Tomatoes are one of the most useful plants in the garden. They are relatively easy to grow and produce great vegetables that can be eaten in sandwiches, added to pasta, stuffed, pickled, fried and more.
However, before you start cooking and eating, you need to grow your plants.
One of the best ways to ensure that your tomatoes will thrive is to plant them in the ground surrounded by companion plants that can help them by enriching the soil or repelling pests.
It also helps keep them away from plants that might rob them of nutrients, block the sun, attract disease, or otherwise harm them. Here are seven plants you shouldn't grow near tomatoes.
1. Cabbage
Cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi can stunt your tomato's growth because they out-compete them for the same nutrients.
These vegetables belong to the cruciferous family. Cabbage and tomato seeds require a lot of nutrition to grow, so the competition makes one plant suffer - the tomato. Tomatoes may not produce buds, which will lead to a lack of fruit and a loss of harvest.
2. Corn
Corn and tomatoes are great for cooking, but they should not be planted together. They both attract the same pests and fungal infections.
The moth larvae feed on both corn and tomatoes, destroying any opportunity for growth. Placing vegetables close together in the garden makes them doubly attractive to pests.
3. Fennel
Like cabbage, fennel inhibits the growth of tomatoes. Fennel is not a good companion for most garden vegetables and should be grown alone in a small area or pot.
This licorice-flavored herb may work well with other vegetables in your recipes, but not in the garden.
4. Dill
While many herbs grow well with tomatoes, dill is an exception. Young dill is beneficial to tomatoes because it can help repel aphids, a tiny insect pest that attacks many plants. When dill is mature and ready to be planted, it can stunt the growth of tomatoes.
5. Potatoes
Tomatoes and potatoes are in the same family, the nightshade family, which means they need the same nutrients to grow.
This means they will compete with each other, which is also not beneficial and can make them susceptible to the same diseases. These diseases can spread through the soil, killing both plants.
6. Eggplants
Like potatoes, eggplants are nightshades, making them competitors. Eggplants are also susceptible to late blight, making tomatoes planted nearby more vulnerable to the disease.
7. Walnuts
Although unlikely, selecting tomatoes next to a walnut tree can also negatively impact your harvest.
Walnut trees release chemicals into the soil that stunt the growth of surrounding plants.
Plants that are used as companions for growing tomatoes
1. Asparagus
Asparagus and tomatoes are a dynamic garden duo. Tomatoes repel nasty asparagus beetles, and asparagus repels soil nematodes that harm tomatoes.
2. Green onions
Onions are not only a tasty green herb for the garden, but they also repel aphids, nematodes, and mites, making them a great companion for protecting your tomatoes.
3. Salad
Plant lettuce next to tomatoes to create a ground cover that will help keep the soil moist and reduce weeds (and weeding). In turn, the shade from the tomato plants can help provide some shelter for the lettuce and prevent it from sprouting.
4. Marigolds
These brightly colored flowers attract bees and ladybugs, which are good for the garden, but they also repel aphids, slugs, tomato worms, and snails that love to munch on tomatoes. These helpful plants also help keep the soil healthy for tomatoes.
