Zucchini companion planting can help prevent pests and even boost your harvest. How, you ask? First you have to understand what companion planting is and what it can do. Companion planting involves planting in carefully planned combinations that support diversity, take advantage of available garden space, and provide benefits such as improved pest control and enhanced plant growth. Gardeners can use companion planting to grow many vegetables, including zucchini. Here we'll discuss which plants grow best with zucchini and why.
Best Companion Plants for Zucchini
Here are some good companion plants for zucchini to add to your garden:
Radishes – Often considered the workhorse of the garden, radishes are small plants that are easily planted amid zucchini plants. These companion plants for summer squash and zucchini help repel common zucchini pests such as aphids, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and others. Radishes are good to eat, but they’ll help your zucchini more effectively if you allow a few plants to bloom and go to seed.
Garlic – A few garlic plants tucked among zucchini can help keep aphids and other pests in check.
Beans and peas – Zucchini plants are heavy feeders and legumes are beneficial because the roots fix nitrogen in the soil. Although any type of legumes will work, pole beans can be conveniently trained to grow up a trellis, thus saving precious garden space.
Nasturtiums and marigolds – Easy-to-grow annuals, nasturtiums and marigolds provide color and beauty to the garden, but that’s not all. Nasturtiums attract pests such as aphids and flea beetles, which means the pests are more likely to leave your zucchini alone. Try planting nasturtium seeds around the circumference of your zucchini patch. Marigolds planted near zucchini exude an aroma that pests don’t like and may be useful for discouraging nematodes. Both blooming plants attract bees, which zucchini plants require for pollination.
Herbs – Various herbs are useful for companion planting with zucchini. For example, the following herbs can help keep pests at bay:
Blooming herbs such as borage, which attract bees, are also great for pollinating zucchini blooms.
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