The best Companion Plants for tomatoes
You’ve heard the phrase: location - location - location when it comes to real estate, but this applies in our gardens, as well. The prime oceanfront high value spot in my garden each summer is on my arch trellis because that’s where the tomatoes do best. If you’ve ever battled with a tomato cage, you know you need a different option. Enter, the arch trellis.
On an arch, tomatoes can climb to their hearts content, and you can easily prune the plant to ensure only fruiting vines remain. No more big, bushy, leafy plants that have just a few tomatoes on them.
Now, tomatoes are placed near the trellis. What’s next? Well, there’s a few plants I always place next to my tomatoes and a few I never do. Here’s the list of best companion plants for tomatoes in your raised beds:
Peas - there’s a caveat to this tomato BFF - it needs to be planted way before tomatoes do. So, if you. didn’t achieve that this year, it’s fine, just pin this blog for next February (or sign up for our emails so you don’t miss the window). I plant my tomatoes directly beside my peas, which are touching the arch trellis. When the tomatoes are about 18 inches tall, my peas are phasing out, and I can snip them at the soil line to release all the good nitrogen to my tomatoes. That’s how I can keep growing them on the trellis year after year.
Calendula/Zinnias/Nasturtiums- flowers that attract pollinators go directly beside my tomato plants. For my garden, that’s always zinnias for cutting and calendula for trapping pests. I also place nasturtiums in the corners of my garden beds to repel more pests and have beautiful flowers spilling from the sides.
Basil - not just a pesto-making baddie, basil attracts pollinators with its high fragrance. I place these towards the back of my bed so that it attracts the pollinators to fly by my tomatoes and increase pollination.
To benefit from all this pollination, I place melons, pumpkins and/or sweet peppers in this bed, too. I’ll place a planting plan down below so you can see it all visually.
Now, let’s look at what you shouldn’t plant near your tomato plants.
Corn - I avoid planting corn in raised beds at all costs. It can be very hard to get it to pollinate unless you have a lot of it growing, and it’s a heavy feeder, so it takes up lots of nutrients and lots of space.
Potatoes - Another no-no for raised beds. They’re very hard to dig out! Trust me, I’ve done it. I like planting potatoes in ground or in grow bags.
Fennel - This secretes a chemical that inhibits tomato plant growth, so keep it far from your tomato plants if you’re growing it in your garden.
Broccoli and cabbage - These can also stunt growth and attract pests, so ensure they’re finished growing in your garden before tomatoes go in, or keep them in a cool-season specific bed that has more shade.
There you have it. I hope this list inspires you to get out to your local nurseries (North End Organic, Edwards Greenhouse, Next Generation Organics) or to the Boise Farmers Market for high quality plants adapted to our area. Pack them into your beds and add more plants every couple of weeks to stagger your harvest. Have questions? Feel free to contact us!