COMPANION PLANTING (intercropping)

Companion planting is an important gardening technique that involves planting different crops together to enhance growth, improve pest control, and increase overall yield.

1. Tomatoes & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Basil, Asparagus, Broccoli, Garlic, Carrots, Celery, Onions
• Benefits:
  • Basil: Repels pests like aphids, mosquitoes, and tomato hornworms while enhancing tomato flavor.
  • Garlic & Onions: Their strong scent deters common tomato pests such as spider mites and aphids.
  • Carrots: Help loosen the soil around tomatoes, making root growth easier.
  • Broccoli: Can help suppress weeds and improve soil conditions for tomatoes.

2. Beans & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Corn, Squash, Radish, Beets, Spinach, Cucumber, Potatoes
• Benefits:
  • Corn: Beans fix nitrogen in the soil, which benefits corn’s growth. Corn also acts as a natural support for climbing bean vines.
  • Squash: The large leaves of squash provide ground cover, preventing weeds and retaining soil moisture.
  • Radish & Beets: Help deter pests that attack beans.
  • Spinach & Cucumber: Benefit from the nitrogen that beans add to the soil.

3. Peppers & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Basil, Garlic, Onions, Spinach, Tomatoes
• Benefits:
  • Basil: Repels thrips, aphids, and mosquitoes, improving pepper growth.
  • Garlic & Onions: Deter common pepper pests like aphids and caterpillars.
  • Tomatoes: Provide shade, reducing heat stress on peppers.

4. Carrots & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Onions, Radish, Tomatoes, Chives, Leeks, Rosemary, Lettuce
• Benefits:
  • Onions & Leeks: Repel carrot flies, reducing pest damage.
  • Radish: Grows quickly and helps loosen the soil, making it easier for carrots to develop.
  • Tomatoes: Offer partial shade, preventing carrot roots from overheating.
  • Chives & Rosemary: Emit strong scents that deter insects from attacking carrots.

5. Lettuce & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Broccoli, Onions, Beets, Chives, Mint, Dill, Beans
• Benefits:
  • Broccoli & Onions: Deter common pests that attack lettuce.
  • Mint & Dill: Repel slugs, which are a common threat to lettuce.
  • Beans: Fix nitrogen in the soil, which helps lettuce grow faster.

6. Potatoes & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Corn, Squash, Beans, Cabbage, Peas
• Benefits:
  • Beans: Improve soil nitrogen, which is crucial for potato growth.
  • Corn & Squash: Protect potatoes from strong winds and provide shade.
  • Cabbage: Helps deter potato beetles.
  • Peas: Like beans, they add nitrogen to the soil, boosting potato yields.

7. Onions & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Carrots, Beets, Tomatoes, Rosemary, Lettuce, Cabbage, Parsnip
• Benefits:
  • Carrots & Beets: Benefit from the pest-repelling properties of onions.
  • Tomatoes: Deter pests like aphids and thrips.
  • Rosemary: Enhances onion flavor while repelling insects.
  • Lettuce & Cabbage: Grow well with onions due to complementary root structures.

8. Cucumbers & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Corn, Celery, Radish, Lettuce, Beans, Cabbage
• Benefits:
  • Corn: Acts as a natural trellis for cucumbers to climb.
  • Radish: Works as a trap crop, attracting pests away from cucumbers.
  • Lettuce & Beans: Provide shade and keep soil cool.
  • Cabbage: Deters cucumber beetles.

9. Squash & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Corn, Radish, Dill, Beans, Peas
• Benefits:
  • Corn: Provides shade and support for squash vines.
  • Radish: Deters squash vine borers.
  • Dill: Attracts pollinators, increasing squash production.
  • Beans & Peas: Improve soil fertility by adding nitrogen.

10. Corn & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Pumpkin, Cucumber, Beans, Melon
• Benefits:
  • Beans: Fix nitrogen, which benefits corn.
  • Pumpkin & Melon: Provide ground cover, preventing weeds.
  • Cucumber: Climbs corn stalks, saving garden space.

11. Peas & Companion Plants

• Best Companions: Garlic, Corn, Radish, Cucumber, Potatoes, Beans, Cauliflower
• Benefits:
  • Garlic: Repels aphids and other common pea pests.
  • Corn: Provides natural support for pea vines.
  • Radish: Helps repel insects.
  • Cucumber & Potatoes: Benefit from the nitrogen peas add to the soil.
  • Cauliflower: Grows well with peas due to complementary nutrient needs.

Importances of intercropping/companion planting 

1. Pest Control – Certain plants naturally repel pests that harm neighboring crops. For example, basil repels insects that attack tomatoes.

2. Improved Growth – Some plants release beneficial chemicals into the soil that enhance the growth of their companions. Beans, for instance, enrich the soil with nitrogen, which benefits corn and squash.

3. Efficient Space Utilization – Companion planting allows for better use of garden space by pairing plants that grow well together, such as tall crops providing shade for low-growing plants.

4. Disease Prevention – Some plants help protect others from soil-borne diseases by acting as natural barriers.

5. Pollination Support – Certain flowers and herbs attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, increasing fruit and vegetable production.

6. Weed Suppression – Some plants grow in a way that naturally suppresses weeds by shading the soil and preventing weed germination.