Companion Planting Chart: What to Plant Together and What to Keep Apart
Quick answer: Companion planting pairs crops that help each other — by repelling pests, attracting pollinators and beneficial insects, fixing nitrogen, or making better use of space. The classics: plant basil, marigold and nasturtium almost anywhere as pest guards; grow beans and peas to feed heavy feeders like corn; and keep the big rivalries apart — onions and garlic away from beans and peas, tomatoes away from the cabbage family and potatoes, and carrots away from dill and fennel. Search or sort the chart below by crop.
Companion planting chart
Type a crop to filter, or click a column header to sort. “Keep apart” lists traditional antagonists to separate in the bed.
| Crop | Plant with | Keep apart | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Basil, marigold, borage, garlic, onion, carrots, asparagus, parsley | Cabbage family, corn, potatoes, fennel | Basil repels whiteflies, hornworms and aphids; borage deters hornworms; alliums mask the scent. Keep from potatoes and corn, which share blight and the tomato fruitworm. |
| Basil | Tomatoes, peppers, purslane | Rue | Improves the growth and flavor of tomatoes and peppers, and repels whiteflies, mosquitoes, spider mites and aphids. |
| Beans (pole & bush) | Corn, squash, beets, strawberries, nasturtium, rosemary, sunflower | Onions, garlic, chives | Fix nitrogen for heavy feeders; nasturtium lures aphids away. Alliums stunt the beans. |
| Beets | Bush beans, onion family, garlic, lettuce, brassicas | Pole beans | Onions guard against borers and cutworms; beet leaves add magnesium back to the soil. |
| Broccoli & brassicas | Other brassicas, oregano, onions, garlic, nasturtium, sage | Tomatoes, strawberries, pole beans | Group brassicas so one net covers them all; sage, garlic and oregano deter cabbage moth and aphids. |
| Cabbage | Garlic, nasturtium, sage, onions, dill | Tomatoes, strawberries | Garlic and sage repel the cabbage moth; nasturtium works as a trap crop for aphids and beetles. |
| Carrots | Onions, leeks, chives, peas, radishes, rosemary, sage | Dill, fennel, coriander | Alliums and rosemary repel carrot fly; peas add nitrogen. Dill and fennel cross-pollinate and reduce carrot yield. |
| Corn | Pole beans, squash, cucumbers, peas, dill, melons, sunflower | Tomatoes | The Three Sisters: beans add nitrogen, squash shades the soil. Corn and tomatoes share the earworm/fruitworm, so keep them apart. |
| Cucumbers | Beans, peas, radish, nasturtium, dill, borage, oregano, sunflower | Aromatic herbs (sage), potatoes | Radish and nasturtium repel cucumber beetles; dill guards against aphids and mites. |
| Lettuce | Carrots, radishes, onions, chives, peas, beets | — | Alliums mask the lettuce scent from aphids; radishes act as a trap crop for flea beetles. |
| Onions & garlic | Beets, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, chard | Beans, peas, asparagus | Their aroma disorients carrot fly, cabbage looper and beetles. But alliums stunt legumes, so keep them away from beans and peas. |
| Peas | Carrots, radish, corn, cucumbers, turnip, mint | Onions, garlic, chives | Fix nitrogen and feed the soil; mint and chives deter aphids. Alliums stunt peas. |
| Peppers | Basil, onions, oregano, marjoram, carrots | Fennel, brassicas | Aromatic herbs give an insecticidal cover; onions deter beetles and aphids. |
| Potatoes | Beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish, calendula, cilantro, garlic | Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, sunflower | Beans boost tuber size; horseradish and calendula ward off the Colorado potato beetle. Keep from tomatoes, which share blight. |
| Radishes | Lettuce, peas, nasturtium, chervil, cucumber | Hyssop | A classic trap crop for flea beetles and cucumber beetles; peas add nitrogen and chervil improves flavor. |
| Spinach | Beans, peas, strawberries, brassicas, eggplant | — | Peas and beans provide light shade and feed the soil; herbs like rosemary and oregano repel insects. |
| Squash & pumpkins | Corn, beans, nasturtium, marigold, oregano, buckwheat, calendula | Potatoes | The Three Sisters partner. Nasturtium and marigold deter squash bugs and vine borers; buckwheat brings in pest predators. |
| Strawberries | Beans, lettuce, spinach, onions, borage, thyme | Cabbage family | Borage strengthens the plants and pulls in pollinators; brassicas compete heavily and stunt the berries. |
| Zucchini & summer squash | Nasturtium, oregano, zinnia, buckwheat, beans, corn | Potatoes | Nasturtium guards against aphids and whiteflies; oregano and zinnia bring in pollinators for better fruit set. |
| Marigold (companion) | Tomatoes, squash, potatoes, most vegetables | — | A near-universal garden companion — repels root-knot nematodes and many pests, and the scent confuses egg-laying flies. |
| Nasturtium (companion) | Cucumbers, squash, beans, brassicas, tomatoes | — | A trap crop that draws aphids off your vegetables, and repels squash bugs and cucumber beetles. |
Pairings compiled from the Old Farmer's Almanac companion planting guide and University of Minnesota Extension. “Keep apart” entries are traditional antagonists; separate them by a few beds where possible.
How to use companion planting
Start with three moves that do the most work: interplant nitrogen-fixing legumes (beans, peas) among heavy feeders, scatter pest-repelling aromatics (basil, marigold, nasturtium, alliums, dill) through the beds, and separate the well-known rivals. You do not need to memorize every pairing — getting the big antagonists apart and the pest-guards in matters more than any single “good” match.
Companion planting FAQ
Does companion planting actually work, or is it folklore?
It is a mix. The strongest effects are well supported: legumes fixing nitrogen, trap crops like nasturtium pulling pests off your vegetables, and aromatic herbs (basil, dill, alliums) masking scent and repelling specific insects. Other traditional pairings are anecdotal and vary by garden. Treat the chart as tested guidance, not a guarantee.
What should you never plant together?
The reliable antagonists: onions and garlic stunt beans and peas; tomatoes clash with the cabbage family and with potatoes (shared blight); carrots dislike dill and fennel (they cross-pollinate and cut yield); and keep tomatoes away from corn, which shares the same fruitworm.
What are the Three Sisters?
Corn, pole beans and squash grown together. The corn is a trellis for the beans, the beans fix nitrogen to feed all three, and the squash shades the soil to hold moisture and block weeds. It is the oldest and most proven companion planting system in North America.
What are the best all-around companion plants?
Basil, marigold, nasturtium, and the onion family. Marigold repels nematodes and confuses pests almost everywhere; nasturtium is a universal aphid trap; basil protects nightshades; and alliums deter carrot fly, cabbage loopers and beetles.
What grows best with tomatoes?
Basil (repels hornworms and whiteflies and may improve flavor), marigold and borage, plus onions, garlic, carrots and parsley. Keep tomatoes away from the cabbage family, potatoes, corn and fennel.
Do I have to follow the chart exactly?
No. Use it to place the big helpers and separate the known rivals; beyond that, healthy soil, spacing and crop rotation matter more than any single pairing. Observe your own garden and adjust each season.
Companion planting blends long-standing traditional practice with emerging research; results vary with climate, soil, variety and pest pressure, and not every pairing is scientifically proven. Use this chart as a planning guide alongside good spacing, soil health and crop rotation.