5 Perfect Pairs for Companion Planting

When it comes to the garden, some plants are better together. Companion plantings are plant combinations that offer benefits to one another, deterring insects, encouraging growth, or improving garden conditions. There are hundreds of possible companion plantings, but we chose five perfect pairs featuring some of our favorite vegetables and flowers.

Cucumber + Nasturtium: A crop of nasturtiums serves as an insect repellent for cucumbers as well as broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and more. Nasturtiums deter fungal diseases and attract bugs that could harm other plants, such as aphids, whiteflies, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and cabbage worms.

Fennel + Dill: Fennel is an allelopathic plant, meaning that it can inhibit growth or even kill many garden plants. One of the few plants that can survive with fennel is dill, which can offer a stabilizing effect for fennel seeds. Fennel also helps to deter aphids in the garden. 

Tomato + Basil: A classic culinary couple, tomato and basil also make an excellent pair for companion planting. Basil improves the flavor and growth of many garden crops, particularly tomatoes and lettuce. It also benefits gardeners by repelling mosquitoes. 

Lettuce + Marigold: Beneficial when planted near almost any garden crop, a patch of marigolds will deter insects that like to snack on vegetables, including bean beetles, potato bugs, aphids, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots. Marigolds also help to stimulate vegetable growth, so you can enjoy salads all summer long.

Beans + Sunflower: The tall stems of sunflowers provide a trellis to help climbing beans grow upward, while also drawing away aphids that could harm more tender plants. Bush beans and sunflowers also thrive in the same type of acidic soil and won't compete with one another for nutrients.