Best Tomato Companion Plants
Today we’re going to talk about two of Gardner’s favorite plants to grow . Almost everybody loves tomatoes and Zucchini . Today in part two if the series companion planting we’ll talk about tomatoes and zucchini. They go together well in a dish they are great in salads raw or cooked in sauces and especially my favourite, Italian foods.
Leafy Vegitables
Plant lettuce varieties in the vacant spots in your garden bed. The shade-loving
plants will enjoy the cover that tall tomato plant provide and the low growing
lettuce will act as a living mulch, protecting the soil from erosion, nutrient
depletion, and regulate soil moisture.
Root Vegetables
A wide variety of root vegetables make ideal tomato companion plants because
they rely heavily on phosphorous to develop strong root systems. With tomato
plants feeding heavily on nitrogen from the garden soil, the root vegetables can
focus more on root development than on greenery. Root vegetables coexist
well in the garden together because they do not compete with each other for soil nutrients.
Parsley
Attract hoverflies to your vegetable garden by inserting some parsley plants
around the bed. These beneficial insects feed on many of the destructive
garden pests that seek out and destroy tomato crops.
Borage
Plant some borage as a tomato companion plant in your garden to bolster the
overall health of your garden which, like basil, can add superior flavor quality to
your ripened tomatoes. As an added bonus, borage is an organic repellant of
hornworms and cabbage worms.
Best Tomato Companion Plants
Marigolds
Scatter vibrant marigolds in your vegetable garden. Not only do they add color
and cheer, but they can counteract root rot on tomato vines caused by
destructive nematodes, tomato worms, and slugs.
Plants to Avoid in a Tomato Garden
As important as it is to know whatPlants to Avoid in a Tomato Garden plants work cohesively in a vegetable
garden, it is equally important to understand what plants do not make good
tomato companion plants.
Tomatoes just do not work well with all crops, and a poor combination might
diminish your yield and affect the health of your tomatoes.
Avoid this short list of plants that can bestow adverse effects on your hard-
earned tomato crop.
Cabbage and Broccoli
Cabbage and members of the Cabbage family of plants can inhibit the growth
of tomato plants.
Fennel
This tricky plant releases a substance from its root system that impeded the
growth of tomatoes and many other plants. It’s best to plant this plant in a pot
instead of placing them in a companion bed with other crops.
Best Zucchini Companion Plants
Borage
Borage is an herb that works double duty as zucchini companion plants in the
garden. Not only does borage repel voracious insects, but it also attracts
beneficial bugs and honeybees to pollinate your zucchini flowers.
Beans
Bush beans work well to repel garden beetles and other pests that bore into
zucchini plants and vines. Beans also release beneficial nitrogen back into the
soil as they grow, which feeds nearby zucchini and boosts their fruit
production
Radishes
Radishes make a great companion to zucchini because they deter squash vine
borers and beetles from making their way into the zucchini patch. These
destructive pests will quickly cause demise in your crop if not kept at bay.
FGarlic
Garlic dissuades damaging aphids from the garden area, which have been
known to wreak havoc on zucchini and their leaves.
Parsley
Parsley is a fragrant herb that works to deter pests that tend to plague the
zucchini garden.
Spinach
Spinach and zucchini are mutually beneficial to each other. Zucchini provides
protection and shade from the heat of summer, and zucchini reaps the benefits
of the nutrients that spinach releases back into the soil.
Peas
Peas, much like bean plants, release beneficial nitrogen back into the soil, which
helps zucchini grow because they are heavy feeders. This exchange helps to
counteract soil depletion.
Corn
Corn assists in keeping destructive vine borers out of the garden.
Mint
Mint can drive away tiny aphids that feed on zucchini and other veggies.
Corn
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are a colorful and vibrant addition to any garden, and they attract
beneficial pollinators to the garden. The nasturtium plant is adored by the
highly destructive pest, the aphid. Through smart companion planting, you can
purposefully use the nasturtium plant as a host and sacrifice them to help
protect nearby plants that are bothered by aphids..
INSECT TIP
Remember earwigs are actually a gardeners friend. Earwigs Eat Aphids. … 
Earwigs live in moist, dark places, such as on the fringes of the compost heap or amid mulch. Earwigs are highly effective predators of many tiny insects, including aphids and other common pests. In most cases earwigs harmlessly go about keeping our enemies in check, so if they aren’t doing any harm, leave them be. Earwigs love to hunt in ivy, thickets of weeds and piles of leaves and debris, so grow susceptible plants away from their favorite haunts.
Umass Extension
The destructive earworm pest is the equivalent of the tomato fruit-worm.
Planting plants together that are susceptible to the same pests can decimate an entire garden.
Poor Zucchini Companion Plants
Pumpkins
Pumpkins and squash are from the same family and can cross-pollinate with
each other, resulting in poorly formed fruit. You see how to hand pollinate your squash here.
Hand pollinating requires you to beat the bees, which means you must be an early riser.?✌
Potatoes
It is not a good idea to plant potatoes with zucchini plants because both plants
are prone to the same garden pests, and interplanting them makes them more
susceptible to infestation. In addition, potatoes are heavy feeders that can
deplete large amounts of nutrients from the soil..
In the third and final article of this series, Companion Planting we will talk about potatoes and strawberries. Of course strawberries as you all know are one of my all-time favorite plants and fruits to grow. At Aladay Organic Farms we had specials every year with strawberry plants, the beer root strawberry plants we would sell. So be sure to tune in for part three of our series Companion Planting.
Until Next Time…
Happy Gardening…
Photos by Aaron Aveiro….some photos are photos of photos found in the public domain on Google images.
Content by Aaron Aveiro and Kellogg Garden Products PDF on Companion Planting.
Sources: Personal Experiences, Kellogg Garden Products, Grow Veg
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