Our Favorite Companion Planting Combos for a Thriving Garden
When we first started gardening, we thought planting was as simple as putting seeds in the ground and giving them sun and water. But over time, we noticed something: some plants seemed to thrive when grown next to others, while some struggled. That’s when we stumbled into the world of companion planting — and it completely changed how we plan our garden.
Companion planting is more than just a gardening hack. It’s a time-tested method of growing certain plants side by side to help each other out. Some pairings boost growth, others help repel pests, and a few even improve the flavor of your veggies. On a homestead where every square foot of soil matters, these natural partnerships can make a big difference.
In this post, we’re sharing a few of our favorite combos that we return to year after year — ones that keep our plants happy, our garden low-maintenance, and our harvests full. Whether you’re planting in rows, raised beds, or tucked-away corners, these pairings are worth trying in your own space.
What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting isn’t just a trendy gardening technique—it’s an ancient practice rooted in deep observation of the natural world. At its core, companion planting is about growing certain plants together to support each other’s growth, deter pests, enrich the soil, and maximize space. While today we might talk about marigolds near tomatoes or basil next to peppers, this wisdom has been passed down for generations, long before it was ever written in gardening books.
One of the most well-known examples comes from Indigenous agricultural traditions in North America—especially the Three Sisters method, cultivated by many Native communities such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). This technique involves planting corn, beans, and squash together in a mutual support system
In the traditional Three Sisters planting method, each crop plays a vital role in supporting the others. Corn grows tall and strong, offering a natural pole for climbing bean vines. The beans, in turn, enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen, which benefits all three plants. Meanwhile, squash spreads across the ground, its large leaves creating a living mulch that suppresses weeds and helps retain moisture in the soil. Together, they form a self-sustaining, cooperative system—an elegant example of companion planting in action.
This wasn’t just smart agriculture—it was a reflection of a broader worldview that saw plants, people, and land as interdependent. The Three Sisters weren’t just crops; they were considered family, each one nurturing the others in community and balance.
Moving from North America to Europe, we find another enduring example of companion planting in the cottage garden tradition. These gardens are known for their vibrant mix of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, woven together in a way that is both functional and beautiful.
Rooted in old-world practices, the European cottage garden style intersperses vegetables with herbs like sage, thyme, and basil to naturally deter pests. Bright blooms such as marigolds and nasturtiums are planted nearby to attract pollinators and ward off insects. These gardens weren’t simply ornamental—they provided food, medicine, and home remedies in a single, biodiverse space. This harmonious design enhances soil health, supports beneficial insects, and transforms the garden into a living tapestry of color, scent, and purpose.
Across the globe, traditional African farming systems also demonstrate the power of thoughtful plant pairings. These polyculture systems are built for resilience in hot, dry climates—and have sustained communities for generations.
In these intercropping systems, staple crops like millet, sorghum, or cassava are grown alongside nitrogen-fixing legumes such as cowpeas, which improve soil fertility and plant health. Meanwhile, sweet potatoes or groundnuts are often planted as living mulch, covering the soil to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and reduce erosion. These combinations not only support high yields but also conserve water and adapt to drought conditions—offering a sustainable blueprint for farming in challenging environments.
Favorite Tried-and-True Combos
When it comes to companion planting, some pairings are just classics for a reason—they work. Whether you’re gardening in raised beds, containers, or in-ground rows, these time-tested combinations can help boost yields, improve flavor, and keep pests at bay.
Here are a few favorites that gardeners come back to year after year:
Tomatoes + Basil
This duo isn’t just a culinary match made in heaven—it’s also a powerhouse in the garden. Basil is thought to enhance the flavor of tomatoes and may help deter common pests like aphids, whiteflies, and hornworms. Additionally, planting them together makes harvesting for your next caprese salad incredibly convenient. They also have similar watering and sunlight requirements, making them great companions.
Carrots + Onions
Carrots are notorious for attracting carrot flies, while onions and other alliums like leeks and garlic naturally repel them with their pungent aroma. When planted together, these root crops create a mutually beneficial barrier. This pairing also makes excellent use of underground space, as their root systems grow at different depths.
Cucumbers + Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are more than just a pretty face. These bright, cheerful flowers act as a trap crop, luring aphids, cucumber beetles, and other pests away from your cucumbers. At the same time, they attract pollinators that help cucumbers thrive. They sprawl low to the ground, complementing the climbing habit of cukes and keeping weeds in check.
Peppers + Marigolds
Marigolds are a go-to in companion planting for their pest-repelling powers. Their scent confuses pests like aphids and nematodes that might otherwise target your delicate pepper plants. They also add a pop of color and support biodiversity in your garden. Bonus: they’re super easy to grow from seed and bloom all season long.
Lettuce + Radishes
This combo is all about smart timing and space efficiency. Radishes grow quickly and can be harvested in as little as 3–4 weeks, creating room for slow-growing lettuce to fill in afterward. The radishes help break up compacted soil, making it easier for lettuce roots to spread. It’s a great example of succession planting and thoughtful garden design.
These combinations aren’t just about pest control—they also consider spacing, light needs, and growth habits. Pairing tall plants with ground-huggers, or slow-growers with fast-maturing crops, helps you make the most of your space while keeping your garden ecosystem in balance.
Of course, every garden is different—what works in one zone or soil type might need adjusting elsewhere. But these tried-and-true combos are a great place to start if you’re looking to add some cooperative power to your planting plans.
What Not to Plant Together
Just like some plants make excellent neighbors, others simply don’t get along. Companion planting isn’t only about pairing the right crops—it’s also about avoiding combinations that can do more harm than good. Some mismatched plants compete for the same nutrients, attract shared pests, or even release natural chemicals into the soil that stunt each other’s growth (a phenomenon known as allelopathy). Knowing which plants to keep apart can help you prevent problems before they start—and save you a lot of frustration (and lost harvests) down the line.
Here are a few common mismatches to avoid:
Tomatoes + Corn
While both are garden staples, they’re not a good match. Tomatoes and corn are heavy feeders, meaning they require lots of nutrients—especially nitrogen. Planting them close together creates fierce competition for these resources, which can leave both crops undernourished. Even more concerning, they’re prone to attracting the same pest: the corn earworm, also known as the tomato fruitworm. One infestation can easily spread from plant to plant.
Onions + Beans or Peas
It might seem harmless, but this pairing can be surprisingly disruptive. Alliums—like onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks—release compounds that interfere with the beneficial soil bacteria legumes need to fix nitrogen. This can stunt the growth of beans and peas, leaving them less productive. It’s best to give alliums and legumes their own space.
Carrots + Dill
These two might look like a match made in culinary heaven, but in the garden, it’s a different story. Dill is in the same family as carrots (Apiaceae) and can inhibit carrot growth when planted too close. If dill is allowed to mature, it may also cross-pollinate with wild carrots, which can alter the flavor and quality of your crop over time. If you love both, plant them in different sections of the garden or stagger them in your crop rotation.
Cucumbers + Aromatic Herbs (like Sage)
Cucumbers are relatively sensitive to strong scents. Pungent herbs like sage, rosemary, and even basil (in large amounts) can interfere with cucumber growth if planted too closely. While herbs like dill and nasturtiums make great companions, it’s best to keep strongly aromatic herbs a bit farther away. Think of cucumbers as introverts—they thrive with more laid-back neighbors.
Potatoes + Tomatoes
Both of these plants are part of the nightshade family, which makes them particularly vulnerable to the same diseases, especially early and late blight. Planting them together creates the perfect environment for disease to take hold and spread quickly. They also attract similar pests like Colorado potato beetles, which can devastate both crops. Keep your potatoes and tomatoes in different parts of the garden—or better yet, rotate their locations year to year.
Avoiding incompatible pairings isn’t about making gardening more complicated—it’s about creating the right conditions for everything in your garden to thrive. Think of your garden as a community: not everyone should be roommates, and that’s okay.
If you're ever unsure, check before you plant. A little planning goes a long way in keeping your garden healthy, balanced, and productive.
How We Plan Our Garden With Companions in Mind
Companion planting isn’t something we tack on at the end of our garden plans—it’s the lens we use from the very beginning. For us, planting isn’t just about growing food; it’s about creating a thriving ecosystem where every plant has a purpose and a partner. When we sit down each season to map out the garden, we’re not only thinking about what we want to grow—we’re thinking about who each plant likes to grow with. It’s kind of like matchmaking for vegetables.
We start by listing our “must-grow” crops—those staples we can’t imagine a season without. For us, that usually includes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and a generous mix of leafy greens and herbs. Once we have our list, we start looking at which plants support each other. If we’re planting tomatoes, we know basil and marigolds will be nearby to improve flavor and deter pests. If we’re building a squash bed, we might pair it with beans and corn to recreate the time-honored Three Sisters method.
As we plan, we think beyond just what looks good together—we consider how plants behave in the space:
Growth habits: We pair tall plants with shorter or trailing ones to make the most of vertical space. For example, trellised cucumbers do well next to low-growing lettuces or radishes that appreciate a little shade.
Timing: Fast growers like radishes or arugula can be interplanted with slower crops like carrots or broccoli. We harvest the early growers before the slower ones need the room.
Soil needs: We balance heavy feeders (like corn or cabbage) with light feeders or nitrogen-fixers (like beans and peas) to reduce soil depletion.
Pest prevention: We tuck in companion flowers and herbs like calendula, nasturtiums, dill, or chamomile throughout the beds. These not only draw in pollinators and beneficial insects, but also help repel pests and keep the garden visually alive.
Once we’ve grouped our plant allies, we sketch the layout on paper or drop it into a simple garden planning app. We use raised beds, which makes it easy to treat each bed like its own little ecosystem. Each one gets a unique combination of plants that support one another, and we rotate crops every year to keep pests guessing and the soil in balance.
Planning this way takes a little extra time up front, but the benefits are worth it. Our plants tend to be healthier, we see fewer pest issues, and the garden as a whole feels more balanced and self-sustaining. There’s a real difference between a garden that’s simply filled and one that’s thoughtfully layered with relationships in mind.
And honestly? It’s fun. Every spring feels like solving a puzzle—how do we fit everything in, make it all work together, and leave space for beauty and surprise? Companion planting reminds us that gardening isn’t just about control—it’s about collaboration. And that’s the kind of garden we love to grow.
Final Thoughts
Companion planting is more than a clever gardening strategy—it’s a reminder that everything in nature thrives in relationship. When we pay attention to how plants interact, we’re not just growing food; we’re cultivating balance, cooperation, and sustainability right in our own backyards.
Whether you’re planting a few pots on a patio or tending a sprawling homestead garden, incorporating companion planting can bring more harmony and resilience to your space. It encourages us to think beyond rows and yields and instead see the garden as a living, interconnected system.
As you plan, experiment, and grow, notice what works in your soil and climate. Companion planting is both science and intuition—something you can keep refining season after season.
Here’s to gardens full of thriving partnerships, fewer pests, richer soil, and plants that lift each other up—just like good neighbors do.