Companion Planting to Help Tomatoes Grow

Tomatoes flourish best when grown alongside companion plants that help repel and prevent pests, as well as plants that attract beneficial insects into the garden. Some of these companion plants can even serve as ornamental features or edible items for your kitchen garden!

Dill is one of the best herbs to keep away harlequin bugs from tomato plants, while carrots and beans benefit from fennel which deters flea beetles, cabbage maggots and thrips. Furthermore, basil repels hornworms while providing tomatoes with an enjoyable taste.

Enhance Tomato Growth

Tomato plants require proper care to produce an abundant and high-quality harvest. This involves protecting them from diseases and insect pests while providing optimal conditions in which to thrive. Pruning, weeding and mulch are effective tools, while companion planting with certain herbs, flowers and vegetables may further boost growth, repel pests away and attract pollinating insects that aid with pollination.

Add basil, chives and dill as companion plants to your vegetable garden or raised bed for maximum effectiveness and pest deterrence. Their pungent scent deters common tomato pests while drawing in beneficial insects like lacewings, minute pirate bugs and tachinid flies that provide additional benefits – plus these plants add essential nutrients back into the soil as they flourish!

Cilantro, parsley and thyme make excellent companion plants for tomatoes as they contain compounds which inhibit fungal disease in the soil. Furthermore, they serve as natural alternatives to chemical fertilizers as their release of soluble salts inhibits the growth of fungi and bacteria which threaten their fruit.

Crimson clover makes an excellent companion plant for tomatoes as it acts as an effective living mulch that restricts weeds while simultaneously providing additional nitrogen to the soil. When planted between tomato rows or adjacent to plants, it provides natural nitrogen fertilizer that serves to feed both species throughout their seasons of growth.

Beans and other legumes make excellent companion plants for tomatoes, as they absorb extra nitrogen from the atmosphere to act as natural fertilizer for them. Beans also make an ideal trellis plant as their sprawling leaves help cover up ground to protect it from weeds or dust particles that might land on tomato plants directly.

Other excellent companions for tomatoes include cool-season vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, radishes and beets. These plants can help with weed control while having similar growing conditions to tomatoes. As these vegetables are heavy nitrogen feeders, adding legumes or other nitrogen fixers would provide adequate nutrition.

Tomato Production

Companion planting with tomatoes can protect them against an array of problems, from blossom end rot and fungal diseases like Septoria leaf spot to early blight; insect pests like tomato hornworms and aphids; to weeds. Companion planting may often help you sidestep these obstacles and make your plants more productive!

Companion plants can also help improve soil quality and encourage your tomato plants to produce more fruit. Closely spaced plants help bind soil together and prevent it from washing away during rainstorms or when watering your garden, improving drainage, evaporation reduction and decreasing sunburn risk during hot summer weather. Tomatoes thrive when planted alongside tall companion plants like corn (Zea mays). Their height helps shade lower leaves and fruit from sunburn while the roots provide natural support for tomato vines to climb upon.

Herbs that enhance the flavor and aroma of tomatoes make excellent companion plants, such as basil, oregano, thyme and parsley. Furthermore, these plants attract beneficial insects that help control aphids, tomato hornworms and other common garden pests such as aphids.

Sweet potatoes (Ipomea truncatula) make excellent companion plants to protect tomatoes against various disease-causing organisms, such as fungus and bacteria. Sweet potatoes help reduce fungal disease in tomatoes by creating a dense cover of soil which protects them from raindrops carrying fungal spores of Septoria leaf spot and early blight; thus protecting from “splash up”.

Additional beneficial plants in a tomato garden include marigolds (Micranthus spp.) and nasturtiums (Tropaecum majusculum). These colorful blooms attract bees for pollination purposes while deterring tomato worms and slugs from feeding on tomatoes. Furthermore, certain herbs and flowers produce growth-inhibiting allelochemicals which have been shown to help defend against many pests, including fungal disease fusarium.

Keep Pests Away

Crops that are planted together can help each other flourish better, protecting against certain pests and diseases while simultaneously providing support and shade. Tomatoes and basil make an ideal combination, repelling tomato hornworms while complementing each other’s flavor profiles and sharing similar sun requirements, thus taking advantage of each other’s shade during hot summer weather conditions.

Many gardeners turn to companion planting as an organic way of controlling pests in their vegetable gardens without using harmful chemicals. Plants that emit pleasant aromas or scents attract beneficial insects that prey upon pests like cabbage moths and carrot flies. Marigolds, an iconic sight in veggie gardens, produce the chemical limonene which discourages aphids while other herbs such as rosemary and lavender also can deter aphids in soil.

Companion plants not only attract pollinators but can also serve as powerful weed suppressors and add extra nutrients to the soil. A recent study demonstrated that interplanting kale with beans significantly reduced redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Tall plants like corn provide living mulches which protect from weeds by covering up ground surface, keeping the ground cool, moist, and ventilated.

One effective companion planting strategy involves pairing nitrogen-producing plants with vegetables and other crops that need nitrogen for their development, such as legumes. Nitrification occurs when these plants convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms crops can use, increasing crop yields since photosynthesizing requires nitrogen for photosynthesis.

An effective rule of thumb for planting tomato plants is avoiding those which compete for similar resources, like water, space and sunlight. Cruciferous plants like broccoli and cauliflower have similar needs for sun, moisture and nutrients that tomatoes need; plants competing for these resources could hinder each other’s growth and cause stunted development.

Improve Soil Quality

Companion planting tomatoes with other crops in your garden can help improve soil health and keep pests at bay, but any combination has both positive and negative impacts; while certain plants make great companions for tomatoes, others could actually hinder their development or attract unwanted pests. Careful crop placement, caretaking, and monitoring is key to making companion planting work effectively.

Tomatoes need well-draining soil with a pH range between 6.2 to 6.8, plenty of sunlight and disease/insect resistance in order to flourish successfully. They may also be vulnerable to numerous diseases and insects so it’s crucial that companion planting strategies help minimize these threats.

One of the most successful and cost-effective companion planting strategies involves pairing tomatoes with beans, squash or corn to form what is known as Native American Three Sister Planting – a win-win gardening partnership in which beans climb tomato plants while providing support while returning nitrogen back into the soil; squash provides shade while its large leaves help ward off weeds; corn provides food.

This planting arrangement not only promotes healthy growth and attracts beneficial insects, but it can also help minimize the damage done by tomato pests like the hornworm. Flowering herbs such as dill can further benefit this trio of vegetables by drawing parasitic wasps that feed on these harmful invaders.

Fennel, arugula and cilantro make excellent companion plants for tomatoes; not only can these add delicious flavors to salads, but they attract pollinators that support tomato growth. Furthermore, these plants repel many of the same pests such as the earworm and leafminer that cause damage to them.

Conversely, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower should not be grown alongside tomatoes as this will prevent their production of chemicals that encourage tomato fruitworm population. Furthermore, these plants have similar water requirements as tomatoes which will compete for space within your garden soil.

Listing of common companion plants for tomatoes

Here is a short list of plants most commonly used as companion plants for tomatoes:

• Asparagus: Can provide some shade to tomatoes and repel nematodes.
• Basil: Improves the flavor of tomatoes and helps repel pests like mosquitoes and flies.
• Calendula: Attracts beneficial insects and can help repel pests.
• Carrots: Can help break up the soil, allowing for better water and nutrient penetration.
• Celery: Provides some shade for tomatoes and helps repel pests.
• Chives: Repels aphids and other harmful insects.
• Dill: Attracts beneficial insects and can improve the flavor of tomatoes.
• Garlic: Protects against spider mites and aphids.
• Marigold: Deters nematodes and other soil-borne pests.
• Mint: Repels pests and can help deter rodents.
• Nasturtium: Acts as a trap crop for aphids and whiteflies.
• Onions: Help deter pests and provide natural fungicidal properties.
• Oregano: Helps to repel pests and can enhance the flavor of tomatoes.
• Parsley: Attracts beneficial insects and provides some shade for tomatoes.
• Rosemary: Deters pests and adds a pleasant fragrance to the garden.