A big, meaty tomato cooked by the summer heat is something everyone loves. I enjoy it and the more I learn each season, the better. companion planting tomatoes with their favorite plant pals is one of the most successful ways to get a bumper crop of tomatoes, and it’s available to try.
Tomatoes may be healthy, robust, and give you a bumper yield if the correct mix of plants is used. More tomatoes would be nice for everyone, wouldn’t it?
However, what plants go with tomatoes? And there are a lot of them. Plants that shouldn’t be close to tomatoes include: Let’s take a look.
Perfect Conditions For Tomatoes
Knowing what the optimum conditions for the main plant are and then seeking other plants that may flourish in them is one method I discover the perfect companion plant. Interplanting will not succeed if the circumstances are not appropriate for all of the plants.
For the most part, tomatoes prefer to grow in full sun. Temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for them. You’ll need a soil pH of 6.3 to 6.8, and it’ll need to be watered frequently.
Let’s look at the plants that thrive with tomatoes and aid tomatoes in producing a bumper crop now that we have our basic baseline.
Best Companion Plants For Tomatoes
Depending on your needs and goals, there are a variety of plants that thrive with basil. The following are some of the greatest options:
1. Basil
This is a must-have combination for me. Basil is said to enhance the flavor of tomatoes. Mosquitos and fruit flies are also repelled by basil. Basil-covered tomatoes are also common.
There is a bonus feature included with this DVD. While gardening, you might grab a sweet cherry tomato and wrap it in a basil leaf.
2. Borage
Borage may repel the dangerous tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) despite its underappreciated food value. Boron is an important addition to a tomato garden because it can defoliate a tomato plant, which is something that pests cannot do.
Borage, on the other hand, seems to sprout up all over your garden and yard after you plant it. You also know how much bees adore borage if you have any bees.
3. Garlic
Garlic will repel red spider mites when it’s planted with tomatoes (or other plants). Garlic’s anti-fungal properties also help to maintain the soil’s health. Give both tomato and garlic plants enough water to thrive.
4. Lettuce
Tomatoes and lettuce belong together because they remind me of summer, and they both benefit from each other’s help. Tomato plants provide much-needed shade for lettuce. The lettuce keeps the soil moist and cool, which benefits tomato plants.
5. Mint
To enhance the taste of tomatoes. Mint is also grown by many gardeners. To avoid rust taking hold, make sure the mint gets enough water (as well as watering the tomatoes). Mint is more likely to become invasive than borage, so place it in pots on top of the soil or bury it in the garden.
6. Chives
Chives, which are heavily fragrant, help tomatoes in a variety of ways. They may make the need for tomato fertilizer less by improving the flavor, size, and general health of tomatoes. Aphids hate chives, so they stay away from tomatoes. Japanese beetles are also deterred by them.
7. Parsley
For the greatest results, grow parsley next to chives and tomatoes, but keep it away from mint. Tomato plants are aided by parsley, and hoverflies are attracted to it.
Aphids, which prefer tomato plants, are a favorite target for hoverflies. To attract this beneficial bug to help with aphid problems, use the parsley.
8. Amaranth
Amaranth looks cool because of its brilliant, grainy seeds and big leaves. I recently started cultivating it, and I enjoy planting it with tomatoes. The tomato garden benefits from amaranth. The predatory beetles that feed on tomato plant pests are hosted by amaranth.
9. Sage
Couple it with sage to repel flea beetles from tomato plants. Sage and cilantro can be used to treat spider mites, and they may also be added for an extra boost.
10. Cucumber
Foods that go together on a plate tend to go together in the garden, according to one of my gardening theories. In salads and a variety of other recipes, cucumbers and tomatoes complement each other. Cucumbers go wonderfully with tomatoes that are grown in a greenhouse. In the garden, they also marry well.
Because they need the same soil conditions and take the same amount of time to develop, they flourish so well together.
11. Onions
Onions, like chives and garlic, make great companions. They all omit the stench that attracts many tomato pests.
12. Peppers
They complement tomatoes whether they’re spicy or sweet. Except for tomatoes and potatoes, many nightshade plants grow together.
13. Arugula
Arugula benefits from being planted with tomatoes. Where arugula grows, the tomatoes shade the garden.
14. Carrots
Tomatoes and carrots grow at about the same rate. When the tomato plants first go in, sow carrots. Carrots will take over the area just as tomatoes are ready.
Just make sure you don’t put the carrots too near to the tomato roots. Carrots will be pulled before the tomatoes are ready if you remove them too soon. Pulling them out will disturb the roots.
15. Asparagus
This is a uncommon combination, but it does the job. Keep the stems of your tomato plant away from asparagus. Underplant the asparagus with parsley and basil to make it even more likely that the tomatoes will succeed.
Solanine is a chemical that gets removed from tomatoes. A beetle that assaults asparagus is repelled by this. It’s an asparagus beetle, which is a bit odd.
Asparagus produces a chemical that nematodes, a pest that affects tomatoes, cannot digest.
The perfect example of companion planting is this trade-off between plants.
16. Calendula
Calendula, sometimes called pot marigold, is a pest repellent that can be used to get rid of tomato pests. If you have been plagued by hornworms and whitefly before, this successful combination might help you get rid of them.
Plants to Avoid Putting With Tomatoes
With your tomatoes, avoid planting the following plants.
1. Corn
The notion that plants that go well together should grow together is contradicted by this duo.
Tomatoes and corn are both hungry feeders. Both of these plants will struggle if you don’t keep an eye on the soil nutrients, and they’ll do it given half a chance.
The tomato fruit worm (also known as the corn earworm) is an insect that attacks tomato plants. Your corn crop may be destroyed by the larvae, who then move to the tomatoes. They’ll tunnel all throughout the plant, including the leaves, stems, and tomato fruit.
Once the tomato fruit worm (Heliothus zea) has burrowed into the plant and fruit, it is nearly impossible to deal with.
2. Fennel
Fennel may harm the development of tomatoes and stunt their growth, therefore tomato and fennel don’t mix. The chemical released by fennel roots has an impact on other plants’ ability to develop properly. Give fennel its own place in the garden.
3. Potatoes
Potatoes and tomatoes compete for the same nutrients because they are both so closely related. The potato psyllid and blight, for example, are common pests and diseases that they both suffer from.
4. Broccoli
The tomato harvest was nowhere near as good as if I hadn’t grown brassicas with tomatoes before, despite the fact that I’ve done it before. Tomatoes are also susceptible to fungal diseases that brassicas have. The chance of disease increases if you put your tomatoes and brassicas in the same area.
Since brassicas need such nutrient-rich soil like tomatoes, their chances of infection are greater if they become weak as a result of all competing for food.
Brassicas to not plant with tomatoes include:
- Cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Kohlrabi
- Kale
5. Rosemary
Rosemary works well with brassicas but not tomatoes. When tomatoes and rosemary are combined, they seem to lose strength.
6. Dill
In their youth, tomatoes and dill were close friends, but as they grew older, they drifted apart. Tomatoes may be harmed by older dill. It’s preferable to keep them apart.
7. Eggplant
Eggplant can theoretically grow in conjunction with tomatoes, however it may cause health concerns. Both plants are susceptible to early and late blight. Because of a lack of photosynthesis, early blight kills leaf tissue, resulting in fewer fruit to harvest.
The whole plant is affected by late blight, which likely remains in the soil. Don’t grow eggplants in the same soil as tomatoes for two years. You should also avoid planting them together.
8. Walnut
Tomatoes are badly impacted by walnuts, so you should dispose of walnut shells and flesh in the trash rather than put them in your compost. This is a far less frequent combination.
Most plants are affected by a chemical calledjuglone if you have a walnut tree near your vegetable garden, or even hanging over it. Plants may be harmed by this, and their development may be slowed.
Tomatoes and other members of the Solanaceae family are particularly susceptible to juglone, so they’ll have a difficult time growing.
How Close To Plant Tomato Companions
The next issue to consider when embracing companion planting is how close should the companions be planted to the tomato crop and how far away should the foes be?
Planting friends close together, or within two rows, is a good rule of thumb. Those that don’t want to be planted alongside each other should be spaced at least three to four rows apart.