The best vegetable combinations in the garden

Why associate vegetables together?

In permaculture as in natural gardening, the goal is to imitate the balances of living things. Plants do not grow alone: some help each other, protect each other, or complement each other. This is called plant companionship.

Properly associating vegetables means:

• Limiting diseases and pests naturally,
• Optimizing space and light,
• Improving the quality of the harvests,
• Reducing the need for treatments and watering.

1. The main rules of companionship

• Associate plants with different rooting (e.g., roots + foliage).
• Avoid plants from the same family (e.g., tomato + eggplant = Solanaceae = competition & diseases).
• Mix vegetables, flowers, and aromatics to attract beneficial insects and repel pests.

2. Beneficial associations to adopt

🍅 Tomato + basil + marigold

• Basil repels aphids and enhances the aroma of the tomato.
• Marigold protects against nematodes and attracts beneficial insects.

🥕 Carrot + leek

• Carrot repels the leek moth.
• Leek keeps away the carrot fly.

🥬 Lettuce + radish + carrot

• Fast and complementary growth, excellent for close planting.

🥒 Zucchini + nasturtium + bean

• Nasturtium = trap plant for aphids.
• Bean = provides nitrogen to boost growth.

🥔 Potato + flax or marigold

• Marigold = repellent against Colorado potato beetles.
• Flax improves the soil structure around the potato.

3. Plants to keep away from each other

• Tomato + potato: common risks of late blight, root competition.
• Fennel: isolated, it inhibits the growth of neighbors.
• Cabbages + strawberries: encourage attacks by slugs and white grubs.

4. Also associate by light or water needs

Example: planting a leafy vegetable (lettuce) in the shade of a fruit vegetable (tomato) reduces watering and limits heat stress.

5. Associate vegetables + flowers + aromatics

• Marigold, nasturtium, borage: attract pollinators and repel certain insects.
• Thyme, rosemary, sage: create natural olfactory barriers.

👉 Also read: Repellent plants to sow in the garden

Conclusion

Associating vegetables is not about following a rigid recipe, it is about observing, testing, and adjusting. Every garden is unique. But these proven associations will offer you a more harmonious, more resilient, and more generous vegetable garden.

🌱 Discover our “Companionship” box to test the best associations directly at home.