Companion Planting with Tomatoes
Companion planting is the time-tested art of growing mutually beneficial plants together. With tomatoes, smart companion choices can boost growth, control pests, and improve flavor. Here’s your essential guide to planting tomatoes with the right friends (and avoiding their foes).
🚨 FLASH AMAZON DEAL RIGHT NOW 🚨
Monday 12 October 2026
Keter Manor Outdoor Apex Double Door Garden Storage Shed (6 x 8ft)
A durable and stylish beige and brown garden storage shed perfect for storing garden tools, equipment, bikes, and outdoor essentials. Weather-resistant, low maintenance, and ideal for any garden or allotment setup.
🍂 Essential Garden & Allotment Products for October
October is the perfect time to prepare your garden
for winter, improve your soil and get ahead with
autumn planting. Here are some useful gardening
essentials for this month.
🌱 Compost & Soil Improvers
Give your garden beds a boost before winter with compost and organic matter.
Shop Compost & Soil Improvers
🌿 Autumn Plant Feed & Fertiliser
Prepare your soil for autumn planting with suitable fertilisers and soil nutrients.
Browse Garden Fertilisers
🥬 Seed Trays & Propagation Kits
Keep growing through autumn by starting suitable hardy crops under cover.
Shop Seed Trays
As an Amazon Associate, Gardening with Ben
earns from qualifying purchases at no
extra cost to you.
Best Tomato Companions
- Basil:
Improves flavor, may deter aphids, whiteflies, tomato hornworms, and attracts pollinators. - Marigolds:
Their strong scent helps repel nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies. - Nasturtiums:
Acts as a trap crop for aphids; easily grown around the base of tomatoes. - Chives & Onions:
Repel aphids and improve soil. - Carrots:
Grow well near tomatoes and loosen soil. - Borage:
Attracts pollinators and can improve tomatoes’ disease resistance. - Lettuce & Leafy Greens:
Good fillers to shade soil and help retain moisture.
Plants to Avoid Near Tomatoes
- Brassicas:
(Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale) compete for nutrients and may stunt tomato growth. - Potatoes:
Increase risk of blight and attract similar pests. - Corn:
Both attract tomato fruitworm (aka corn earworm). - Fennel & Dill:
Fennel inhibits tomato growth; mature dill may stunt your crop.
How to Arrange Companion Plants
- Interplant basil and marigolds between tomato plants or at row ends.
- Use nasturtiums as a border or in hanging baskets above container tomatoes.
- Plant lettuce or leafy crops in shade beneath tomato vines.
- Rotate companion herbs and flowers throughout your patch each year for biodiversity.
Pro Tips
- Leave enough space for air circulation and future plant growth.
- Mulch with organic materials to suppress weeds and boost soil microbes.
- Remove any sick or overcrowded companions to prevent disease.
Folklore & Science
- Gardeners swear tomatoes grown with basil taste better—scientific proof is mixed, but it’s a delicious experiment!