Tomatoes Hate Cucumbers: Secrets of Companion Planting + Popular

[ScottinAtlanta]

Do you find this article to be generally accurate?

https://thehomestead.guru/companion-planting-2/

[NewWestGardener]

Companion planting works or just romantic ideas from the gardeners?
We plant things together for practical reasons, physical space, plants needs (N-hungry or not) etc.

The only experimental evidence I've read so far, is not to grow beans near onions, or in place where onions were grown the previous year. Apparently onions leave some chemicals in the ground, beans do not the onion breath.

[jmsieglaff]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Do you find this article to be generally accurate?

https://thehomestead.guru/companion-planting-2/

In general I find it to be a load of hogwash.

In my beds the northern edges have cattle panels in which I grow cucumbers and vining summer squash. The tomatoes next to the cucumbers and squash do just as well as the tomatoes on the south edges of the beds.

I did have an issue with planting tomato seedlings next to mature broccoli plants. But it is because the broccoli root system was vast and out competed the small tomatoes. Those 2 seedlings were stunted, but when the broccoli was done and pulled, they took off and did fine.

If you look at the tomato list on the link, you'll notice the things tomatoes don't like seem to be things with vigorous, heavily feeding root systems. Lettuce tends to get along with everything because their roots are shallow and small--so they get along with vigorous, sprawling rooted plants because their roots are mainly above them occupying soil the others do not.

So why did my tomato seedlings not do great by the mature broccoli plants but do just fine by the squash and cucumbers? I think it is because the broccoli plants were very big already and the tomato plants were seedlings. While the tomatoes take off and get decent sized before the cucumber and squash roots really expand.

My $0.04.

[gdaddybill]

Does anyone have a link to a scientific study from an accredited university that confirms any of these companion plant claims?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by gdaddybill

Does anyone have a link to a scientific study from an accredited university that confirms any of these companion plant claims?

There are none as far as I know.

Many years ago I bought this book;

https://www.amazon.com/Carrots-Love-.../dp/B004A7YINO

And note that it first came out in 1975 when I was but 7 yo.

The biggest problem I see with those who do companion planting is they don't plant CONTROLS, that is use companion planting with a couple of plants of variety X and then in the same season 2 more plants of the same variety not near them as controls.

One of the best examples I know of is to plant basil as a companion plant for tomatoes since it makes the tomatoes taste better so it's said.Well yes may be with salads and pizza,etc.

But no way are some compounds going to be released from those basil plants and go on a journey in the soil to then be taken up by the roots of tomato plants.

The soil contains many bacteria and fungi that have enzymes and those poor wee little basil compounds would be destroyed almost ASAP.

Carolyn, who used controls and made her own conclusion to just forget about companion planting many decades ago.

[Rockporter]

LOL Carolyn. I am so confused about all this companion planting stuff. I think what really gets me is the "well, you can't plant the beans next to the tomatoes", yet when it comes time to rotate the crop many plant a new tomato where the beans were, lol.

I decided to make sure I brought in flowers and herbs around the garden that would attract the beneficial insects. I keep reading that french marigolds help to kill the nematodes, so I planted those and when I deadhead I bury it deep within the soil. Probably hogwash, but I'll try just about anything to get and keep things under control if I can. They say it takes at least one year of marigolds being planted in the bed to really hit on the nematodes enough to make a difference.

[Gardeneer]

Companion planting to me means better space utilization. For example when tomatoes are small you can plant a host of things ( mostly short lived) between them, until they are shaded. Those are like lettuce , chard, radish, etc. JMO

[Ken B]

Robert Kourik's Design and Maintain Your Edible Landscape Naturally has a really interesting chapter about companion planting. He wrote it back in 1986, and reviewed academic papers on companion planting. Generally, he found that

1) Breaking up monocultures confused pests -- it wasn't so much that pests are repelled by the companion plants, more that it makes it harder for them to find their favorite plants to eat

2) Plants that attract "good" bugs to eat the "bad" bugs are the most helpful (generally, plants with small flowers are the kinds that beneficials prefer -- cilantro, alyssum, etc.)

That's the basics, but there's a lot of interesting details to go along with it, totally worth a read.

[Ken B]

Here's a more recent article on Kourik's website -- http://www.robertkourik.com/longbit-...on-plants.html

[roper2008]

I don't companion plant, but I remember someone here posting that tomatoes don't like
to be near fennel. I got a little worried because I had a perennial fennel plant growing
8 feet away from my tomatoes. I guess that's far enough away because it doesn't effect
my tomatoes.

[BigVanVader]

I find it does help but like stated flowers/herbs are the most useful. I grew cukes between my greenhouse tomatoes last season and had bumper crops of both. Like most things it comes down to common sense. For me Basil, dill, calendula, borage, Zinnias and mints seem to be the most useful.

[NarnianGarden]

I tried to pay attention to those charts too, but have succesfully grown strawberries in the same bench with kale... against all instructions. But I try avoid having potatoes next to tomatoes, because of the diseases.. Some areas here are afected with the potato disease that can attack tomato plants.

[ilex]

Legumes and onion family don't mix. I once changed my row orientation and it was very clear were previous rows were. Huge difference.

That's the only one I follow, the rest gets planted just about anywere. Just try to rotate families and avoid hungry crop after hungry crop.

[brownrexx]

I am not a big believer in companion planting per se but I do like planting flowers in with my veggie garden for 2 reasons. It keeps the flowers in a fenced area away from the hungry rabbits and it allows me to enjoy them while gardening. Well, 3 reasons actually, the flowers attract lots of pollinators to the veggie garden too. Plant some white alyssum. It hardly takes up any space, is low growing and really pretty and you will be amazed at all of the small bees that it attracts.

I pay attention more to which plants might shade another one or which one has bigger roots than which plant "likes" another one.

Cross pollination can also be an issue in separating plants if you are saving seeds but I do not consider that to be companion planting.

[NarnianGarden]

Yes, plant size and possible overshadowing is an important issue to keep in mind.

Borago is such a self-seeder that it almost filled my mother's modestly sized flower bed last year - memories from the years past, when I sowed borago... If one does not want to have huge (albeit pretty) plants that create massive roots as well, they need to be uprooted when still tiny. One or two are a nice addition and a treat for bumblebees, but any more than that tend to take over.