companion crops for tomato plants?

[Mischka]

Indians grew squash and beans interplanted with their corn crop...does anyone here grow another edible crop in the same space as their tomato plants?

I tried butternut squash with tragic, cage-tipping results in 2004.

[spudleafwillie]

I usually plant onion sets on the perimeter of my growing pots. Salsa ingredients on the spot.

Spud

[cottonpicker]

I usually grow Romaine lettuce & Swiss Chard around the tomato plants.

[Dunkel]

I have heard planting basil near your tomato plants helps deter some insect pests. I can't recall which pests though. Even if it didn't fend them off, mighty handy to grab a few fresh leaves while pickin' a few maters! Yummy!

[cosmicgardener]

I have Basil through the tomatoes both in the hothouse - two plants per pot and in the beds, in rows. The Basil thrives and grows huge; I have no white fly or other insect pests on the toms. I am also able to give a nice bunch of basil away with the tomatoes and my brischetta is famous right to next door. I've used Basil as companions for years and they never let me down. The other good friend of the tomato is the carrot but that's not so easy in pots ;-)

[Mom2WildBoys]

I planted bush beans around my tomatoes last year--it worked pretty well. I have limited space, so I tend to plant intensively (think square foot gardening).

[Tania]

I grow leaf lettuce, radish, and kohlrabi along the borders of the tomato beds. This works very well until about end of June and tomato plants become monsters and shade everything out - but hey, by that time there will be no radishes anyway, and most of the kohlraby is harvested. Plus lettuce doesn't mind to be shaded in summer heat (that is if we have heat in July)

Last year I also had some volunteer sunflowers growing in the tomato beds, but these didn't do too well - tomatoes quickly took over the patch.

[travis]

Mischka,

Like several of the other responding members, I grow basil between and in front of my tomatoes. This has worked out very well for several years. I don't know about insect repelling issues, it just works out for use of limited space.

One year I broadcast lettuce and radish seeds very early in my tomato beds and just cleared out circles later to plant tomato seedlings. This worked okay, but was kinda messy before it was all said and done. This year I'm gonna put Bright Lights Chard under there instead.

I grow Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia) behind and between some tomatoes just because they're beautiful and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. These seem to have the benefit of producing seeds that certain birds like about the same time as late tomatoes and I never seem to have too much trouble with bird peckers.

Two things I will never plant near my tomatoes again are cucumbers (they attract those yellow/black potato beetles) and gourds (they take over everything!).

PV

[GreenInk]

Another vote for basil. Even though most books say grow basil in the sun, it seems to do best in some shade from the tomatoes.

[Tomstrees]

yup - Basil for me too ... I also side with the "onion" option as well ... great for scallions etc ~ Tom

[markferon]

I will suggest the combo in the book title carrots love tomatoes.

[cosmicgardener]

Hi markferon

I agree - there is a lot of good info in Louise Riotti's other books too. These to my mind are the basic books on Companion ans Cosmic planting ; the aforesaid Carrots love Tomatoes and her Roses love Garlic and Planetary Planting - I use these books with my Cosmic Gardening students along with Ken Ring's Predicting Weather by the Moon which is the epitome of practical forecasting but also useful in understanding the technicalities of lunar movement and its effect on earth weather and sap rise and fall.

Riotti's books are attuned to the USA zones so even easier to read you guys over there. Full of old wisdom. Course Nicholas Culpeper had it down to an art! Riotti died a couple of years ago but her books have been republished and are a great Sunday afternoon read.

Very many years ago an old Italian neighbor introduced me to tomato growing. One of the things he told me was to plant marigolds among my tomato plants. Helpful or not, I am not sure, but each year I plant a dozen or two marigolds amongst my tomatoes, and always think of Tony while I am planting them.

Doris, NJ

[cosmicgardener]

Marigolds give off a substance into the soil that repels nematodes. Their smell also repels cabbage moths and they can be used as trap flowers for a variety of beetles ( good around japonicas that get beetle infestations. There are two sorts of Marigold - Tagetes which is var. known as French, Spanish, Mexican marigold or Pot Marigold ( calendula) which is often called English Marigold. There doesn't seem to be any difference in what you plant as companions.

I have all my veg. beds bordered with tagetes. ( I buy them from the nursery in bulk as soon as they get leggy in their punnets and people don't buy them so I 'take them off their hands' at 10c a punnet! Cheap way to get punnets too! If you suspect nematodes you can treat the area by leaving the area fallow and planting tagetes for a season. The results often take a year - in other words if you have nematodes this year they won't help but next year they will have drenched to soil enough to be able to replant. This will most often clear up any infestation with its substance thiopene which kills nematodes and other critters and innoculates the soil for up to two years. They are indeed excellent for tomatoes and equally excellent with beans, controlling bean beetle. As a ground cover between rows they suppress weeds and are very forgiving of being walked on.

Calendula ( pot marigold ) is more the culinary version excellent to grow to add to food to cut fat , reduce cholesterol and as a 'cheat' for saffron. Old English cookery often featured a marigold in the stew! A tincture is a sure fire cure for acne in teenagers and it medicinal properties are said to be to aid heart function.

[travis]

I don't have nematodes, and I don't think I have any particular problem with cabbage moths, but I did plant some marigolds in one raised bed last summer and they do look good growing under tomatoes.

PV