veggies with tomatoes

TightenUp · February 28, 2013

i'm looking to experiment with a few new veggies in the garden this year. im just wondering what every here plants out at about the same time as their tomato plants?

oh and these veggies must interact well with tomatoes. they will be close neighbors.

saltmarsh · February 28, 2013

I plant hot and sweet peppers and eggplant with my tomatoes and they do well. Also I plant basil with them.

TightenUp · February 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltmarsh

I plant hot and sweet peppers and eggplant with my tomatoes and they do well. Also I plant basil with them.

do you have any favorite eggplant varieties? when do you start seeds relative to tomato seeds?

Redbaron · February 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by TightenUp

i'm looking to experiment with a few new veggies in the garden this year. im just wondering what every here plants out at about the same time as their tomato plants?

oh and these veggies must interact well with tomatoes. they will be close neighbors.

Basil marigolds tarragon, some people say carrots but I haven't tried it yet.

TightenUp · February 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redbaron

Basil marigolds tarragon, some people say carrots but I haven't tried it yet.

i've seen some of this on companion planting and already have the herbs lined up. i'm looking for some edibles. i guess carrots are worth a try

Redbaron · February 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by TightenUp

i've seen some of this on companion planting and already have the herbs lined up. i'm looking for some edibles. i guess carrots are worth a try

Onions and celery, although I never tried celery personally. Maybe I'll try celery this year also. In fact I may try celeriac since I already have some celeriac started and the books say they are companions. (Celeriac is a type of celery with a fleshy bulb)

February 28, 2013

I've grown just about everything with my tomatoes. Some veggies like lettuce benefit from growing on the shady side of my tomato plants.

Others plants like eggplant, squash, onions, and various herbs plus peppers and cucumbers need to grow on the sunny side of the tomato plants.

I don't use any formal guide for companion plantings for tomatoes. I have experimented with different things over the years and have found most to be compatible if the proper amount of sunlight and moisture are available. A few haven't performed well like carrots and celery because I can't find a way to provide enough sunlight for them when the other plants grow tall. I could plant very narrow groupings of those along the edges of my beds and they would probably perform well also.

I do plant everything with the intent of doing no harm to my tomatoes. These tomatoes are Stump Of The World grown last summer with onions and cucumbers. Carrots were planted below them but didn't produce any carrots worth eating.

My beds typically look like a jungle or something grown by a crazy scientist, but they produce well and that is my only interest.

This year, I've replaced five gallon containers which didn't perform well with twenty five gallon containers. My intent is to grow tomatoes in five containers and peppers in five containers. They will be planted in the center of the pots with flowers and various herbs growing around the edges of the containers. I have already planted some Japanese morning glory seeds in the containers with the intent of the morning glories covering the fence shading everything from the hot afternoon sun. I am trying to add more bright color to my garden to attract pollinators to the garden.

Ted

Farmette · February 28, 2013

I grow tomatoes in 4 x 10 ft. raised beds with a crw fence running down the length of the middle. So, tomatoes are on both sides of the crw. I plant a center strip of onions just on one side of the crw, in the middle of the length of the tomatoes. Then lettuce or shallots running along just inside the frame of the raised beds. So far, it works out great. I also plant onions in another section of the garden where they have a little more room. Those grown down the center of the toms get to be about 2-3" in diameter while other are an inch larger.

Alfredo · February 28, 2013

TightenUp,

I've grown tomatoes with several companion plants (*I use both books on companion planting by Louis Riotte as my reference). Last season I grew the following:

Spinach (bloomsdale long standing), radish, carrots (I used Danvers 126), bush beans, a couple hot pepper plants, lettuce, onions, borage, various types of basil, italian flat leaf parsley, lemon thyme and dwarf marigolds. Some of these go into the ground before the tomatoes do (spinach, radish, carrots for example). They all grew well for me here in NJ...so I would assume they would for you too...My carrots still grew well with enough light because I've never designed the garden with the habit of planting my tomato plants in rows...I don't know why...I've just always planted them in a staggered or zig-zag format within my raised garden bed.

I definitely agree with what Tedln just put in the post earlier about it looking like a jungle as the season progresses lol

But I sort of think of it as a giant bouquet of diverse plants growing well together.

*The books by Louise Riotte are "Carrots Love Tomatoes" and "Roses Love Garlic."

Hope this helps.

~Alfredo

TightenUp · February 28, 2013

Thanks all

lettuce sounds good around the border as do carrots. i will give these a try. if i feel like sacrificing the space i will throw in eggplant from a local nursery.

Alfredo, are you directly sowing seeds for the spinach? i assume the carrots are directly sown. when is your planting date for these?

Rockporter · February 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by TightenUp

i'm looking to experiment with a few new veggies in the garden this year. im just wondering what every here plants out at about the same time as their tomato plants?

oh and these veggies must interact well with tomatoes. they will be close neighbors.

It's called companion planting, if you do a search online there are numerous sites that have lists for companion planting.

emcd124 · February 28, 2013

I've also heard lettuce or greens are good to plant between tomatoes, because they help shade the ground from the early and afternoon sun that comes in at a slant, and keep tomato roots cool, but the tomatoes also help provide some extra shade for them from the direct overhead noon sun, which extends the greens growing season. I'm trying greens between my maters this summer.

February 28, 2013	#1
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	veggies with tomatoes i'm looking to experiment with a few new veggies in the garden this year. im just wondering what every here plants out at about the same time as their tomato plants? oh and these veggies must interact well with tomatoes. they will be close neighbors. __________________

February 28, 2013	#7
tedln Guest Posts: n/a	I've grown just about everything with my tomatoes. Some veggies like lettuce benefit from growing on the shady side of my tomato plants. Others plants like eggplant, squash, onions, and various herbs plus peppers and cucumbers need to grow on the sunny side of the tomato plants. I don't use any formal guide for companion plantings for tomatoes. I have experimented with different things over the years and have found most to be compatible if the proper amount of sunlight and moisture are available. A few haven't performed well like carrots and celery because I can't find a way to provide enough sunlight for them when the other plants grow tall. I could plant very narrow groupings of those along the edges of my beds and they would probably perform well also. I do plant everything with the intent of doing no harm to my tomatoes. These tomatoes are Stump Of The World grown last summer with onions and cucumbers. Carrots were planted below them but didn't produce any carrots worth eating. My beds typically look like a jungle or something grown by a crazy scientist, but they produce well and that is my only interest. This year, I've replaced five gallon containers which didn't perform well with twenty five gallon containers. My intent is to grow tomatoes in five containers and peppers in five containers. They will be planted in the center of the pots with flowers and various herbs growing around the edges of the containers. I have already planted some Japanese morning glory seeds in the containers with the intent of the morning glories covering the fence shading everything from the hot afternoon sun. I am trying to add more bright color to my garden to attract pollinators to the garden. Ted Last edited by tedln; February 28, 2013 at 02:43 PM.

February 28, 2013	#9
Alfredo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Clifton, NJ Posts: 554	TightenUp, I've grown tomatoes with several companion plants (I use both books on companion planting by Louis Riotte as my reference). Last season I grew the following: Spinach (bloomsdale long standing), radish, carrots (I used Danvers 126), bush beans, a couple hot pepper plants, lettuce, onions, borage, various types of basil, italian flat leaf parsley, lemon thyme and dwarf marigolds. Some of these go into the ground before the tomatoes do (spinach, radish, carrots for example). They all grew well for me here in NJ...so I would assume they would for you too...My carrots still grew well with enough light because I've never designed the garden with the habit of planting my tomato plants in rows...I don't know why...I've just always planted them in a staggered or zig-zag format within my raised garden bed. I definitely agree with what Tedln just put in the post earlier about it looking like a jungle as the season progresses lol But I sort of think of it as a giant bouquet of diverse plants growing well together. The books by Louise Riotte are "Carrots Love Tomatoes" and "Roses Love Garlic." Hope this helps. ~Alfredo Last edited by Alfredo; February 28, 2013 at 02:49 PM.

February 28, 2013	#10
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	Thanks all lettuce sounds good around the border as do carrots. i will give these a try. if i feel like sacrificing the space i will throw in eggplant from a local nursery. Alfredo, are you directly sowing seeds for the spinach? i assume the carrots are directly sown. when is your planting date for these? __________________

February 28, 2013	#2
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	I plant hot and sweet peppers and eggplant with my tomatoes and they do well. Also I plant basil with them.

February 28, 2013	#8
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	I grow tomatoes in 4 x 10 ft. raised beds with a crw fence running down the length of the middle. So, tomatoes are on both sides of the crw. I plant a center strip of onions just on one side of the crw, in the middle of the length of the tomatoes. Then lettuce or shallots running along just inside the frame of the raised beds. So far, it works out great. I also plant onions in another section of the garden where they have a little more room. Those grown down the center of the toms get to be about 2-3" in diameter while other are an inch larger.

February 28, 2013	#12
emcd124 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 104	I've also heard lettuce or greens are good to plant between tomatoes, because they help shade the ground from the early and afternoon sun that comes in at a slant, and keep tomato roots cool, but the tomatoes also help provide some extra shade for them from the direct overhead noon sun, which extends the greens growing season. I'm trying greens between my maters this summer.