Companion planting is the process of planting specific plants together so a certain quality of one plant may be of benefit to another. The smell of a plant’s foliage or the taste of a plant may be all that is necessary to discourage some insects. Some plants make great companions in that they encourage insects for pollination, provide shelter or support, or they simply grow well together because their roots are at different levels. Some plants are great companions as they may “disguise” the legginess of other plants or they help cool the soil for plants that require cool roots.
In the perennial flower garden, chives planted under roses may reduce the occurrence of black spot as well as discourage aphids.
Indicated below are some companion plants for the vegetable garden:
| Plant | Where to Plant | Benefits |
Beans | Near potatoes | Discourages Colorado potato beetle |
Marigolds | Among potatoes and beans | Discourages Colorado potato beetle |
Chives | Among lettuce and peas | Discourages aphids |
Garlic | Among lettuce and peas | Discourages aphids |
Geraniums | Around grapes | Discourages Japanese beetles |
Nasturtiums | Throughout garden | Deters aphids and cucumber beetles |
Tomatoes | Near asparagus | Discourages asparagus beetles |
Euphorbia | Throughout garden | Gophers do not like this plant |
Potatoes | Near beans | Discourages Mexican bean beetles |
Radishes | Among cucumbers | Deters striped cucumber beetles |
