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Companion Planting Your Vegetables
For the Best Crop

Like us, vegetables have preferences. Companion planting recognizes that some species cooperate with each other, while others compete.

The fundamental scientific principles underlying companion planting include:

Shading: taller plants help shade lower shade-loving ones

Pest Control: certain plants release chemicals from roots or leaves which repel pests from nearby plants

Nitrogen Fixation: peas and beans convert nitrogen in the air for their own use and for neighboring plants

Pest Predator Habitat: some plants are attractive to beneficial pest killing bugs such as lacewings, mantids or spiders

The following chart outlines planting preferences for many common vegetable varieties. An incompatibility does not mean you should omit any variety from your garden. Rather, don't make the incompatible varieties close neighbors.

Vegetable	Compatible	Incompatible
Asparagus	Basil, Parsley, Tomato	Onion family
Beans (pole)	Carrot, Cabbage, Cucumber	Onions, Beets, Chives
Beans (bush)	Carrot, Cabbage, Cucumber, Corn, Strawberries	Onions, Garlic
Beets	Lettuce, Onion	Beans (pole)
Broccoli	Celery	Strawberries
Brussel Sprouts	Potatoes	Strawberries
Cabbage	Beets, Onions, Spinach, Celery	Strawberries, Tomatoes, Beans (pole)
Carrots	Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Beans, Tomato	Radish, Chives, Dill
Cauliflower	Celery, Beans	Peas, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Potatoes
Celery	Tomatoes, Cabbage, Onions	Potatoes
Corn	Beans, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Peas	Tomatoes
Cucumber	Corn, Radish, Peas, Beans	Potatoes, Aromatic Herbs
Eggplant	Bean, Peppers (hot), Potatoes
Leeks	Carrot, Celery, Strawberries
Lettuce	Carrot, Radish, Cucumber, Strawberries
Melon	Corn, Radish	Potatoes
Onions	Carrot, Cabbage, Beets, Lettuce	Beans, Peas
Parsley	Tomatoes, Asparagus
Peas	Carrot, Corn, Cucumber, Radish	Onions
Potatoes	Corn, Cabbage, Beans	Squash, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Pumpkins
Pumpkins	Corn	Potatoes
Radish	Lettuce, Peas, Cucumber
Spinach	Strawberries, Celery
Tomatoes	Asparagus, Carrot, Onion, Cucumber	Cabbage, Potatoes, Corn
Zucchini	Nasturtium