plants can bolster others can significantly improve the productivity in
your organic garden.
Companion Planting
Give your plants the best possible environment to grow by implementing companion planting in your vegetable garden. Companion planting is an excellent way to improve the health and fruitfulness of your plants. Planting compatible plants near each other is mutually beneficial for your crops, as they can reap the rewards from each other’s attributes.
In addition to adding benefits to your plants, companion planting makes for more efficient use of garden space, organically deters harmful pests, and acts as a living mulch to protect and feed the soil of your garden bed. The bio-diversity that companion planting provides is also excellent for pollinators, wildlife, and overall soil health.
Best Tomato Companion Plants
Basil
Plant several plants of basil around the base of your tomato plants. Not only
does this delicious and fragrant herb naturally repel destructive pests like
aphids, hornworms, and spider mites, but basil will actually enhance the flavor
of your juicy tomato crop.
Beans
Beans make a great companion plant for tomatoes because they can climb up
the tomato plant stalk. Beans also release nitrogen back into the soil as they
grow. This is ideal because tomato plants are heavy feeders of nitrogen, and the
bean plants act as a natural fertilizer in the garden.
Carrots
Carrots grow deep into the soil, and as they grow, they can break up the soil,
allowing essential nutrients, water, and oxygen to permeate the roots of the
tomato plants.
Onions
These pungent vegetables make great tomato companion plants. Their
unappealing odor is a natural deterrent of many garden pests that feed on
tomato plants.
Peppers
Tomatoes and peppers are really like sister plants in the garden. Intermixing
these two high yielding producers in your vegetable garden eases your
gardening work because they have very similar requirements for light, water,
fertilization, and pest control.
Celery
The loose root system of celery plants encourages earthworms and other
beneficial insects to permeate the garden soil around the roots of your tomato
plants. Consequently, the worms release nutrients back into the soil as they
thrive in the garden, which improves the overall health of the soil in your
tomato garden.
Leaf Lettuce
Plant lettuce varieties in the vacant spots in your garden bed. The shade-loving
plants will enjoy the cover that tall tomato plant provide and the low growing
lettuce will act as a living mulch, protecting the soil from erosion, nutrient
depletion, and regulate soil moisture.
Root Vegetables
A wide variety of root vegetables make ideal tomato companion plants because
they rely heavily on phosphorous to develop strong root systems. With tomato
plants feeding heavily on nitrogen from the garden soil, the root vegetables can
focus more on root development than on greenery. Root vegetables coexist
well in the garden together because they do not compete with each other for soil
nutrients.
Parsley
Attract hoverflies to your vegetable garden by inserting some parsley plants
around the bed. These beneficial insects feed on many of the destructive
garden pests that seek out and destroy tomato crops.
Marigolds
Scatter vibrant marigolds in your vegetable garden. Not only do they add color
and cheer, but they can counteract root rot on tomato vines caused by
destructive nematodes, tomato worms, and slugs.
Need help planning your garden?
We provide design and garden consultations.
Contact us today for more informations:
call: (770) 683-7224