Garden Crop Partnerships: Beneficial Partnerships

As we have seen in the article on how to plan your garden, favourable crop associations can bring many benefits to your organic garden. 

The needs of each type of crop are different and complement each other, so taking advantage of these differences through vegetable associations can help to minimise the competitive relationship between plants growing together and the spread of pests and diseases.

What is intercropping and what are its benefits?

Crop association is a technique typical of traditional and organic farming that consists of the simultaneous cultivation of compatible plants in the same place.

The association of crops in beds (instead of sowing each species separately) has many benefits for the development of the crop and the reduced incidence of pests. In addition, the plants’ use of light, water and nutrients is better than monoculture.

An example of a vegetable association is the cultivation of onions near carrots, as onions repel the carrot fly, a pest that causes significant damage to carrots. In addition, some associations also enhance flavour and growth.

There are other pairs of plants that are indifferent to each other and cause neither harm nor benefit. There are also detrimental crop associations, incompatible plants whose combination can increase competition for resources and the incidence of pests.
Examples of crop associations in the vegetable garden

• Combining crops that have different growth speeds: if we plant a fast crop (lettuce for example) in the free space until the slower crop (cabbage) grows, we take advantage of the space and there is hardly any competition between them.
• Plants of the same family are often incompatible in a crop association, so we should avoid growing them together. Some examples: cucurbits (watermelon, melon, pumpkin, courgette, cucumber…), legumes (broad beans, beans, peas, lentils…) or solanaceae (aubergine, tomato, pepper, potato…).
• Plant leguminous plants to incorporate nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil after more voracious and demanding plants that exhaust the soil, such as carrots, celery, maize, cucurbits or cruciferous plants (cabbage, cabbage, turnips, etc.).
• Combine the cultivation of fruit and vegetables with flowering and aromatic plants (such as mint or basil), which keep pests away or attract beneficial insects that favour biological control. Marigold, for example, attracts natural enemies of the green aphid and others such as sage, rosemary or thyme keep away carrot and cabbage flies, ants and aphids.
• The pre-Columbian association (maize + bean + pumpkin) is very interesting.

Crop association table: Which crops can be sown together and which cannot?

If you want to know how to combine crops in a vegetable garden and decide, with full knowledge of the facts, what to plant next to tomatoes or peppers, read on.

CHARD

Beneficial association: Chard, celery, onions, cabbage, beans, lettuce, pepper, radish, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Asparagus, leeks.

GARLIC

Beneficial association: Basil, aubergine, endive, strawberries, lettuce, turnip, cucumber, pepper, beetroot, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: cabbage, legumes (peas, beans, broad beans), leek.

BASIL

Beneficial association: Bean, cucumber, pepper, tomato.

ARTICHOKE

Beneficial association: Bean, lettuce, pea, radish.
Harmful association: Potato.

CELERY

Beneficial association: Chard, aubergine, spinach, cabbage, bean, cucumber, leek, radish, pepper, tomato.
Harmful association: Potato, carrot.

AUBERGINE

Beneficial association: Garlic, celery, borage, onion, cabbage, endive, spinach, bean, lettuce, potato, leek, radish, carrot.
Harmful association: Cucumber, courgette.

EARRING

Beneficial association: Eggplant, spinach, cucumber.

COURGETTE 

Beneficial association: Basil, onion, pea, bean, lettuce, potato, maize.
Harmful association: radish.

SQUASH

Beneficial association: Basil, onion, cabbage, cabbage, pea, bean, lettuce and maize.
Harmful association: Radish, potato.

ONION

Beneficial association: Eggplant, courgette, cabbage, endive, spinach, strawberry, lettuce, melon, cucumber, parsley, leek, beetroot, watermelon, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Pea, bean, potato.

CABBAGE

Beneficial association: Chard, celery, aubergine, pumpkin, onion, endive, spinach, pea, bean, lettuce, turnip, potato, cucumber, pepper, leek, beetroot, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Garlic.

CABBAGE

Beneficial association: Celery, tomato.
Harmful association: onion, cabbage, potato.

SCALLION

Beneficial association: Garlic, aubergine, onion, cabbage, endive, spinach, strawberries, turnip, leek.

ASPARAGUS

Beneficial association: Pea, lettuce, cucumber, parsley, leek, radish, tomato.
Harmful association: Onion, beetroot.

SPINACH

Beneficial association: Celery, aubergine, borage, onion, cabbage, endive, strawberry, pea, broad bean, bean, lettuce, turnip, pepper, leek, radish, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Chard.

STRAWBERRY

Beneficial association: Garlic, onion, spinach, lettuce, leek, thyme.
Harmful association: cabbage.

PEASANT

Beneficial association: Celery, courgette, cabbage, asparagus, spinach, lettuce, corn, melon, turnip, potato, cucumber, pepper, radish, watermelon, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Garlic, onion, bean, leek.

HABA

Beneficial association: Artichoke, celery, spinach, lettuce, corn, potato, rosemary.
Harmful association: Garlic, cauliflower, leek.

BEAN

Beneficial association: Basil, chard, celery, aubergine, courgette, pumpkin, cabbage, spinach, strawberry, lettuce, corn, turnip, potato, cucumber, pepper, radish, cabbage, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: garlic, onion, pea, broad bean, fennel, leek, beetroot.

LECHUGA (LETTUCE)

Beneficial association: Garlic, eggplant, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, onion, cabbage, spinach, strawberry, pea, bean, bean, corn, melon, turnip, potato, cucumber, bell pepper, leek, radish, beet, beet, watermelon, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Celery, parsley.

CORN

Beneficial association: Pumpkin, pea, broad bean, bean, melon, potato, cucumber, watermelon, tomato.
Harmful association: Celery, beet.

MELON

Beneficial association: Onion, pea, lettuce, corn.

NABO

Beneficial association: cabbage, spinach, pea, bean, lettuce, cucumber, leek, beet, tomato.
Harmful association: radish, carrot.

POTATO

Beneficial association: Eggplant, zucchini, cabbage, bean, bean, corn, leek, leek, radish, carrot.
Harmful association: Celery, pumpkin, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato.

CUCUMBER

Beneficial association: Garlic, basil, celery, borage, onion, cabbage, asparagus, pea, bean, lettuce, corn, turnip, radish, beet.
Harmful association: eggplant, potato, tomato.

PEPPER

Beneficial association: Chard, garlic, basil, cabbage, spinach, pea, bean, lettuce, leek, radish.
Harmful association: Potato.

LEEK

Beneficial association: Celery, eggplant, onion, cabbage, endive, spinach, lettuce, potato, bell pepper, beet, tomato, carrot.
Harmful association: Garlic, pea, bean, bean, radish.

RADISH

Beneficial association: Chard, garlic, celery, eggplant, spinach, pea, bean, lettuce, potato, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, carrot. Harmful association: Pumpkin, turnip, leek, cabbage.

BEETTLE

Beneficial association: Celery, garlic, onion, cabbage, lettuce, turnip, cucumber, leek.
Harmful association: Asparagus, bean, tomato, carrot.

CABBAGE

Beneficial association: Celery, pea, bean, lettuce, potato, cucumber, leek, beet, tomato.
Harmful association: Garlic, onion, strawberry, fennel, radish.

WATERMELON

Beneficial association: onion, pea, lettuce, corn.

TOMATO 

Beneficial association: Chard, garlic, basil, celery, onion, cabbage, asparagus, spinach, pea, bean, lettuce, corn, parsley, leek, radish, carrot.
Harmful association: fennel, potato, cucumber, beet.

CARROT

Beneficial association: Chard, garlic, eggplant, onion, cabbage, pea, bean, lettuce, potato, leek, radish, tomato.
Harmful association: Celery, beet.