Gardening 101: Must-Try Companion Plant Pairings

Gardening gives you a chance to grow plants and build a balanced environment in your own yard. A helpful method for finding this balance is planting different crops together. Companion planting is about putting certain plants together that help each other grow better keep pests away and make the most of the garden space. Let’s explore some great plant combinations that can help your garden grow better.

Basil and tomatoes are a great pair.
A popular pairing for gardeners is basil and tomatoes. Basil adds a nice taste to tomatoes and helps keep pests like aphids and tomato hornworms away. When these plants are grown side by side they produce better results and provide a delicious crop for salads sauces and other dishes.

Carrots and onions are both vegetables that people often use in cooking.
Get the most from your vegetable garden by planting carrots and onions together. The strong smell of onions keeps carrot flies away and helps protect your carrot plants from being ruined. On the other hand carrots can make the soil around the onion bulbs lighter which helps them grow better. This combination helps you save space and cuts down on the use of chemical pest control.

Marigolds and some vegetables
Marigolds are great partners for many types of vegetable plants. These colorful flowers keep away nematodes and other pests that go after roots. Put marigolds around the edges or mix them in with your squash beans or lettuce to help keep pests away.

Cucumbers and nasturtiums are two plants that can grow together in a garden.
If you want to grow good cucumbers you might think about planting them alongside nasturtiums. Bright flowers draw in insects that hunt down harmful pests such as aphids and cucumber beetles. They bring some color and charm to your garden while keeping your vegetables safe.

Beans and corn are two common foods.
Using old gardening tips the mix of beans and corn is something you should definitely give a shot. Corn has strong stalks that help beans grow upward and in return beans add nitrogen to the soil which is important for corn to thrive. This partnership is really important for sustainable gardening and you can see it in the old "Three Sisters" planting method that usually has squash in it.

Beets along with garlic
Mix beets and garlic together for a setup that works well for both. The smell of garlic can keep away pests like snails and beetles that would go after your beets. Beets and garlic don’t use the same nutrients so they grow well together.

Lettuce and radishes are both vegetables that people often use in salads.
These two crops grow quickly in cooler weather and work well together. You can pick the radishes early which makes room for the lettuce to grow bigger. Radishes also loosen the soil which lets lettuce roots grow more easily. This fit helps make the most of the garden area.

Growing a successful garden takes a lot of effort and picking the right plants to go together can really improve how healthy and tasty everything turns out. Try out these classic combinations and see the amazing ways they work together in nature. Your garden will have stronger plants fewer pests and soil that helps every leaf and root grow well.