Carrots Love Tomatoes: Companion Planting for a Healthy Garden

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Cabbage is helped by aromatic plants such as celery, onion, sage or -- as pictured here -- marigolds.
Cabbage is helped by aromatic plants such as celery, onion, sage or -- as pictured here -- marigolds.
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The white cabbage butterfly is repelled if celery plants are grown near the cauliflower. Here, cauliflower is planted with marigolds.
The white cabbage butterfly is repelled if celery plants are grown near the cauliflower. Here, cauliflower is planted with marigolds.
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Basil and marigolds help tomatoes grow better and produce more.
Basil and marigolds help tomatoes grow better and produce more.
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Rows of corn, kohlrabi, onion and lettuce in the garden.
Rows of corn, kohlrabi, onion and lettuce in the garden.
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Certain herbs can keep pests away from other plants.
Certain herbs can keep pests away from other plants.

The A to Z Guide to Companion Planting for Healthier Plants and Bigger Harvests  

The magic and mystery of companion planting has intrigued and fascinated man for centuries, yet it is a part of the gardening world that has never been fully explored. Plants that assist each other in growing well, that repel insects or that even repel other plants are all of great practical use. However, we’re just beginning to find out why, for example, carrots love tomatoes and radishes love lettuce. In the years to come, I hope scientists, gardeners and farmers everywhere will work together to make discoveries that will prove of great value in augmenting the world’s food supply. Already, companion planting has produced insect- and disease-resistant fruits, grains and vegetables, and experiments are being conducted on weed-resistant varieties.

A major enemy of the carrot is the carrot fly, whereas the leek suffers from the leek moth and the onion fly. Yet when the leek and the carrot live in companionship, the strong and strangely different smell of the partner plant repels the insects so well that they do not even attempt to lay their eggs on the neighbor plant. This is why mixed plantings give better insect control than a monoculture where many plants of the same type are planted together in row after row.

It’s the same with kohlrabi and radishes in their community life with lettuce. Both are often afflicted by earth flies, but when the flies get the odor of lettuce, they take off. Even when plants are affected by diseases, one can usually alleviate the situation with a mixed plant culture.

All through this article, you will find “what to grow with” and “what not to grow with.” Both are equally important to gardening success. The following suggestions for companion planting are only a beginning. Your own experiments will lead you toward many different pathways and discoveries.

  • Published on Feb 1, 1992
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