Companion Planting Chart: Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Veggies!

Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac (published since 1792!), we have many generations of important (and priceless!) farming wisdom. At the same time, we continually update our information with modern research conducted in today's farms and gardens. With so many outdated claims floating around, this continually updated and evidence-based Companion Planting Chart will provide the trusted information you've come to expect from us.

Plus, plant companions are integrated into our online Garden Planner so you can grow a healthier, more productive garden.

Companion Planting Chart: 20 Common Vegetables

Companion Planting Lookup Tool

Wondering who’s a good garden neighbor? Use this handy tool to find which veggies—and their flower and herb friends—grow best together. All rooted in real research.

How to use: Pick a vegetable to reveal its top companions. Reference the chart below for more detail on the best plant pairings. Click here for a printable guide.

Companion Planting Chart

Crop Name	Companions	Benefits and Notes
BEANS	Lovage Nasturtium   Rosemary    Corn Sunflowers	Corn helps climbing beans (not bush beans), providing a natural structure to help beans reach sunlight. corn is planted first, preventing early competition. Source: USDA, NIH. Lovage attracts beneficial insects such as parasitoid wasps which prey on aphids and beetles. Source. Nasturtiums proves an effective trap crop that draws pests away from French/bush beans. Source. Rosemary repels common garden pests thanks to its compounds—camphor, cineole, and camphene. Sunflowers provide support as a living trellis. Source: Three Sisters Guild, Eames-Sheavly, Cornell Cooperative Extension (1993)
BEETS	Bush beans   Garlic   Lettuce   Onion family	Bush beans are beneficial to beets, fixing nitrogen making it available to soil; however, runner or pole beans stunt growth. Garlic improves beet growth and flavor.  Lettuce grows well with beets, due to complementary root structures, soil shading, and weed suppression Onions and beets grow well together, reducing pest pressure, increasing root yield, and benefiting soil health and crop spacing.
BROCCOLI	Alyssum Dill  Chinese Cabbage Marigold Nasturtium Oregano Sage Thyme	Alyssum helps broccoli by attracting hoverflies, which are important natural predators of aphids—the main pest of broccoli.. Source: USDA.  Chinese cabbage can be effectively used as a trap crop planted alongside broccoli to attract and divert cabbage root flies. Source: NIH Dill contain repellent properties against broccoli pests. Source. It's also a physical barrier to protect broccoli from pest attack. Source. Sage reduces pest egg-laying of diamondback moths on intercropped broccoli. Source.  Thyme and nasturium reduce cabbage looper and imported cabbageworm damage in broccoli. Source: Iowa State University
CABBAGE	Chamomile Dill Garlic Nasturtium   Onion Rosemary Sage Tansy Thyme	Chamomile deters pests when intercropped with cabbage. Source. Dill intercropped with cabbage attracts parasitic was to control cabbage worms. Source: Kenny & Chapman (1988).  Garlic repels diamondback moths. Source. Thyme disrupts egg-laying of the diamondback moth. Source. Nasturtium, onion ,and thyme plots have resistance toward cabbage worm and cabbage looper. Source. Onions help cabbage by lowering pest pressure and boosting productivity. Source.  Sage, dill, chamomile and hyssop disrupt the egg laying behaviour of the cabbageworm. Source.
CARROTS	Chives   Leeks   Onions   Peas Radishes   Rosemary   Sage Savory	Onions intercropped with carrot significantly reduced carrot fly attacks. Source. Onions also improve root yield. Source. Chive and leeks may also repel carrot fly through odor masking and interference.  Marigolds reduce nematodes in the soil to prevent root knot issues and crop stunting, but only when grown and ploughed in the soil the year before. Source. Sage odor alters carrot fly behavior, potentially helping protect carrots by disrupting the flies’ host-finding. Source. Summer Savory significantly reduces carrot psyllids, aphids, nematodes, and carrot fly. Source.
CORN	Beans (pole)   Cucumbers   Dill     Geranium Peas   Potatoes Squash   Sunflower	Beans intercropped with corn increase yield and soil fertility, according to multiple sources. Pole beans climb and support corn and squash, shield soil, deter pests, and suppress weeds (squash vine borers, mammals). Source. Geranium (Pelargonium) attracts Japanese beetles; geranium’s toxins paralyze them, reducing beetle pressure on corn silks. Source.  Potatoes using subterranean space complement corn's shallow roots; they stabilize soil and shade ground. Dwarf sunflowers planted around corn attracted an army of pest-hungry ladybugs. (Kansas Academy of Science).
CUCUMBERS	Pole Beans   Corn Dill    Nasturtiums   Oregano   Chili Pepper Radish   Sunflowers   Tansy	Beans add nitrogen, aiding cucumber growth and reducing pest incidence. Source. Bean flowers attract pollinators. Both beans and cukes can share support structures. Corn intercropped with cucumbers reduces cucumber insect pests by over 50% versus cucumbers grown alone. Source. Dill repels aphids and mites that may attack cucumbers. Source. Nasturtium is a trap plant that keeps cucumber beetles, squash bugs, squash beetles, whiteflies and aphids away from cucumber. Source. Hot Pepper intercropped with cucumber reduced root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) attack. Also, peppers creates resistance to cucumber mosaic virus.  Radishes are a companion plant to repel cucumber beetles. A 2008 study published in HortTechnology. Sunflowers create a natural trellis for the climbing cucumber vines, provide shade, and attract pollinators. Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) repels cucumber beetles, ants, bugs, beetles, and flying insects. Source.
LETTUCE	Alyssum  Chives Garlic Onion  Oregano   Peas   Poached Egg Radish Thyme	Alyssum intercropped with lettuce controls aphids. Source: USDA. Chives, garlic, and onions deter aphids and other pests by masking scent. Source: Iowa State University. Onions planted around lettuce led to fewer cutworms. Source: CBTA. Oregano brings in predators for pests, especially ground beetles. Peas benefit lettuce, adding nitrogen to the soil. Source.  Poached egg plant attracts hoverflies, whose larvae then consume aphids. Source: Journal of Agricultural Science. Radishes are a trap crop for lettuce, attracting pests away from lettuce and enhancing overall crop productivity. Source. Thyme deters cabbage worm, looper, and weevil. Source.
ONIONS	Beets   Cabbage   Carrot   Chard   Lettuce   Strawberry   Tomatoes	Beets intercropped with onions influences onion seed yield positively. Source. Marigolds reduce the egg laying of onion maggot fly. Source: Scientia Agricola
PEAS	Alyssum   Chives   Corn Lettuce   Mint   Radish   Spinach	Alyssum brings pollinators to the pea flowers and encourages lacewings, which eat aphids. Source. Lettuce interplants well with peas and can enhance efficiency without hurting pea yield. Source: Journal of Agricultural Sciences
PEPPERS	Basil   Chives Cilantro Dill Leeks  Onions   Oregano Rosemary	Basil improves the growth and flavor of peppers and has a protective, insecticidal quality. Same goes for oregano. Dill intercropping supports beneficial predators that help reduce corn borer damage on peppers. Source. Leeks and chives can help peppers by repelling aphids. Source. Onions emit strong odors that can repel various pepper pests, including aphids, thrips, and whiteflies. Rosemary benefits peppers by reducing aphids, if planted nearby (around 0.5 meters) . Source.
POTATOES	Basil   Beans   Calendula     Cilantro   Dill Garlic Horseradish   Onion  Peas   Tansy	Basil discourages Colorado potato beetles and also attracts beneficial insects. Source. Beans (bush) intercropped with potatoes improve both yield and soil health. Source. Calendula, tansy, and horseradish planted at the corner of a potato patch ward off Colorado potato beetles. Source: ACS Cilantro planted near potatoes reduces populations of the Colorado potato beetle, aphids, carrot rust fly and spider mite. Source. Dill does a great job of luring enemies of the Colorado potato beetle. Source: Rutgers University.  Garlic planted with potatoes (3:1 ratio) led to the best disease suppression (late blight) and yield gain. Source. Onions reduced aphids and pest populations. Source.
PUMPKINS and WINTER SQUASH	Beans  Borage   Calendula   Corn   Lovage Marigold   Nasturtium   Oregano Radish Tansy	Pole beans produce nitrogen for the squash and pumpkin, and squash is traditionally planted with corn and beans ("three sisters") to disorient the adult vine borer. Source. Borage flowers bring predators which eat the squash pests, plus pollinators! Source: Permaculture Research Institute Marigold deter beetles, especially the striped cucumber beetle and squash bug. Source. Nasturtium, radish, and tansy repel cucumber beetles. Source.
RADISHES	Bok Choi Chervil   Collards Lettuce Nasturtium   Peas Spinach	Bok choi (pac choi) intercropped with radish boosted harvest. Source: NIH. Collards complement radishes. In the same plot, they increase use of space without any negative effects on growth. Head lettuce is a good companion to radish but avoid overcrowding. Peas are well documented as an early nitrogen-fixer, improving fertility and radish growth. Source. Spinach intercropped with radish significantly increased growth and yield. Source.
SPINACH	Beans   Celery Cilantro   Coreopsis Peas   Radish	Peas and pole beans provide natural shade for the spinach, and also improve soil fertility to improve nutrient availability. Source. Radishes planted alongside spinach can optimize space, reduce pests, and improve overall yield. Source. Coreopsis is a lovely flower that will attract beneficial insects, like bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, including hoverflies, soldier beetles, and tachinid flies. Add to any bed!
TOMATOES	Asparagus Basil   Beans Borage   Calendula  Celery  Marigold Parsley   Radish Rosemary Thyme	Asparagus and tomatoes support each other by repelling each other’s pests—tomatoes release solanine to deter asparagus beetles, while asparagus secretes compounds that repel root-knot nematodes. (Source: Rutgers) Basil simply makes tomatoes healthier, releasing volatiles that prime the tomato’s defense system, enhancing its response to wounding and pest attack. Source: NIH. Bush Beans interplanted with tomatoes decrease disease. Source: Jessica Walliser Plant Partners. Borage attracts the parasitic wasp that attacks aphids and tomato hornworms. Source. Borage also attracts pollinators, and enhances tomato growth, taste, and disease resistance when intercropped. Source. Calendula is a flower companion which repels tomato pests. Marigolds repel whiteflies when planted with tomatoes. Source.  Radish works as a trap crop for flea beetles, a pest of young tomato seedlings. Rosemary oils repel aphids, thrips, and whiteflies—all common tomato pests . Thyme helps reduce insect damage to tomatoes. Scientists at Iowa State saw a reduction in egg-laying by adult armyworms when tomatoes were interplanted with the herb. Thyme improves tomato root development, flowers, and fruit in studies when on its own. Source.
ZUCCHINI/ SUMMER SQUASH	Buckwheat   Marigold Nasturtium  Oregano  Radishes  Zinnia	Buckwheat alternating with squash strips reduces aphids, plant disease, and increases beneficial poplations.  Source: University of Florida.   Marigold intercropped with zucchini demonstrated the best resistance to cucumber beetle. Source: RES Oregano provides pest protection as a natural insecticide. Source. Nasturtium repels cucumber beetles. Source. Radishes planted alongside zucchini reduces squash bug egg laying. University of Nebraska. Zinnia attract predators that eat whiteflies and also attract pollinators. Permaculture Institute.

What Is Companion Planting?

Companion planting is the practice of growing plants together to support one another as part of a thriving garden community. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs often grow stronger and more productive when each plays a helpful role.

• Sometimes the benefit is one-sided—like nectar-rich flowers planted near tomatoes to boost insect pollination.
• Other times, it’s a classic mutual relationship, as with the Three Sisters: corn provides support for beans, beans enrich the soil, and squash shades out weeds.

By cultivating plant partnerships that naturally support each other, you can save time, reduce pests, attract pollinators, enrich the soil, suppress weeds, and increase yields—with the bonus of a healthier, more resilient garden. 

7 Benefits of Companion Planting

There are plenty of great reasons to plant certain crops together:

1. Deterring pests: Intercropping—planting different crops together—can help keep pests away. Research shows that mixing plants can confuse pests, making it harder for them to find their favorite targets. This natural method helps lower pest problems without chemicals.
2. Attracting beneficial insects: Some plants draw in helpful bugs, or "beneficial insects." Hoverflies can’t resist the sunny-side-up charms of poached egg plants (Limnanthes douglasii), and they love a meal of juicy aphids, too. Pop poached egg plants near lettuces, and guess what? Fewer aphids!
3. Attracting pollinators: Many flowers are rich in nectar and irresistible to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Borage is a well-known bee magnet (so with it, you get a twofer: boosted pollination plus wasps laying parasitic eggs to purge notorious hornworm pests!) Researchers have validated the practice of planting “pollinator strips”—rows of plants designed to lure pollinators and pest predators—to improve your harvest!
4. Shade regulation: Tall plants can provide shade for smaller ones that need protection from harsh sun. For instance, corn shades lettuce, helping it thrive on hot days.
5. Natural supports: Plants like corn and sunflowers act as living trellises, supporting sprawling crops such as cucumbers and peas.
6. Healthier plants, naturally: Some plants help their neighbors by releasing helpful compounds into the soil. For example, nasturtiums can protect fruit trees from pests like codling moths by sharing natural pest-fighting chemicals through their roots. Mustard, horseradish, cabbage, and kale do something similar—they give off compounds that help defend nearby plants from bugs. Source.
7. Improving soil fertility: Legumes such as beans and peas fix nitrogen in the soil, making this vital nutrient more available. Deep-rooted plants like burdock pull nutrients from lower soil layers, enriching the topsoil for shallow-rooted crops.
8. Weed suppression: Dense plantings of complementary crops can crowd out weeds, reducing competition and the need for manual weeding.

The Science Behind Companion Planting

Until recently, a lot of companion planting was based on little more than hearsay, but there’s an increasing body of scientifically grounded research that proves that growing specific plants together can reduce pests, boost growth, and even help wildlife. We've collected it all and updated our companion planting chart below! Some background:

• More friends, not foes. Traditionally, it was thought that vegetables had "friends" and "foes"—companion plants that either benefitted the vegetables' growth or impeded it. This isn't necessarily wrong, but we've found that nearly all the associations are positive; there are perhaps two or three "bad" combinations (e.g., black walnut trees, which secrete growth inhibitors through their roots). The bottom line is that there is simply more evidence for "good" companions than "bad" ones, so we now focus more on why vegetables need friends!
• Too much conflicting or anecdotal evidence: about companion planting on the internet, which we found concerning. Many examples of companion planting were based on folklore or hearsay. While observations in our own garden can be valuable, we decided that our reference guide should only highlight companion plant pairings backed up by scientific evidence and tried-and-true practices.
• Not enough about flower power: While companion planting traditionally referred to vegetable plant pairs, we've added more flowers to our chart; many are excellent natural insect repellents. Nasturtium is head and shoulders above them all, taking the brunt of pest attacks. (See more below.) Any nectar-rich flowers, such as zinnia, comfrey, and ageratum, will attract pollinators such as bees to the garden and help to boost the pollination of flowering crop plants like tomatoes, beans, and squash.

Tomatoes Love Basil: The Classic Example

Take tomatoes and basil—longtime companions in both the kitchen and the garden.  

• Studies show a reduction in tomato pests when basil was present. Plus, while pest populations decreased, no increase in pest predators was detected as the cause, indicating that basil’s strong scent disguised the tomatoes from pests.
• In addition, marigolds planted alongside tomatoes reduced the whitefly population. (Note: The plants must be grown together, and it doesn't help to introduce the solution later as an emergency treatment!)
• Borage attracts tiny wasps that are the natural enemies of tomato hornworm caterpillars (Journal of Apicultural Science in 2020). Borage is also a well-known bee magnet, so with it, you get a twofer: boosted pollination plus wasps laying parasitic eggs to purge notorious hornworm pests. The very best friend that any tomato could wish for!   

Our Favorite Companion Combinations

Here are some of the best companion planting combinations for your garden. 

• Alyssum brings in pollinators and encourages green lacewings, which eat aphids.
• Basil deters moths that lay eggs for tomato hornworms and armyworms. Basil also attracts bees, which improves pollination, tomato health, and flavor.
• Dill attracts ladybugs, which eat tiny garden pests such as aphids and spider mites.
• Calendula or cosmos nearby will attract tiny parasitizing wasps and aphid-hungry hoverflies. We also love marigolds for drawing in pest-hungry beneficial bugs.
• Borage pairs well with tomatoes, attracting pollinating bees. It also enhances strawberries' flavor and vigor.
• Garlic repels aphids, onion flies, ermine moths, and Japanese beetles. Plant garlic between rows of potatoes alongside lettuces, cabbages, and near fruit trees with alyssum to attract aphid-eating hoverflies.
• Mint deters aphids, ants, and flea beetles. Just be careful to plant mint nearby in its own pot or bed, as it is a very aggressive grower!
• Nasturtiums attract hungry caterpillars away from brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, and kale, acting as a decoy. So, grow these pretty flowers close to those crops! Nasturtiums also lure black flies away from fava beans.
• Parsley attracts beneficial insects to protect and pollinate tomatoes. Plant these herbs between tomatoes.
• Poached egg plants (a wildflower) draw in hoverflies, which control aphids on nearby lettuce.
• Sage is a helpful herb that repels carrot flies. Also, plant it around a cabbage patch to reduce injury from cabbage moths.
• Sunflowers pair well with cucumbers and pole beans. They help provide support for climbing plants and shade for crops, which can become sun-stressed in hotter climates.
• Tansy is a real draw to pest-eating bugs such as ladybugs, ladybirds, and predatory wasps. At the same time, tansy repels many typical baddies, such as cutworm, which attacks asparagus, bean, cabbage, carrot, celery, corn, lettuce, pea, pepper, potato, and tomato plants. Tansy is a perennial, which means you only have to plant it once!

More Companion Gardening Tips

Much of companion planting considers the height of different vegetables.

• Lettuce, radishes, and other quick-growing plants sown between hills of melons or winter squash will mature and be harvested long before these vines need more legroom.
• Leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard will grow in the shadow of corn.
• Bush beans tolerate the dapple shade that corn casts and, since their roots occupy different levels in the soil, don’t compete for water and nutrients.
• Don't get too fixated with pairing up crops. Correct spacing, sun, water, and good soil management are the most important influences on your growing plants.
• Why not start small with a few marigolds and zinnia seeds—and watch the beneficial bugs come! Other options to start with? How about calendula, nasturtium, basil, and borage?

Video: How to Plan a Companion Planting

It's really helpful to see companion planting in action. In this video, Ben explains how to harness the power of flowers to deter pests, attract pollinators, and even improve soil.

The Online Garden Planner

For more information, we'd point you to the online Almanac Garden Planner, which has an extensive database of companion plants and a new companion planting feature that makes it easier to find perfect matches for your plants. Simply select a garden vegetable on the screen and then click the heart-shaped ‘Show Companions’ button. The selection bar will then show only those plants your chosen crop will love. Select one and drop it into your garden plan. For example, if you select sweet corn and click on the Companion Plantings button, it shows that beans are a great companion! 

Learn More

1. For ideas and inspiration, see readers' companion garden plot plans with plant lists.
2. Are you just getting started with gardening, or do you need a refresher course? Check out our Vegetable Gardening for Beginners how-to page.
3. Need plant-specific growing advice? Read through our many Growing Guides for vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs.

Companion planting can indeed help gardeners to grow in step with nature, but what we know about this powerful tool is constantly evolving. Further research over the coming years will fill in the gaps, and no doubt deliver a few more surprises along the way

Have you tried companion planting? What's your go-to pairing? Tell us in the comments below!