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Writer's pictureSouthern Roots

Garden Companion Guide - Tomatoes


Discerning what works well together and learning about the ways that individual plants can bolster others can significantly improve the productivity in

your organic garden.


Companion Planting


Give your plants the best possible environment to grow by implementing companion planting in your vegetable garden. Companion planting is an excellent way to improve the health and fruitfulness of your plants. Planting compatible plants near each other is mutually beneficial for your crops, as they can reap the rewards from each other’s attributes.


In addition to adding benefits to your plants, companion planting makes for more efficient use of garden space, organically deters harmful pests, and acts as a living mulch to protect and feed the soil of your garden bed. The bio-diversity that companion planting provides is also excellent for pollinators, wildlife, and overall soil health.


Best Tomato Companion Plants

Basil

Plant several plants of basil around the base of your tomato plants. Not only

does this delicious and fragrant herb naturally repel destructive pests like

aphids, hornworms, and spider mites, but basil will actually enhance the flavor

of your juicy tomato crop.

Beans

Beans make a great companion plant for tomatoes because they can climb up

the tomato plant stalk. Beans also release nitrogen back into the soil as they

grow. This is ideal because tomato plants are heavy feeders of nitrogen, and the

bean plants act as a natural fertilizer in the garden.

Carrots

Carrots grow deep into the soil, and as they grow, they can break up the soil,

allowing essential nutrients, water, and oxygen to permeate the roots of the

tomato plants.

Onions

These pungent vegetables make great tomato companion plants. Their

unappealing odor is a natural deterrent of many garden pests that feed on

tomato plants.

Peppers

Tomatoes and peppers are really like sister plants in the garden. Intermixing

these two high yielding producers in your vegetable garden eases your

gardening work because they have very similar requirements for light, water,

fertilization, and pest control.

Celery

The loose root system of celery plants encourages earthworms and other

beneficial insects to permeate the garden soil around the roots of your tomato

plants. Consequently, the worms release nutrients back into the soil as they

thrive in the garden, which improves the overall health of the soil in your

tomato garden.

Leaf Lettuce

Plant lettuce varieties in the vacant spots in your garden bed. The shade-loving

plants will enjoy the cover that tall tomato plant provide and the low growing

lettuce will act as a living mulch, protecting the soil from erosion, nutrient

depletion, and regulate soil moisture.

Root Vegetables

A wide variety of root vegetables make ideal tomato companion plants because

they rely heavily on phosphorous to develop strong root systems. With tomato

plants feeding heavily on nitrogen from the garden soil, the root vegetables can

focus more on root development than on greenery. Root vegetables coexist

well in the garden together because they do not compete with each other for soil

nutrients.

Parsley

Attract hoverflies to your vegetable garden by inserting some parsley plants

around the bed. These beneficial insects feed on many of the destructive

garden pests that seek out and destroy tomato crops.

Marigolds

Scatter vibrant marigolds in your vegetable garden. Not only do they add color

and cheer, but they can counteract root rot on tomato vines caused by

destructive nematodes, tomato worms, and slugs.




Need help planning your garden?

We provide design and garden consultations.

Contact us today for more informations:

call: (770) 683-7224




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