Discover the best Tomato Companion Plants and grow them together for a bumper harvest and not just that also find out what you should avoid.
The key to getting the most productive tomato plants is to plant the right companions with them. Read this article to find out which are the best Tomato Companion Plants!
Here are the best tips for growing tomatoes in pots
What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is a sustainable way to grow plants without the use of toxic pesticides. This makes different vegetable grow better with reduced chances of getting attacked by pests.
For example, growing nectar-rich flowers is a great way to attract pollinators or grow plants with big leaves that provide shade to the specimen growing next to it.
Tomato Companion Planting
As tomatoes are prone to pests and fungal issues, growing them with certain plants will save them from the potential harm, which will result in better and juicy fruits!
Tomato Companion Plants: Herbs
1. Basil
Basil is a wonderful companion for tomatoes as it helps to keep flies and hornworms away. Moreover, planting them together also improves the taste of tomatoes.
Basil also limits the egg-laying behaviors of hornworm moths, which can pose a great danger to tomatoes.
2. Chives
Chives is a must grow with tomatoes as this herb helps to keep pests like aphids, nematodes, and mites at bay. Not to mention the fact that it also looks good with its delicate sword like leaves.
3. Thyme
You must grow thyme near tomatoes as it attracts beneficial insects while enhancing the color and flavor of tomatoes. It also keeps the population of armyworms in control.
4. Garlic
Planting garlic around tomatoes ensures that the plant is safe from the attacks of red spider mites. The pungent fragrance of the herb also keeps other pests away.
5. Borage
Plant borage near tomatoes as it protects tomatoes from hornworms. Also, the beautiful blue flowers of this herb match perfectly with red tomatoes!
6. Parsley
It is one of the best herbs that act as a groundcover while keeping the tomatoes safe from pests by attracting hoverflies that feed on them.
7. Dill
Dill’s flowers are a rich source of nectar to pollinators like tachinid flies, parasitic wasps lacewings, lady and pirate bugs. They also attract harmful pests to themselves, thereby keeping the tomatoes safe.
8. Fennel
Just like dill, fennel is also a great herb that attracts pollinators. It also helps to keep parasitic aphids, wasps, and aphids away.
9. Oregano
The flowers of oregano attract many beneficial pest-eating insects, which make sure that the tomatoes are safe from their attack.
10. Cilantro
Just like dill and fennel, the flowers of cilantro are a rich source of nectar. The blooms lure predatory insects that happily feed on common tomato pests.
11. Sweet Alyssum
Its flowers are loved by syrphid flies and parasitic wasps. Both of them simply love to feed on aphids, which keeps tomatoes safe.
Tomato Companion Plants: Vegetables
12. Asparagus
As tomatoes help to keep the asparagus beetles away with a chemical called solanine, they keep asparagus safe. Asparagus, on the other hand, keeps root-knot nematodes at bay, which keeps tomatoes safe.
13. Lettuce
You can grow lettuce between tomato plants in the garden to create a handsome groundcover. They will also help to retain the moisture in the soil while suppressing weeds. Tomatoes will give lettuce all the shade they need to grow well in return.
14. Squash
Squash makes for a great ground cover, which keeps moisture in the soil intact, something that tomatoes simply love.
15. Cowpeas
Green stink bugs love to feed on cowpeas and growing these plants near tomatoes will ensure the plant is safe from them. Grow them a few weeks before planting your tomatoes.
16. Oats
Oats are great for controlling the weed population around tomatoes. They form a thick mat that also keeps the moisture and temperature in check.
17. Crimson Clover
One of the best living mulch grows crimson clover between tomato rows to control weeds and provide essential nitrogen fixation in the soil. It also attracts beneficial insects and pollinators.
18. Cucumber
One of the key compounds cucumber produces is cinnamic acid, which is a strong allelochemical that helps to reduce the germination rate of weeds.
19. Sweet Potato
The large and bushy leaves of sweet potatoes keep the tomatoes safe from water splashes, which can spill the spores of many fungal diseases on the plant. This greatly reduces the chances of disease transmission.
20. Bush Beans
As bush beans are short in height, including them between tomatoes makes sure there is proper air circulation between the plants, which reduces the chances of fungal diseases.
21. Mustard Greens
Growing mustard greens as a cover crop near tomato plants keeps them safe from verticillium wilt. Make sure you grow them a few weeks before planting tomatoes.
Tomato Companion Plants: Flowers
22. French Marigold
Grow marigolds with tomatoes as they keep tomato worms, slugs, and other garden pests at bay. They also help to repel root-knot nematodes.
23. Nasturtium
Nasturtiums attract the attention of aphids and black flies to themselves, which keeps tomatoes safe. They also attract beneficial predator insects to feed on other pests.
24. Petunia
Not only do they add beauty to the garden, but they are also beneficial when it comes to keeping various pests away from tomatoes.
25. Cosmos
They attract aphids to themselves while also attracting hoverflies, which are the number one feeders of aphids.
26. Calendula
Calendula keeps many pests away that tomatoes are prone to. As an added bonus, its flowers are edible, and you can add them to salads and desserts.
27. Sunflowers
Sunflowers are the favorite of bumblebees that are great pollinators. It is always good to have these blooms in your garden, as they are simply stunning!
28. Coneflowers
The large blossoms of coneflowers attract all types of bees, which will make sure you have no trouble pollinating tomato plants.
29. Red Clover
This plant helps in two ways – it attracts pollinators and also fixes nitrogen in the soil. Both are super beneficial for tomatoes.
What Not to Plant With Tomatoes
Don’t pair tomatoes with cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, and other members of the brassica genus, as they slow up the growth and development of tomatoes.
Tomatoes and potatoes are also not a good match as both suffer from the same pests and diseases. Corn is another plant that needs to be avoided as it is also vulnerable to the same pests and diseases as tomatoes.
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