A mixed cultivation of several plant species in one bed has many advantages. Choosing the right ones for tomatoes, they will protect against diseases and pests.
Not only in the bed, but also in the tub on the balcony, vegetable plants such as tomatoes can complement each other well with herbs, flowers or other vegetables. This promotes plant health, increases the amount of harvest and is good for the soil. Small plants also shade the soil under the tomatoes, so that the soil dries out less quickly. When choosing bed partners, it is important that they do not compete for the nutrients that tomatoes need many of.
The right plant neighbors protect tomatoes from pests
Tagetes drive away pests in mixed cultivation with chilli plants and tomatoes. © Gaby Wojciech/Imago
In order to achieve a good tomato yield, details are also important. Even if a sunny location, sufficient nutrients and enough water are the most important factors, you should think about which plant you put in the soil right next to the tomato. Not only does this often look pretty: some plants secrete substances for their own protection that pests such as aphids or whitefly do not like at all. Others prevent soil fatigue and loosen the soil. The tomato also benefits from all this.
It gets along particularly well with the following bed neighbors:
- Basil: Protects tomatoes from powdery mildew, aphids and whitefly.
- Parsley: a good partner against aphids.
- Garden and nasturtium: they are avoided by aphids.
- Strawberries: Good shade ground cover that can protect the tomato from brown rot.
- Bush beans: They themselves require only a few nutrients and provide nitrogen to the soil.
- Salads & spinach: Provide shade to the soil and loosen the soil. In terms of nutrients, they are no competition for tomatoes.
- Leeks, garlic & onions: Repel pests such as the whitefly.
- Celery: Together with the tomato, it declares war on lice.
- Carrots & parsnips: With their long roots, they are good soil looseners.
- Cabbage: Here, the tomato in particular protects the cabbage from the voracious cabbage white caterpillar.
- Marigold & Tagetes (marigold): They put nematodes to flight in the soil.
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What tomatoes don't like at all as neighbors are potatoes, cucumbers, peas and fennel. Red cabbage is also unsuitable, unlike most other types of cabbage.
