Growing cucumbers with companion plants can be beneficial to your garden, giving you extra planting space and creating a biodiverse garden. It can also help you fight pests and diseases. After consulting some gardening experts, we tell you what you should actually plant next to cucumbers to have a rich harvest every year.
Companion plants for cucumber crops
It is important to understand what companion plants are the best for cucumbers. Growing the right vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers alongside cucumbers can encourage the biggest and tastiest harvest. Cucumber companion plants will ensure you get the best possible harvest from your home-grown cucumber plants.
These kinds of plantings are such a simple way to help your cucumbers fight off pests, as well as provide important nutrients to the soil in which they grow. An important part of learning how to grow cucumbers is what other crops you should plant with these popular salad vegetables.
Companion planting can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Sometimes it’s as simple as throwing some flower seeds into a bed. Other times, finding the right species, spaces and timing requires research and attention to detail.
Not all companions blend perfectly into cucumber plantings, but with a little experimentation, you can figure out what works best for your region and garden setup. Just remember to document your successes and failures for future seasons.
Peas and beans are helpful because of their root systems. They add nitrogen to the soil, which the cucumbers will benefit from. Potatoes and radishes are good choices for planting alongside cucumbers as they do not invade each other’s territory. Root vegetables grow mostly underground, while cucumbers send down a larger taproot and also some shallow roots that don’t extend much. This means that the roots of the cucumbers will not interfere with those of the companion plants and vice versa.
Cucumbers and tomatoes can be planted next to each other as they have similar growth habits.
Growing corn can act as a support for smaller varieties of cucumbers to grow upwards, making the most efficient use of space as a vegetable garden trellis idea. Cucumbers will also enjoy the shade provided by taller plants, and corn adds beneficial nitrogen to the soil. Some of these good companions are also among the easiest vegetables to grow, all the more reason to include them in your growing plans.
Companion planting of cucumbers with aromatic plants
Herbs also play their part when it comes to companion planting of cucumbers. If you plant oregano as part of your herb garden ideas, it deters insects with its essential oils that act as a repellent to many insects.
Dill
Dill also attracts beneficial pollinators, which help pollinate cucumber plants, and you can never have enough pollinators in an organic garden or as part of your wildlife garden ideas.
Cloves are an excellent herb choice for companion planting with cucumbers, as the smell deters the cucumber beetle that will feast on the leaves, flowers and fruit of your salad greens.
Companion planting of flowering cucumbers
There are many flowers that not only look beautiful planted among your crops, but are also excellent for companion planting to cucumbers. Grow marigolds to repel a wide variety of pests, including aphids, a common pest on cucumber leaves.
Another popular and beautiful choice for companion planting with cucumbers are nasturtiums, which attract aphids. Although this may seem counterintuitive, they are often used as a sacrifice plant so that aphids and blackflies attack them but stay away from your vegetables. If you’re growing sunflowers, the tall stems provide both support for the cucumber vines to grow and help shade the plants from the hot summer sun.
Conclusion
If you’re a gardening enthusiast, knowing what to plant next to cucumbers will actually help. Now there is nothing else to do but to take these tips into account, and in the fall to see the results. Happy gardening!