An Overview Of The Top Companion Plants For Tomatoes

Tomatoes are an essential addition to any home garden or culinary space. Their rich nutrient content, delightful taste, and bountiful harvest encourage homeowners to grow tomatoes in backyards or balcony gardens. While tomato plants are generally low-maintenance and easy to grow, they can still face challenges like pests, diseases, reduced yields, and other issues. Fortunately, tomatoes thrive when surrounded by certain plants, such as herbs and flowers. Below are eight plants that coexist well with tomatoes and can be planted nearby to support their growth and health.

Lavender

Lavender plants, with their fragrant blooms, repel mosquitoes, flying pests, and aphids, protecting nearby fruit and vegetable crops. Lavender also attracts bees for pollination, which can enhance crop yields and improve product quality.

Garlic

Garlic helps deter tomato moths by masking the aroma of ripening fruit, which is a natural pest repellent. Its potent odor also keeps other plant-eating insects, like cabbage loopers and root maggots, at bay.

Onions

Onions' strong taste, similar to garlic, has long served as a natural pest deterrent. However, if thrips are an issue in your garden, avoid planting onions, leeks, and garlic near your tomatoes. These plants usually make a great combination, but thrips can damage your root vegetables.

Marigolds

Marigolds effectively repel pests like tomato hornworms and aphids thanks to their vivid colors and strong scent. These features may also attract other insects. Planting a group of marigolds around your tomato plants will draw insects to the marigolds instead of the tomatoes.

Basil

Basil's presence helps reduce issues with aphids, spider mites, and thrips. Its distinct scent comes from eugenol oil found in the leaves. Basil and tomatoes make a perfect pair in the kitchen as well.

Asparagus

Asparagus and tomatoes share a beneficial relationship. Asparagus beetles dislike the chemical solanine found in tomatoes, which keeps them away. Meanwhile, asparagus acts as a natural fungicide that prevents early blight and botrytis from growing on tomatoes. It also helps protect the soil from root-knot nematodes.

Chives

Chives produce natural oils in their leaves, which release an onion-like aroma when crushed or touched. Most insects find this scent unpleasant, making chives effective at repelling pests like aphids and spider mites.

Parsley

Planting parsley alongside tomatoes can help deter pests that typically target tomatoes, thanks to its scent. If you're struggling with aphids attacking your tomato plants, consider planting a parsley barrier. Hoverflies, which are attracted to parsley, enjoy feeding on aphids.

Now that you know about the benefits of growing various companion plants for tomatoes, head to your local store or online seed supplier to find the best seeds and seedlings. At Freedom Farms, you can count on us to get everything you need to grow tomatoes!