Tomato Companions: Making the Right Garden Choices
Eight Vegetables and Plants Detrimental to Tomato Growth, Potentially Affecting Yield
Hey there gardener! Let's get your tomato patch thriving with the right combination of plants. Say goodbye to lackluster harvests and embrace the flavors of success!
Friendly Neighborhood Plants for Tomatoes
Crafting the ideal garden ecosystem means knowing the perfect plants to pair with your delectable tomatoes. Some plant pals will ward off pesky pests, draw in helpful critters, prevent weeds, or simply enhance your tomato's mouthwatering taste. Here are a few garden heroes that'll make your tomatoes shine:
- Basil: Don't leave out this fragrant herb! Basil's flavor will dance delightfully with tomatoes while also repelling common tomato foes like aphids, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies.
- Chives: This tasty herb isn't just a culinary delight - it's also a fierce fighter against garden villains like aphids, spider mites, and nematodes. Plus, it'll help pollinators flutter by, ensuring your tomatoes get happily pollinated!
- Carrots: These humble roots will double their duties by breaking up the soil and improving root health in your tomato plants. Grow them in between rows of tomatoes, for a perfect space-saving solution and a heftier vegetable harvest!
- Nasturtiums: Plant these beautiful flowers for extra pest control! Nasturtiums act as trap crops for pests like cabbage moth caterpillars, whiteflies, and aphids. They'll also attract beneficial hoverflies, which love munching on those pesky aphids.
Caution! Plants to Steer Clear of Near Your Tomatoes
Avoid these tomato nemeses that could spell disaster for your prized crops:
- Brassicas: Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and kohlrabi will rob your tomatoes blind for nutrients, leaving them weak and almost show-less.
- Corn: Corn sucks up valuable nutrients and also provides shade, leaving your sun-loving tomatoes in the dark. Couple that with the potential devastation from tomato fruitworms, and you've got a recipe for disaster.
- Fennel: This edible herb can tangle up the tomatoes, causing them to grow poorly and take longer to reach maturity. Also, beware the shared disdain potato plants have for fennel.
- Eggplants:comrades in the nightshade family, these plants are sisterly rivals! They both are susceptible to the same pests and diseases, putting both at risk.
- Potatoes: Like eggplants, these fellow nightshades share vulnerabilities to pests and diseases, and you don't want two sick plants moping together in your garden.
- Dill: Start off sweet; dill will repel aphids in the early growing stages. But as it matures, it'll start competing with your tomatoes for nutrients, potentially stunting their growth and damage their roots.
- Rosemary: These herbs are oil-thirsty buddies - so much so that they can outcompete tomatoes for water in the soil.
- Walnuts: Beware the sinister walnut tree! It seeps a chemical called juglone into the soil that can harm your tomatoes, so give them some space, or opt for a raised bed if your garden is tight on space.
Happy growing! With a little elbow grease, careful planning, and the right friends, you'll be enjoying fresh-from-your-garden tomatoes in no time! And remember: knowledge is the tastiest of all garden gifts.
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Sources
- Ellis, Mary Ellen. "Good garden plants to grow with tomatoes". The Spruce, 2021. https://www.thespruceeats.com/plants-to-grow-with-tomatoes-3168846
- Horton, Leah. "What Not to Plant Near Tomatoes". BHG, 2021. https://www.bhg.com/garden/how-to-use/garden-design/garden-layouts/tomato-companion-plants/
- Stuart, Jackie. "13 Plants You Should Never Grow with Tomatoes". Morning Chores, 2021. https://morningchores.com/plants-to-avoid-with-tomatoes/
- Linkletter, Lloyd. "What To Plant With Tomatoes: Making The Most Of Companion Planting". How Products Test, 2021. https://howproducts.test/what-to-plant-with-tomatoes-making-the-most-of-companion-planting/
- Huber, Norma. "Which Herbs Go Well with Tomatoes? A Handy Guide". Bonnie Plants, 2021. https://www.bonnieplants.com/ask-bonnie/which-herbs-go-well-with-tomatoes-a-handy-guide
- Geyer, Angela. "Tomato Companion Planting: Good & Bad Plants To Grow With Tomatoes". Proven Winners, 2021.https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/garden-layouts/planning-layouts/tomato-companion-planting
Create a harmonious home-and-garden by incorporating tomato-friendly plants such as basil, chives, carrots, nasturtiums, and other vegetables or flowers, while avoiding problematic plants like brassicas, corn, fennel, eggplants, potatoes, dill, rosemary, and walnut trees. By making the right garden choices, maximize your tomato growth and savor the vibrant taste of fresh homegrown tomatoes.
