How to Grow a Green Vegetable Garden With Companion Plants

You can improve your gardening if you search out which vegetables grow together well. Plants thrive when they are planted next to a complementary plants. If they are planted in this way they will produce more fruit. They will also be more likely to ward off insects and thrive.

• Decide what size garden you would like to plant. Consider how much time you have for your garden. Choose vegetables that you and your family like. Research what grows best in your area and when it should be planted.


• Check your soil so that you will know what nutrients it needs to produce a good crop. If needed purchase mulch and topsoil for your specific needs.


• Research the vegetables you have chosen to find out, which companions grow well together. Do an Internet search or purchase a book that will give you this information. 


• Draw a design of your garden placing the companions together. Examples of fine companions are pole beans and corn. Plant the corn first. When you plant the pole beans, they will use the stalks as a trellis. This gives the cornstalk more support. The beans process nitrogen and help fertilize your corn.


•  Here is a partial listing of some plants with their natural companions and enemies:

1. Bush beans like corn, carrots, celery and cucumbers. Bush beans do not like onions and fennel.


2. Pole beans like corn, summer savory, radish and tomato. Pole beans do not like onion beets, kholrabi, chives and garlic


3. Chives love tomatoes and carrots. Chives do not like peas and green beans


4. Asparagus loves tomatoes, parsley, basil and lettuce.


5. Corn likes pumpkin, sunflowers, peas, cucumbers, potatoes and squash. Corn does not like tomatoes.


6. Lettuce likes peas, onions, strawberries, beans, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli and cabbage.


7. Tomatoes love carrots, onion, nasturtium, onions, asparagus, cucumber, aromatic herbs, spinach and basil. Tomatoes do not like cabbage, cauliflower, fennel, potatoes, black walnut and possibly squash.

• Choose plants that promote natural pest control. We usually prefer to plant our vegetables in neat rows. However, it helps deter insects when we mingle them together. The chemical smell each plant produces attracts insects. It makes it harder for them to target a certain plant when grown in this fashion.


• Plant flowers around or within your garden that attract pollinators. Without bees and butterflies, you will produce great blossoms but fewer fruits. Aster, coneflower, zinnias and basil are a few good choices.


• Plant to attract predator insects for the specific vegetables you are growing. This is beneficial in keeping your garden green. Planting without harmful repellants produces healthy organic food. You want to attract ladybugs, lacewings and spiders. Some plants that encourage these insects are marigolds, sunflowers, basil and chives.

With your research, you are prepared to plant a thriving, healthy garden with an abundant crop. Enjoy!