Tomato companion plants are an amazing idea to take multiple crops at a time. Here you will know about plants that grow well with tomatoes or best plants to grow with tomatoes. In a vegetable patch, additional planting involves attracting beneficial insects the natural predators of these less useful garden pests like aphids and caterpillars, promoting growth, and optimizing overall production. It’s a balancing act between providing the right environment for insects like beetles and ladybugs and making the most of the growing season. Complementary plants to cultivate with the tomato. Planting tomatoes brings a host of potential setbacks, from blossom end rot to fungal diseases. Insect pests such as tomato worms, aphids, and whiteflies.
Do you know about best plants to grow with tomatoes? Have you ever wondered if there are plants (Tomato companion plants) you can grow with your tomatoes to maximize yield and produce healthier crops? You have probably already heard of partner plantations. You might know some gardeners who swear by it. Or maybe you’ve heard that it really doesn’t work. The old-fashioned Buddy Planting was rooted in folklore and guesswork. And there was little to no science to back it up. As a gardener, I have always found it difficult to believe in the merits of traditional companion planting. Let’s follow the details below for plants that grow well with tomatoes.
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Tomato Companion Plants
Most of the misconceptions about additional planting are anecdotal, but here are some of the proven partners for tomatoes. All tomato companion plants listed below are ranked based on the benefits you get. All these companion plants can help to reduce disease, pest control, weed control, Increase Pollination Increase Beneficial Insects, and more benefits.
Basil
Growing tomatoes and basil together. Not only is basil a great tomato companion on a plate, but it is also one of the most important tomato companion plants for the garden, especially for deterring thrips and tomato worms. While traditional complementary plantings can tell you that’s because the scent of basil keeps these pests away, it probably isn’t. Recent research shows that it works because the volatile chemicals (odors) released by basil plants mask the scent of tomato plants, making it difficult for these pests to find their host plant.
Check More: Tomatillo Companion Plants
In tomatoes, thrips transmit the tomato blight virus and cause dwarfism and retardation in fruit. The hornworms eat the foliage of the tomato plants and leaving only the stems. The intermediate cut of tomato with basil has been shown to limit the laying behavior of adult moths and damage caused by thrips.
Garlic
Garlic is said to repel mites, and a garlic spray can protect plants and soil from disease. This is an amazing companion plant with tomato. Also, you can get two crops within the same season and same plant time periods.
Long Bean
The long bean is a favorite of the southern green bug. For this reason, a cowpea plantation nearby will keep green insects away from your tomato crop and prevent major damage. Green bugs are particularly troublesome in the southern United States, feeding on many different fruits and vegetables, cutting and plugging the pulp. Plant the cowpea a meter from the tomatoes (bedbugs are good flyers) and plant them a few weeks before planting the tomatoes.
Borage and pumpkin
Tomato, borage, and squash are the common trio in planting companions, and this is mainly due to the weather. Borage, a herb with blue star-shaped flowers, is a common favorite among pollinators and also repels tomato worms. Not only does it enhance the growth and flavor of tomatoes while protecting them, but it also makes an eye-catching and appealing garnish. Then, when the late summer squash (which should bear fruit for the pollinator) is ready to flower, the base is in place.
Radish for tomato companion plants
Plant radishes around the base of your tomato plants to attract flea beetles. Flea beetles do not move very far. For these tomato companion plants to work, they need to be right next to your tomatoes. Flea beetles prefer radish leaves to tomatoes and chew on the jagged holes in radish leaves rather than destroying young tomato plants. Ripe tomato plants can take a lot of damage from flea beetles, but young plants can really suffer. Pac Choi is another excellent death trap for flea beetles.
French marigolds and nasturtiums
Marigolds not to be confused with marigolds or decorative edible marigolds. And nasturtiums are particularly good companions for tomatoes. Marigolds have been shown to disperse root-knot nematodes. The pests feed on nutrients in the tomato root system. And nasturtium works as a general pesticide thanks to its bitter, pungent oils, but don’t leave them too near. Nasturtium spreads quickly and can outperform other plants if left unchecked.
Asparagus
Asparagus illustrates the trade-off of good complementary planting: Tomatoes repel asparagus beetles with a chemical called solanine, and asparagus helps clean the soil of root-knot nematodes attracted to tomatoes.
Chives are not only an essential allium in any herb garden, but they also repel aphids, nematodes, and mites.
Thyme
If yellow-striped armyworms are a problem in your garden. Thyme is the best choice among tomato companion plants. Researchers in the state of Iowa found that spraying tomatoes on thyme (or basil) resulted in decreased egg-laying in adult armyworms. Thyme is an excellent living mulch for tomato plants. Note that it is perennial, so if the tomato plants are turned to a new location in the garden each season of the year. The plants will need to be moved.
Cabbage for Tomato companion plants
If harlequin bugs are attacking your tomatoes at any time of the year, this additional planting strategy is for you. Harlequins are more common in warmer regions of the United States, but their range extends north. They prefer plants in the cabbage family (cabbage plants) and can stay away from tomatoes (and even other cabbage plants) by planting cabbage nearby. These insects produce several generations each year. So, plant your butcher’s cabbage several weeks before planting your tomatoes and place them at the edge of the garden a few meters from the plants you want to protect.
Fennel
Like dill, the tiny flowers of the fennel provide nectar to a variety of beneficial insects. I often find predatory lacewing eggs on my fennel leaves. Aphid parasitic wasps, which aphids use to collect and feed their developing young, are of particular interest to tomatoes. Aphids can become troublesome on tomato plants, and planting fennel can help keep their numbers down.
Coriander
In the same plant family as dill and fennel, cilantro blossoms are another valuable source of nectar for predatory insects that feed on many common tomato pests. Grow it in and around your garden and let it flower after a moderate harvest.
Dill
The tiny dill blossoms provide nectar and pollen for a wide variety of beneficial insects including ladybugs, lacewing, tiny pirate bugs, parasitic wasps, spotted flies, and more. In tomatoes, the tiny parasitic wasps that feed on dill flowers also lay eggs on tomato hornworm, tomato fruit worm, and other pest caterpillars. Always have plenty of dill in the garden and let it bloom to boost the benefits.
Sweet alyssum is the best plants to grow with tomatoes
Most studied for its use to improve biological control on lettuce farms, Sweet Alyssum is another favorite among tomato companion plants. Its tiny white flowers are an exemplary food source for aphids and parasitic wasps, which help in the fight against aphids. I won’t grow tomatoes without an alder skirt underneath!
Oregano
Oregano is another important herb to include in your tomato garden. Not only does it taste great, it’s also one of the best tomato companion plants. But in order for oregano to do its job, it must be allowed to bloom. Oregano plants and flowers are compatible with many beneficial insects that feed on pests.
Cucumbers for tomato companion plants
You might be surprised to learn that cucumbers also produce several allelochemicals that inhibit growth. With cinnamic acid being the best studied. Cucumbers can be used as a weed control tool. When grown as a thick blanket of mulch living around large crops like corn, tomatoes, and okra. They also work to shade weed seeds and reduce germination. Don’t use them when growing partner plants from seed, but they are perfect tomato plants because you start with transplants rather than seeds.
Crimson clover
Grown as a living mulch, crimson clover is one of the best tomato companion plants. Plant it between rows of tomatoes or between tomato plants and let it grow throughout the season. Not only will it compete with weeds as it is a legume, but it will also provide nitrogen to the soil and neighboring plants through nitrogen fixation. Sow purple clover seeds in the spring or fall to make a living mulch around the tomatoes. Mow, weed or mow clover several times a year to limit its growth and restore nutrients from the cut shoots to the ground. crimson clover also supports the high density of beneficial insects and pollinators. Always cut it before the plant drops the seed. crimson clover dies in winter when winter temperatures regularly drop below 0 ° F.
Winter rye plants that grow well with tomatoes
This cover crop is on this list of tomato companion plants because it can reduce weeds near tomato plants. Winter rye contains around 16 different allelochemicals (compounds of certain plants that limit the growth of neighboring plants). This is one of the most widely studied and used examples of a cover crop that can help limit weed growth. Allelochemicals found in winter rye prevent weed seeds from germinating, but they do not interfere with transplanting tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and other vegetables that grow on the debris that remains after cutting the cover crop. For this plant association, plant rye in the fall as a winter cover crop.
When spring arrives, cut the plants back to the ground while they are in flower (don’t cut them too early or they will regrow and don’t wait too long or they will drop the seeds). Leave the residue in place and transplant your grafts. It is not necessary to order the apartment.
Avena
Oats are the ideal cover crop for beginners. You will winter in climates with regular freezing temperatures and in the spring you can plant your tomatoes directly through the residue. Oats planted in the fall help control weeds by protecting the soil in the winter and spring and creating an impenetrable mat for weeds. As the wastes decompose, they add organic matter to the soil.
Bush beans
This combination of plants reduces disease by increasing air circulation. Since fungal disease spores thrive in humid conditions, planting large tomato plants with shorter bush beans opens up more space between plants and has been shown to reduce the prevalence of the disease. compared to closely spaced tomato plants. And it doesn’t have to be beans. Any small plant would also separate the plants and improve air circulation.
Hairy vetch for best plants to grow with tomatoes
Another septoria leaf spot and early rot deterrent, a hairy vetch crop, reduce leaf disease in tomatoes more than using plastic wrap mulch. And since it is a legume, hairy vetches also add nitrogen to the soil. Plant it in the fall and prune the plants by hand or with pruning shears or weed killers, just as the first pods appear on pea plants in late spring. Don’t wait for the pods to swell. Leave the residue in the smoothie and plant the tomatoes in it. It also works against weeds.
Mustard green
Withered verticillium is a problem for many tomato growers. Growing mustard greens as a cover crop before growing tomatoes will reduce the prevalence of this disease, but only if the mustard plants are turned into the ground a few weeks before the tomatoes are planted.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are best for disease reduction when it comes to companion tomato plants. No, they do not provide fresh disease control agents, but rather protect the tomato plants from the “splash effect” and keep the fruit from touching the ground. The spores of many fungal diseases, including septoria leaf spot and early rot, live in the soil. When the raindrops fall to the ground and splash the leaves of tomatoes, the fungal spores migrate with them and infect the plants. Growing a dense layer of sweet potatoes in the soil around the tomato plants will reduce the splash effect. Combining this relationship with the use of a cover crop, the residue of which remains in place, has been shown to further reduce disease transmission through the spray effect.
Sunflowers plants that grow well with tomatoes
If you’ve ever grown sunflowers, you know they’re popular with bumblebees (and many other bee species). Always plant sunflowers in your garden to ensure a constant source of nectar for the bumblebees.
Beans
Hooded flowering plants including snapdragons, baptism, monasticism, lupins and many members of the pea and bean family (including those you grow in your garden) can only be opened by them. heavy bodies of bumblebees. Yes, peas and beans are also self-fertile, but bumblebees love to feed on their nectar. Always grow green beans or shrubs in your garden to attract bumblebees and pollinate your tomatoes.
Red clover
Another popular source of nectar for bumblebees is red clover. Use it as a living mulch to improve the number of pollinators. It has also been shown to be compatible with a variety of other beneficial insects. And don’t forget the ability of clover to fix nitrogen. A companion tomato plant that is sure to appeal to everyone.
Echinacea
Since the tall, broad echinacea blossoms make great walkways for chubby bumblebees and are also very beautiful, consider adding a few in and around your garden to improve the pollination of many plants, including tomatoes.
Pest Control And Tomato Companion Plants
The following complimentary tomato plants are designed for garden pest control. Some of these combinations disrupt a pest’s egg-laying behavior. While others are intended to serve as destructive traps to keep pests away from tomato plants.
- Long Bean
- Basil
- Borage and pumpkin
- Radish
- Cabbage
- Thyme
- Asparagus
Tomato Companion Plants for Weed Control
These plant associations aim to minimize weeds. Some refer to the use of cover crops and live mulch. Others uses another common vegetable as a companion plant to reduce tomato weeds.
- Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)
- Winter rye (Secale cereale)
- Red clover (Trifolium incarnatum)
- Avena (Avena sativa)
Tomato Companion Plants to Reduce Disease
These tomato companion plants have been shown to reduce fungal disease, sometimes in unique ways. Some are used as standard vegetable crops. While the others are used as cover crops.
- Garlic
- Hairy vetch (Vica villosa)
- Bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas)
- Mustard green (Brassica juncea)
Increase Pollination & Tomato Companion Plants
Tomatoes are self-fertile (meaning any flower can pollinate itself), but vibration is needed to loosen the pollen. The wind or an animal hitting the plant can cause the pollen to be released. However, bumblebees will further improve pollination rates and potentially lead to better fruit production. Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) Are an easily recognizable group of bees that visit a wide variety of vegetable crops. In self-fertile plants like tomatoes (and peppers and eggplants), bumblebees participate in what is called total pollination. They vibrate their flight muscles and release pollen. The following complimentary tomato plants can help increase the number of bumblebees in and around your garden.
- Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
- Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
- Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- Echinacea (Echinacea spp)
Tomato Companion Plants to Increase Beneficial Insects
Biocontrol is the practice of attracting, supporting, and even releasing beneficial insects in the garden to control pests. There are tens of thousands of species of predatory insects and parasitoids that naturally keep pest populations at bay in our gardens. To be fair, you don’t have to buy and share beneficial insects when you can just provide the resources that the good insects already living in your garden need. Because most beneficial insect species require both proteins from their prey and carbohydrate from nectar at some point in their life cycle, some of the best tomato plants to accompany these insects provide this much-needed nectar. When these resources are available, the good insects can stay and control the pests.
- Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
- Dill (Anethum graveolens)
- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
- Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
- Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
Unfriendly Plant With Tomato Companion Plants
In general, it’s a good idea to consult an additional planting guide when planning a garden at any time of the year. It also highlights what should not be planted as neighbors. For example, tomatoes don’t go well with anything from the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). Cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi slow plant growth.
Relationships don’t always make sense: carrots are good for tomatoes, fennel, a relative of the carrot, but no. Members of the nightshade family like eggplant are prone to the same diseases as tomatoes, early and late diseases. This affects the soil and makes it difficult to prevent it over the next year.
Finally About Tomato Companion
We hope you have found some tested tomato companion plants to add to your garden this season. I encourage you to be an expert all the time while working with these different plant associations. Observe and take notes and don’t be afraid to be curious and ask questions. This modern approach to complementary planting has a lot to offer home gardeners, but there is no doubt that personal experimentation also provides valuable information and an opportunity to grow the best garden possible.
