Tomato companion plants – to call them companions is an offensive understatement to them! They nourish the soil. They suppress weeds. They regulate the soil’s moisture. Above all, they shoo away the bad insects and invite the best ones! As a result, expect your tomatoes to be much happier, making the best out of your garden and producing more juicy bright red fruits. To learn the best plants to accompany your favorite summer veggie-fruit, we have specially made this article for you. We invite you to keep scrolling and learn more about them!
What Is Companion Planting with Tomatoes?
Companion planting with tomatoes is quite self-explanatory, but it must meet the criteria to be branded so! It holds the principle of planting compatible plants that can aid in the growth and development of tomatoes or at least have a neutral interaction–able to thrive without stealing primary resources like nutrients, water, sunlight, and space. If either of those criteria is ticked, go ahead and till your tomato patch! Later, you will be rewarded with nutritious and freshly picked fruits.
Benefits of Companion Planting Tomatoes
Before jumping to the what to plant with tomatoes section, why, in the first place, are we employing the ingenious method? Well, you’d be surprised by the countless benefits as these plants are known to:
- Help keep the soil moist
- Prevent weed growth
- Conserve and improve soil structure and nutrient content
- Host beneficial soil microorganisms
- Attract pollinators and good insects
- Increase land use productivity
- Reduce fertilizer and pesticide inputs
How Can Companions Help Tomatoes?
Companion plants for tomatoes can help in several direct and indirect pathways. Some include the following:
- Since companion plants cover the soil, moisture stays in longer, keeping your plants hydrated in the hotter days.
- Leaching of nutrients and weed growth can also be prevented with companion planting tomatoes.
- Some plants host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These soil microorganisms capture elemental N in the air and convert it into chemical forms that can be readily absorbed by the roots. The extra nutrients released help provide nutrients during the tomato's early growth stage.
- While tomatoes are self-pollinated, they will benefit from close contact with flower-loving wasps, bees, and other pollinators. Later on in their fruiting stage, these garden friends can help regulate and control the pest population.
- As the microbial count of the good bacteria in the soil increases, bacterial wilt, which is common to tomatoes, is less likely to occur. This is simply because good bacteria compete with bad ones for resources and also produce antibacterial substances that inhibit their proliferation.
What Is the Best Companion Plant for Tomatoes?
What to plant next to tomatoes? This hot question is really a matter of preference, especially if you already have a clear vision of this season’s cropping. However, we, the botanists of PlantIn, would recommend the most straightforward and easy-breezy plants, such as herbs like basil or chives. Aside from being compatible with both indoor and outdoor gardens, both herbs can also fit in small spaces. Moreover, your tomatoes will also benefit from its bug-protection properties.
What to Plant with Tomatoes
What to plant with tomatoes in a container? Whether you prefer container or backyard gardening, the list of best plants to grow with your tomatoes is endless!
Flowers
Flowers as companion plants for tomatoes offer multiple benefits–a haven of good insects, while a punishment for the bad ones. Pick one below for your garden!
- Lavender
- Crimson clover
- Sage
- Cosmos
- Calendula
Herbs
You can’t have it all wrong with herbs, as they are considered one of the best companion plants for tomatoes! The list includes:
- Cilantro
- Onion
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Spearmint
Vegetables
If you want to complement tomatoes not only in the garden but also in your salad, do not doubt selecting veggies such as the following
- Spinach
- Sweet Peas
- Cucumber
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
Other plants
Still undecided? Compatible plants with tomatoes of different plant families below will, perhaps, change the narrative!
- Winter rye
- Scallion
- Celery
- Zinnia
- Sorghum
- White mustard
Best Tomato Companion Plants
What grows well with tomatoes is something subjective, purely based on the gardener's personal experience. However, that does not invalidate their experience! Some companion plants below were scientifically proven to have specific benefits.
To Keep Bugs Away
One of the primary losses of tomatoes is due to bugs, and it is empirical to adopt strategies to keep them at bay like the following:
Chives
With its fragrance and flavor, chives is a tomato companion plant worth considering if your primary purpose is to guard your plants from pests. Its strong putrid smell discourages many tomato pests including aphids and fruit borers. Plus, you will have an endless supply of fresh thrives to garnish your favorite dish!
Parsley
A member of the carrot family, another tomato garden-worthy herb is parsley. They are perfect for accentuating the aroma of your favorite dish as well as keeping your tomatoes protected from ruthless herbivorous insects. This strong odor is not so appealing to these garden pests.
Sweet Corn
Are fruit borers common in your area? Well, planting sweet corn may solve your problem! When grown next to tomatoes, sweet corn releases a specific “fragrance” that tones down the strong odor of tomato leaves. Once the mixture of odor is diffused in the air, it becomes a tedious task for the borers to find the perfect fruit to live on.
To Attract Beneficial Insects
Monoculture gardens don't really support a healthy agroecosystem. But one way to make it work is to establish sustainable insectaries by planting the dual-purpose plants below:
French Marigolds
Bedazzled with their spectacular amber flowers, no beneficial insect is going to resist its alluring appearance. The flowers offer sweet nectar to these hovering insects, and simultaneously visit your tomato plants for any free pests that they can snack on.
Nasturtium
The flowering vine, nasturtium, is not only admired for its flowers but also for its dual-purpose nature. Their blooms are tempting to parasitic wasps, which later, can hostage tomato bugs like aphids and inject eggs into them. They also serve as a deterrent to these tiny critters, keeping your plant protected.
Sunflower
If you aim for a more aesthetic backyard garden, consider planting sunflowers and tomatoes together. Studies found that putting them together in one spot does not lead to competition and can even improve the yield. To maximize the yield potential, sow sunflower seeds after the flowering of tomato, at least 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) from the tomato ridges.
To Improve Soil
Tomato companions are also worth planting to improve the soil nutrition, making it produce more fat fruits!
Beans
Not only is it a good source of dietary fiber and protein, beans of different varieties also nourish your tomatoes! Partnering with nitrogen-capturing bacteria, beans are able to literally generate their own fertilizer. Some of which is also free give away to its neighbors like tomatoes!
Garlic
In a large-scale experiment conducted by agricultural scientists in China, intercropping rows of garlic between tomatoes improved the availability of phosphorus. This means that your tomato plants are able to absorb more phosphorus efficiently, and that means less fertilizer losses.
Peanut
Like its closely related cousins, beans, this tomato companion plant also hosts natural fertilizer manufacturers in its roots–the nitrogen-fixing bacteria. During the nitrogen-capturing process, some of the plant food is distributed to tomatoes. This free supply of nitrogen makes your tomato grow faster and build healthy stems and leaves.
For Weed Control
Tomatoes companion plants are also grown to control weeds. Say goodbye to unwanted plants with the following weed tramples:
Squash
Can squash and tomatoes be planted together? Actually, based on the pest and diseases list they are susceptible with, they are less ideal garden partners. However, we know many gardeners who successfully cultivated this duo without any fuss! Just ensure to implement various measures against pests.
Alyssum
This creeping plant stands out for its particularly tiny white flowers that carpets your garden soil. Due to this fact, weeds, which primarily need light to sprout, can hardly outgrow this love organic soil cover. To grow alyssum, just scatter some seeds in between the tomato strips, and after 2 weeks or so, enjoy its weed-controlling benefits!
Bitter Melon
Scientifically known as Momordica charantia, this warm-loving squash cousin behaves well when grown with tomatoes. To maximize the benefits of using your garden space while controlling weed emergence at the same time, grow a single row of bitter melon and alternate it with another single or double strip of tomatoes.
To Grow in a Container
If you have limited growing space, particularly a window or a balcony garden, you will thank the following companions for tomatoes:
Basil
With its relatively short stance, basil is a highly welcomed guest in your tomato patch, primarily in container gardening. They don't spread that match, which prevents space and light competition. Just have a few snip-outs and throw them into your favorite pasta dish to control its growth.
Mint
It is a humble herb worth planting in tomato pots. While this can be invasive due to its fast growth, it can simply be trimmed to avoid encroaching on your tomatoes' personal bubble. One main advantage of mint, aside from its ease of handling, is that it has pest-antagonistic properties, which benefits the star of your garden, tomatoes. After planting, your only problem is how to make use of its profusely growing leaves!
Lettuce
A balcony or container garden is all that you need to grow lettuce! Due to its small size, it can keep up its growth without interfering with tomatoes’. Also, they mature earlier than the main crop, which means that late season competition for other nutrients are avoided.
To Grow in a Raised Bed
What to plant tomatoes in raised bed? The following list might help you answer this question:
Asparagus
This spring-to-summer veggie is a perennial plant that comes out year-after-year. Because of its life cycle and innate habit, it thrives perfectly on mounded soil planted intercalated to tomato rows. Just ensure to maintain a proper plant spacing to maximize the benefit and prevent space competition.
Carrots
Carrots need raised beds for it's taproots to develop but in between those soil mounds, tomatoes can be planted. According to field trials, carrots jive well with tomatoes being on its side. This planting scheme is recommended in tight spaces where you can make the most of every inch without compromising the plants yeild.
Cauliflower
The tomato and cauliflower planting system is actually a patented growing scheme. In China, this garden duo is employed in raised beds to better control major pests of cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) like diamondback moths whose larvae feast on the leaves. Moreover, the system also makes biological control (from beneficial insects) more effective and reduces the need for any chemical usage.
The Worst Companion Plants for Tomatoes
Tomato companion planting can be a fun experiment for a newbie, but it comes with a rule: do not put plants from the same family or those that can compete or attract pests! Here's a list of which you should discard:
Eggplant
Eggplants belong to the same family of nightshade where tomatoes belong. Rich in antioxidants, eggplants are such a lovely vegetable to be incorporated in your garden. However, its nutritional value won't make your tomato plants.
Reasons to avoid: Sharing almost the same genetics, this makes them an easy target to pests and diseases such as bacterial wilt and fruitworms. If this happens, pest damage can literally occur in one night. Also, both plants demand a high amount of potassium and phosphorus. This means that both can compete with each other if the soil is not that fertile.
Pepper
Pepper is a good summer crop to cultivate this season but not next to tomato! Nutritionally packed with vitamins and potassium, both veggies can be cooked together in the same dish but not when they're still in the garden. While these advantages are quite enticing, companion planting for tomatoes with peppers is not recommended.
Reasons to avoid: Fusarium wilt is a disease that can literally pin down tomatoes and peppers. Once infected, spread to nearby plants is inevitable. They can also survive the next planting season. Also, both plants need a precise amount of nutrients, or else they can grow thinly due to nutrient stealing underground.
Potato
This carbohydrate-packed tuber crop is another plant that should be crossed out in your list of companion plants. While some gardeners have successfully grown them together, it is advisable not to because of several reasons.
Reasons to avoid: Both potatoes and tomatoes are susceptible to several root rot pathogens like Verticillium wilt, bacterial wilt, and late blight. Also, potatoes may require an extra cultivation method, such as soil mounding, which makes them agronomically incompatible with tomatoes.
Sudex
Sudex, a hybrid of Sorghum and Sudangrass, is usually used as cover crops to reduce erosion, weed growth, and improve soil structure in large-scale farming. While these may be the least desirable companion plants with tomatoes in your garden, you better not select them as your tomato companion.
Reasons to avoid: In a study conducted by UC Davis scientists, the roots of this cover crop can exude allele chemicals. This plant-based substance can inhibit the growth of vegetables, including tomatoes.
Strawberry
Strawberries are species belonging to the rose family. They are fun to grow in your backyard during the spring or summer season. However, your favorite summer fruit might be your least choice if you have tomato plants.
Reasons to avoid: Strawberry is also prone to rotting caused by soil-borne fungi Verticillium which can also attack tomatoes. When grown together, this makes it easier for the fungus to breed and jump from plant to plant. Moreover, cultivating techniques for strawberries might also be unconventional as to how tomatoes are grown.
Okra
Okra is a vegetable distantly unrelated to tomatoes as it is classified under the mallow family. However, while they don't belong to the same botanical group, it is not a good companion for tomatoes.
Reasons to avoid: Studies have shown that root-knot nematodes, one of the pathogens that prevent water and nutrient absorption, may actually double in number when both susceptible plants are grown together.
FAQ
Can You Plant Cucumbers and Tomatoes Together?
Yes, cucumbers are compatible. According to field studies, it can increase land use efficiency, which basically means you are taking advantage of each centimeter of your vegetable patch. Just ensure to plant them at the right distance.
Can Squash and Tomatoes Be Planted Together?
Squash may be an incompatible tomato companion because they can catch the same disease, such as Fusarium rot. However, many gardeners have already tried growing them together without any problem at all! Just ensure to adapt an extra disease-preventing measure.
Can You Plant Tomatoes and Potatoes Together?
Being in the same family, potatoes and tomatoes are both prone to Phytophthora rot. They also both are hungry for nutrients and so competition is most likely to happen if the soil is not fertile and proper spacing is not observed.
