10 Companion Plants That Grow Better with Nasturtiums
Multipurpose nasturtiums can be grown for their edible flowers and leaves, or enjoyed as pollinator-friendly ornamentals. And by selecting the right nasturtiums companion plants, you can also keep garden pests like squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and aphids away. If you want to control garden pests naturally, try companion planting the following vegetables, fruits, and flowers with nasturtiums.
Brassicas
Helen Norman
Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and other brassica plants are often targeted by pests like cabbage loopers and cabbageworms. Planting nasturtiums near brassicas can attract predatory insects that will gobble up all those brassica pests before they do serious damage. What’s more, nasturtiums don’t have high calcium needs, so they won’t compete with calcium-loving brassicas for nutrients in the soil.
Cucumbers
Jay Wilde
Cucumber beetles are one of the most problematic pests for cucumbers, but even these pesky insects are no match for nasturtiums. Research has found that nasturtiums emit a peppery fragrance that naturally deters cucumber beetles. You can even grow trailing nasturtiums beneath trellised cucumbers as a weed-suppressing, living mulch.
Melons
Bob Stefko
Nasturtiums can also be used to suppress weeds and control pests on melon vines, but that’s not the only reason to try out this companion plant pair. Growing nasturtiums near watermelons, honeydews, cantaloupes, and other melons can attract pollinators to melon flowers, ensuring a bigger harvest of fruit. If you’re working with a small garden, try planting mounding nasturtiums, which have a more compact growth habit than trailing varieties.
Marigolds
Doug Hetherington
While gardeners commonly grow marigolds in vegetable gardens as pest repelling companion plants, you can increase your garden’s pest resistance by planting marigolds and nasturtiums together near vulnerable vegetables. These two plants deter different pests and their sunny yellow and orange flowers complement each other’s look. On top of that, marigolds and nasturtiums both attract pollinators and beneficial insects, although nasturtiums are especially appealing to hummingbirds.
Pumpkins and Squash
Laurie Black
Pumpkins, zucchini, and squash are notoriously hungry plants that need lots of nutrients, sun, and moisture to grow. But you won’t need to worry about nasturtiums competing with pumpkins and squash for soil nutrients or light since nasturtiums have minimal fertilizer needs and they can be trellised or pruned to save garden space. Even better, nasturtiums are known to deter squash bugs, which are one of the most destructive squash and pumpkin pests.
Tomatoes
Even though most tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, tomatoes tend to produce a bigger harvest of fruit if you grow flowering plants like nasturtiums nearby. After all, nasturtium flowers attract pollinators, but they also deter pests and suppress weeds, which might otherwise compete with tomatoes for soil nutrients and space. Beyond that, nasturtiums and tomatoes have similar care needs and they both love sun, well-draining soil, and regular watering.
Lettuce
Kritsada Panichgul
Nasturtiums repel some pests with their strong scent, but they can also be used as trap crops to lure pests away from lettuce and other pest-prone veggies. Trap cropping with nasturtiums is especially handy for controlling aphid issues, but nasturtiums can also be planted as a living mulch to insulate the soil and keep lettuce beds from drying out too quickly. If you love making fresh garden salads, add in some edible nasturtium leaves for a peppery flavor or use nasturtium flowers as colorful salad toppers.
Asparagus
Marty Baldwin
Big, feathery asparagus leaves take up a lot of space in the garden, which can make companion planting with them a bit of a challenge. However, nasturtiums don’t mind growing in the light shade cast by asparagus plants and asparagus beetles are less likely to visit a patch of asparagus if nasturtiums are growing nearby. Trailing nasturtiums are particularly good partners for asparagus since their spreading stems can also effectively reduce weeds and shelter the soil from harsh sun and driving rain.
Carrots
Dean Schoeppner
Carrot flies can cause a lot of problems for carrot plants, but nasturtiums happen to be good at deterring these pests too. Just keep in mind that carrots are more cold hardy than nasturtiums, so you may want to start your nasturtium seeds indoors in spring. That way your nasturtiums will be ready to transplant out into your garden just in time for late spring when carrot flies become active.
Potatoes
Dean Schoeppner
If your potato leaves have been skeletonized by unseen pests, there’s a good chance that the damage was caused by Colorado potato beetles. These striped beetles exist far beyond the borders of Colorado and they target potatoes, as well as other nightshade plants. Thankfully, nasturtiums can be used to control potato beetle problems and trailing nasturtiums are also ideal for keeping weeds out of potato beds.
