Companion Planting – 10 Plants To Never Plant With Tomatoes – Plants To Keep Bugs Away – Cucumber And Tomatoes – Summary – FAQ
Some plants are just not meant to be planted next to a tomato plant. They will negatively interfere with each other and create a hostile environment to grow in. Things we just don’t want to have in our garden. Companion planting is all about balance and harmony between the plants we choose to have.
Below we are taking a look at some of the plants that really never should come close to a tomato plant. They don’t work well together and will do more harm than good. If you are an experienced gardener then you might recognize some of these but as a beginner, this might be completely new.
What Is Companion Planting
Companion planting is about creating a balance between the plants you have. More or less we are creating a balanced ecosystem where one plant benefits the nearby ones.
It could be to plant flowers next to trees or plants that need pollinators. That will help make sure you get a good harvest for the season. But some plants aren’t meant to be close to each other. It could be about introducing devastating diseases to a plant that normally doesn’t get them. The roots of a tomato plant are important to care for, here we teach you some good routines, How Deep Do Tomato Roots Grow Normally.
10 Plants To Never Grow Close To Tomatoes
Let’s dive into the plants that shouldn’t be planted next to tomato plants. There aren’t really that many so it should be easy enough to avoid these. There are way more beneficial ones compared to negative ones.
Cabbage
Cabbage plants are not that great of a choice to have next to a tomato plant. They are very space heavy and will spread themselves quite widely. If you haven’t accounted for that then you will quickly notice your cabbage plant will push out the tomato plant. The stem will get twisted and bent and might even break eventually.
So try and keep your cabbage separated from any other plants really to give them the space that they need to grow.
Corn
There is a disease that is shared among both corn and tomato plants. It can be devastating to other plants if it surfaces. So the argument for keeping corn as far away from tomatoes is to reduce the risk of this disease starting to grow and develop. It just leads to misery in the garden really if it comes. It makes other plants start wilting and no amount of energy and effort can undo the damage.
Dill
Dill can be a negative plant to keep next to tomato plants since it’s pretty hardy and might even push out your tomato plant. Dill is known to grow for two years. The second year it will surface hardier than ever and your tomato plants won’t have a chance to battle against the vast root system that the dill has developed already.
Fennel
Just like corn, fennel also carries a very devastating disease. But it’s one that affects the root system of the tomato plant. It will cause the roots to almost start burning and eventually they won’t enable to take up any more energy as they begin to die off. This can as you might guess be lethal to a tomato plant. So do yourself a favor and just avoid planting fennel close to tomatoes.
Potatoes
The tomato and potato plants are both members of the nightshade family, which means that the plants both need the same nutrients. So planting potatoes next to tomato plants will just cause you to get unnecessary amounts of competition in your garden. The two will butt heads against each other and you will see a decrease in quality and harvest from the two.
Eggplant
Just like the potato, the eggplant is also a part of the nightshade family. This means that both tomatoes and eggplants need the same nutrients and place to grow in. It creates a difficult environment for the two to be in. But the second negative part about eggplants would be that they are susceptible to blight. Tomatoes are also, so spreading this disease more easily around your garden just seems really unnecessary.
Walnut
This is honestly not the most common combination. But it should be mentioned that walnuts and tomatoes do not go well together. The walnut tree will intact and start to release chemicals in the soil that will greatly affect the tomato plant. It will eventually cause the roots to be harmed and no longer able to take any nutrients from the soil.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a very demanding vegetable to grow at home. It requires a lot of time and effort to get right. The plant needs a lot to grow successfully, and one of those things is space. If you plant cauliflowers too close to tomato plants then you will release soon that the tomato plant will get pushed out. It will have devastating effects on the health of the plant.
Broccoli
Broccoli is just like cauliflower, a very demanding plant to grow. It requires quite a lot of space to grow properly. But it also has the possibility of attracting some bugs and diseases that will harm your tomato plant too. So inviting that harm into your garden should just be avoided altogether.
Kale
Kale is perhaps one of the hardiest vegetables you could grow at home. Kale, be that green kale or black kale has a really strong root system. This could risk pushing out your tomato plant. But just like cauliflowers and broccoli plants, they also could risk introducing new insects and bugs to your tomato plant. That will harm the leaves and in turn the harvest as well.
What To Plant With Tomatoes To Keep Bugs Away
In general, herbs is the best plant to have to keep bugs away. Basil, oregano, and sage are all really good plants to grow to keep bugs away from tomato plants.
The best part about these herbs is that they are very easy to care for. Watering the soil every now and again is the work that’s needed. They also work well with tomato plants too of course since they won’t be in direct competition with them either. San Marzano tomatoes are great to grow, here is our definitive guide to it, How To Plant And Grow San Marzano Tomatoes.
Why Should You Not Plant Cucumbers Near Tomatoes
The argument for keeping cucumbers away from tomatoes is that the large leaves will shade the lower parts of the tomato plant. If you grow a large tomato variety then you might not experience any issues, it’s more about keeping cherry tomatoes close by when the issues start to appear.
Summary
In short, there are some plants that really shouldn’t be planted next to tomato plants. The argument comes down to that we want to reduce the risk of introducing diseases and insects to the tomato plant. But also about not creating a competitive environment where the plants both want the same nutrients.
FAQ
What Are The Worst Companion Plants For Tomatoes
The worst possible plants to keep next to tomato plants would be both corn and fennel. They increase the risk of some really harmful diseases and pests beginning to appear on your tomato plant.
What Do I Plant Next To Tomatoes
The best plants to keep close by tomato plants are herbs and flowers. They will repel insects and harmful bugs and will instead help attract pollinators like bees.
Can You Plant Tomatoes And Peppers Together
Tomatoes and peppers are great together. They help create a vibrant environment for both of them to grow in. Air circulators are better and reduce the risk that any mold or bacteria would begin to grow on the stems of the plants.
Additional Information
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