12 Companion Planting Mistakes and Exactly How to Fix Them

Even with the best intention , fellow traveller planting can go wrong , especially when specific plant life pairings collide rather than help . Some combos stunt ontogeny , appeal pests , or ruin territory symmetry . In this usher , you ’ll find out 12 everyday companion planting error and the precise fix to strain instead for each one . This format helps you trouble-shoot as you go , making planning and adjusting your garden layout easier .

1. Planting Tomatoes Near Corn

clavus attract tomato hornworms , quickly alternate from one crop to the next , stimulate bivalent trouble . These pests can devastate both crops if left unchecked . Corn also grows marvelous and can block sun from reach tomato plant . Tomatoes may become leggy and feeble when uprise in shaded conditions . Both crops are sound affluent and can eat up nutrient chop-chop . This pairing creates strain for both plants and invites disease .

Keep Tomatoes Away from Corn Beds

Keep love apple and maize in freestanding beds ; plant Basil the Great or marigolds near Lycopersicon esculentum to repel pest , and noggin near corn to better nitrogen levels . Tomatoes and edible corn also have different nutrient needs , which can head to competition if planted too closely . Separating them avail foreclose shared cuss outbreaks . Corn can grow tall and shade love apple , reducing fruit production . stress using raised beds or companion plant layout to reduce risk further .

2. Pairing Beans with Onions or Garlic

Onions and garlic stunt bean growth by interfering with good bacteria in the soil . Beans rely on nitrogen - ready bacterium to thrive , and alliums stymie this relationship . This resultant role in smaller plant and pitiful bonce return . The strong tooth root compound of Allium cepa can also make an unfriendly surround for nearby root . When grow together , both crop often underperform . It ’s a formula for a lusterless harvest time .

Pair Beans with Friendly Crops

develop beans with cultivated carrot , cucumbers , or corn alternatively . Keep alliums ( the onion family ) in a disjoined section . Beans enrich the territory with nitrogen , which help many vegetable thrive ; however , onion and garlic acquittance compounds that suppress noodle root development . maintain space encourage a hefty source environment . Grouping attic with corn provides natural musical accompaniment for climbing varieties . Monitor moisture layer closely , as beans do n’t like overly soggy soil .

3. Mixing Potatoes and Tomatoes

These two share pests and disease like blight . Planting them together makes irruption more stern . Blight spores can spread easy through the line or on the soil . Their similar increase habits can induce crowding and competition . Infected foliage from one can quickly affect the other . negociate them separately reduces the paste of issues .

Separate and Rotate Potatoes and Tomatoes

Space them well apart and rotate their localization yearly . Consider planting bush beans or calendula near potatoes for pestis control . Both potatoes and tomatoes are part of the nightshade family and attract pest similar to aphids and mallet . overlap their develop place increase the hazard of disease spread . Giving them separate areas limits crisscross - contamination . It ’s also easier to manage nutrients and stain conditions independently . Add mulch around both to suppress weeds and keep on moisture .

4. Grouping Cucumbers with Sage

Sage is too aromatic and pungent , disrupting cuke growth and reducing proceeds . Cucumbers prefer mild companions and balanced soil experimental condition . salvia ’s oils may inhibit cucumber sprouting and sprouting . Over fourth dimension , this dilute overall industrial plant vigour , resulting in fewer flower and less yield . Avoid this pairing to maintain healthy cuke .

Pair Cucumbers with Peas or Nasturtiums

Plant cucumber with pea or nasturtiums . preserve salvia for carrot or brassicas , where it repels cabbage moths . pea help fix nitrogen in the grunge , benefit cucumber growth . Nasturtiums do as a bunker harvest , draw pests off . Sage ’s stiff aroma can deter pollinator needed for cucumber . Consider vertical support to maximise airflow around cucumbers . Keep the area moist but well - drain to forestall mould .

5. Placing Carrots Near Dill

dill weed is from the same family and can cross - pollinate or stunt carrots if left to blossom . Daucus carota sativa are sensitive to changes in their grow surroundings . Anethum graveolens pull beneficial insects but can overwhelm Daucus carota sativa seedlings . The flavors of both may also be altered when uprise too close . Additionally , their similar root structures compete for space . keep them apart see to it good quality stem .

Grow Carrots with Onions or Chives

Pair carrots with onion or chives instead . Keep the dill in its bed if it is develop to maturity . Onions naturally repel carrot fly , which can damage roots . Allium schoenoprasum ameliorate soil wellness and enhance flavor . dill weed may queer - pollinate or stunt carrots when blossom . Planting them asunder avoids these issues . Rotate ascendant veg annually to keep filth balance .

6. Growing Fennel With Anything

Fennel releases chemicals that inhibit the increment of most other plants nearby . It is known for its allelopathic properties , which can cut off garden harmony . Many common crops show stunted growth when fennel is too tight . Even fearless herbs may be affected . The chemical compounds linger in the soil after finocchio is removed . Treat Florence fennel as a solo harvest for best effect .

Isolate Fennel

Grow finocchio in its own container or detached area forth from vegetables . Treat it like a lonesome brute . Fennel release allelopathic chemicals that inhibit other plants . Even rootle crop and herbaceous plant can be affected . Containers keep its influence control . Choose a sunny localisation and feast sparingly . crop leave behind regularly to encourage compact ontogenesis .

7. Putting Peppers Near Kohlrabi

turnip cabbage competes heavily for nutrients and slows pepper growth . common pepper need steady nutrients and warmness to expand . Brassica oleracea gongylodes ’s dense solution can outcompete pepper ancestor for imagination . Both plant may suffer from limited water consumption in shared outer space . output drop when these crops are paired too close . Each does best when given room to grow freely .

Plant Peppers with Basil, Not Kohlrabi

industrial plant pepper with basil , which enhances growth and repels pesterer . Kohlrabi does good with onions and common beet . Peppers and basil thrive in similar soil and watering conditions . The scent of St. Basil the Great also deters aphids and wanderer mites . Kohlrabi ’s dense radical system of rules competes for place and nutrients . Keep space in judgment to insure flow of air ; stake grandiloquent pepper varieties to keep them just .

8. Combining Lettuce and Parsley

Parsley can eclipse lettuce and vie for water supply and ascendant space . Lettuce grows just in cooler , moist environments . Parsley ’s bushy structure can limit airflow and ambush heat , increase the chance of lettuce bolting early . urine competition can go to biting - try out leaves . Give lettuce its low - focus neighbor .

Pair Lettuce with Radishes or Strawberries

duo lettuce with daikon or strawberry . Grow parsley with tomatoes or asparagus instead . Lettuce has shallow roots and benefit from the shade strawberry supply . Radishes proliferate and loosen the soil for moolah ascendent . Parsley competes for radical space and moisture . group with fast raiser like radish improves harvest home timing . Water regularly to deflect bitter lettuce .

9. Growing Sunflowers Too Close to Veggies

helianthus release allelopathic chemicals , and their refinement block the sun for small plant . These substances slow the germination and growth of nearby crop . Their inscrutable roots also draw pee away from shallower vegetables . Tall sunflower stalks can fall and crush delicate plants . Their potency in garden beds disrupts associate planting . Keep a distance for a balanced garden space .

Move Sunflowers to Garden Borders

Plant sunflower along borders or fences . Keep them 2 to 3 human foot away from veg beds . Their large leave disgorge heavy wraith , abridge light for nearby plants . Their roots free chemicals that hinder growth . Placing them away ensures companion crop thrive . you’re able to also practice them as raw trellises for pole beans . Harvest seeds for wildlife or future planting .

10. Crowding Plants That Need Space

Even good companions need breathing room . Overcrowding causes wretched airflow , disease , and stunted growth . It also wee it backbreaking to monitor pestilence or H2O need . Compacted source head to slow development . disease spread quicker in stringent plant grouping . Allow way for vigorous , healthy plants .

Give Companion Plants Room to Grow

Check spacing guidelines for each craw . Use companion planting layouts or square - foot gardening grid . Proper spacing ensures in effect air circulation , help forbid fungous infections , and allows light to reach lower leaves . Overcrowding stresses plant and reduces return . Use trellises and plant supports to open infinite vertically ; mulch between rows to continue moisture and block weeds .

11. Ignoring Soil Preferences

Some companions thrive in different pH or wet levels , making them poor neighbour . plant have unique soil textures and nutrient need . Mismatching them stresses roots and hinders nutritious intake . Zen - loving plants wo n’t thrive in alkaline beds . wet mismatches can lead to rot or drought stress . Planning for soil demand boost success .

Match Plants by Soil and Water Needs

Group plants by ground and water needs first . Use container or raised beds for picky plants . wet - loving crop wo n’t flourish next to drought - tolerant ones . Check your garden ’s pH before set . Acid - fuck plants struggle in alkaline stain . Raised bed allow tailored condition for each grouping . Mulching helps conserve consistent wet .

12. Not Rotating Companion Combos

Planting the same companions in the same spot each year leads to pest buildup and nutrient depletion . Pests get wind to turn back to the same food rootage season after season , and stain become unbalanced and shopworn . go around helps separate pest life bike and brush up nutrients through lifelike magnetic variation . variety is key for thriving garden .

Rotate Crops and Companions Each Season

recitation craw gyration , changing both the crops and their associate each season . This maintain the dirt balanced and pests discombobulate . Avoid imbed the same family of crop in the same spot . spread out with legumes to boost nitrogen . modify companion industrial plant to vary soil alimental function . Record planting layout to track gyration wheel . Healthy land endorse good harvests and disease resistance .

More Intelligent Companion Planting for a Thriving Garden

comrade planting is n’t just about who gets along ; it ’s also about avoiding what goes wrong . Theright combinations living emergence , deter cuss , and increase yield , while the wrong 1 do the opposite . Take time to inquiry , plan your layout , and rotate plants each year . Minor adjustments can make a big difference in the garden .