The 10 Best Tomato Companion Plants for Big Yields and Pest Control

Last Updated on March 3, 2025

Tomatoes and basil go together like peanut butter and jelly – both in meals and in the garden. If you’ve ever wondered what to plant with tomatoes, you’ve come to the right place. Read along to learn about the best tomato companion plants along with the unique proven benefits they each offer – like increased yeilds or natural pest control!

This article also includes tips on exactly how to interplant popular tomato companion plants such as herbs, flowers and vegetables in your garden, raised beds, or containers to help you grow healthy and productive tomatoes. Last but not least, we’ll cover a few plants that are less compatible to grow (avoid) with tomatoes!

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RELATED: Want more tomato tips? See our guide on planting tomatoes here – including best practices for timing, depth, soil amendments, and more. Then learn how to prune, train and support tomato plants, including our favorite DIY tomato trellis (for indeterminate or vining tomatoes) or DIY tomato cages (for determinate varieties).

What is Companion Planting?

Companion planting (aka intercropping) is the idea that growing a particular combination of vegetables, flowers, and herbs near one another in the garden can offer a number of symbiotic benefits to one or both of the plants. These compatible plants are considered “friends”, while other plants may be less compatible or antagonistic when planted together.

Potential benefits of companion planting include increased pollination, larger crop yields, improved nutrient cycling, and reduced disease and pest pressure – resulting in less need for pesticides and chemical fertilizers too. Companion planting also enhances biodiversity and beauty in the garden!

Does companion planting really work?

To a degree, yes! Research confirms the power of many companion crops, such as marigold’s uncanny ability to reduce root knot nematodes, or basil’s tendency to boost root growth in tomatoes. Interplanting vegetables with pollen and nectar-rich flowers will without a doubt draw in more pollinators and beneficial insects, which is always good for the garden! On the other hand, some commonly recommended companion planting combinations are purely anecdotal.

In general, practicing polyculture (mixing many types of plants together) creates a more healthy, biodiverse, and resilient garden. So while companion plants alone may not be able to solve all your pest or plant vigor problems, there is certainly no harm in giving it a try!

Learn more and see our full printable garden companion planting chart for dozens of different vegetables here.

The Best Tomato Companion Plants

1) Marigolds

Marigolds are one of the most popular tomato companion plants, and for good reason!

• The roots of French marigolds (Tagetes spp.) are scientifically-proven to suppress root knot nematodes, a pest that commonly inflicts tomatoes and causes stunted growth.
• By keeping the nematodes away, research shows that interplanting marigolds with tomatoes can help increase tomato fruit yields by up to 50%!
• Another reputable study found that companion planting tomatoes with marigolds can help reduce humidity and related diseases, including early tomato blight.

To reap the rewards, plant marigolds around the base of your tomato plants wherever you have a bit of free space – between plants or around the borders of the bed. Most marigold varieties are fairly compact, and will add a vibrant pop of color to your tomato bed!

At the end of the season, be sure to cut the marigold plants out (instead of pulling) and leave the roots in the soil. Marigolds roots have long-lasting effects against nematodes beyond the season they’re grown.

2) Allium Family (Garlic, Onions, Chives)

Members of the allium plant family such as chives, onions, garlic, scallions, and leeks are awesome to grow alongside tomatoes. The spunky aroma and sulfur compounds found in alliums is known to repel pest insects such as aphids, spider mites, whitefly, beetles, caterpillars, and moths. Therefore, intercropping alliums amongst your tomatoes can help to naturally reduce pest pressure.

3) Basil

Like marigolds, basil’s strengths as a trusty tomato companion plant are well-documented. Research shows interplanting basil with tomatoes can increase tomato plant size, fruit yield, and root growth while simultaneously deterring pests including tomato hornworm. When planted in a 1:1 ratio, one study found basil was even more effective at boosting tomato plant vigor than applying chemical fertilizer!

Garden folklore also says that growing basil and tomatoes together will make your tomatoes taste sweeter, yet there is no scientific evidence to back that.

All in all, basil is a delicious little space-filler. We always tuck several basil plants into our tomato beds. It doesn’t mind the bit of shade the tomatoes may cast on it. However, be sure to maintain at least a foot of space between your tomatoes and basil at the time of planting so things don’t get too crowded as they fill in.

4) Other Herbs

Beyond basil, many other other aromatic culinary herbs make excellent tomato companions, including thyme, parsley, sage, oregano and cilantro. The strong scent that these herbs emit can help to ward off pest insects like whitefly, beetles, aphids, thrips and more. If allowed to flower, these herbs will also attract beneficial insects including pollinators, lacewings, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps – who prey on pests like tomato hornworms! Most herbs will thrive in the little bit of shade offered by tomato plants too.

5) Beans

Beans are an excellent companion for tomatoes because they fix and add nitrogen to the soil. This helps provide extra nutrition for tomatoes while they grow, who are notoriously heavy feeders! With their small stature, bush green beans are perfect to interplant around tomatoes.

Pole beans can also be grown with tomatoes; just be sure to provide enough space and separate trellis for the beans so they don’t become a jumbled mess. Locate the bean trellis on the north side of the bed so the tomatoes don’t get shaded out. Learn how to make a simple and sturdy DIY trellis here.

6) Lettuce and Swiss Chard

Summer salad, anyone? Lettuce doesn’t necessarily offer a direct benefit to tomatoes; it’s the lettuce that gets the good end of the deal here! When planted together, tall tomatoes offer tender lettuce shelter and shade during the heat of summer that keeps it sweet and prevents bolting. This enables you to extend your lettuce growing season through early summer or beyond – especially paired with growing heat-resistant lettuce varieties like Coastal Star, Jericho, Nevada, Freckles, Muir, Magenta, and Red Mist.

Lettuce is the also the perfect spring space-filler: tuck lettuce in the open spaces between or in front of small tomatoes when you first plant them, and it will likely be gone by the time the tomatoes take over the bed in summer.

Learn more about growing lettuce here. Looking for other leafy greens to grow with tomatoes? Consider Swiss Chard! The young tender greens are also excellent in salad, and it’s notably more heat tolerant than lettuce.

7) Borage

Borage is another great tomato companion plant, and a beautiful one at that! The aroma of borage is thought to repel the dreaded tomato hornworm. Simultaneously, borage attracts beneficial insects like lacewings and ladybugs – who eat aphids, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied pest insects. It also draws in parasitic wasps that in turn target tomato hornworms.

In addition to its natural pest control properties, borage is highly attractive to bees! Plus, the blue edible flowers taste reminiscent to cucumber, and can be used to jazz up summer salads, cocktails, iced tea and more. Do proceed with caution however! Borage readily self-seeds in the garden and can easily become invasive.

8) Carrots

This combination is a famous one! First published in 1975, the book “Carrots Love Tomatoes” was one of the original resources on garden companion planting. Carrots grow well with tomatoes because both crops love fertile soil and deep consistent water. With their slender profile, carrots can be tucked just about anywhere in the garden without interfering with other plant’s roots. Rather, long carrots help to break up and aerate soil, which tomatoes love!

However, keep in mind that carrots prefer cooler growing conditions than tomatoes, so you’ll want to plant them out in early spring to harvest before the hottest part of the summer. That said, carrots will appreciate the shade the tomatoes can provide them. Last but not least, the strong scent and solanine found in tomato leaves may help deter pests like carrot flies. Visit our guide on growing carrots here.

9) Squash

Tomatoes and squash (zucchini or winter squash) grow well together in the garden because they have similar growing requirements. Both these warm-weather crops enjoy full sun, moderately rich soil, and a steady supply of water. Even more, sprawling squash plants shield the soil below tomatoes much like mulch does: helping to insulate soil from temperature extremes, reduce moisture fluctuations, and suppress weeds.

Since both plants get quite large, it’s important to follow good spacing practices when interplanting squash and tomatoes to avoid overcrowding. Plant squash a couple feet away from trellised indeterminate (vining) tomatoes, and at least 3 to 4 feet away from caged determinate (bush) tomatoes.

10) Other Flowers

In addition to marigolds, we always tuck plenty of other annual companion flowers around our tomatoes including cosmos, bachelor buttons, zinnia, nasturtium, and calendula. Get growing tips on my 7 favorite easy annual companion flowers here.

Flowers attract and provide natural habitat for all sorts of beneficial insects that in turn ward off tomato pests, including lacewings, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, hover flies and more. Even though tomatoes don’t rely on bees for pollination, it’s never a bad idea to welcome more pollinators to the garden! Plus, they sure do look pretty.

How to Companion Plant With Tomatoes

Here are few additional tips on how to successfully intercrop companion plants with tomatoes so that they don’t have a negative effect on one another.

• Remember to consider mature plant size, spacing, and the orientation of the sun when mixing tomato companion plants in your garden. Remember that tomatoes grow very large and tall, and can easily crowd or shade out their neighbors.
  
  
• For instance, it would be best to add heat-loving squash or bush beans to the south/west side of your tomato bed, where those low-growing companions will still be able to get plenty of sun.
  
  
• Position tall trellises for pole beans, squash, or peas on the north side of your bed so they don’t shade the tomatoes out.
  
  
• Tuck more tender and shade-tolerant companions like lettuce or cilantro along north/east of tomato plants where they’ll receive some much-needed protection during the heat of summer.
  
  
• Mix smaller tomato companions including flowers, onions, garlic, and carrots wherever space allows – in the corners, borders, or isles of beds.
  
  
• As a general rule of thumb, you can tuck companion plants much closer to the base of trellised indeterminate tomatoes that will have their lower branches pruned compared to bushy tomatoes in cages.
  
  
• If you wish to companion plant with tomatoes in a pot, choose a container that is large enough to accommodate all the plants without overcrowding. Some companions will still provide benefits in their own separate pot placed near the tomatoes, such as flowers, herbs, and alliums. However, other tomato companion plants need to be in the same soil to really work their magic – like marigolds and basil.

What Not to Plant with Tomatoes

Last but not least, here are a few plants that do not grow well with tomatoes. Either grow these crops in separate garden beds, or as far away as possible from your tomatoes if they must be in the same bed.

• Brassicas including kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips and other members of the cabbage family are known to stunt the growth of tomatoes. Plus, most brassicas prefer to grow during cooler conditions than tomatoes.
  
  
• Like the cabbage family, Cornell University warns that fennel, dill, and potatoes may inhibit the growth of tomato plants and to keep them separate.
  
  
• Corn attracts pesky corn earworms, which are closely related to tomato fruit worms, therefore, it’s best to keep corn away from tomatoes as to not draw extra pest attention. As a tall and heavy feeder, corn will also directly compete with tomatoes for sun, nutrients, and airflow.
  
  
• Finally, it’s advised to avoid planting strawberries and tomatoes together since they both attract similar fungal diseases. We made the mistake of planting strawberries near the base of our tomatoes one year and both got a bad case of botrytis!

And that’s the low-down on tomato companion planting!

Well friends, I hope you learned something new today. I also hope this article helps you grow the biggest, most beautiful and productive tomatoes ever. Have questions? Feel free to give us a shout in the comments below. Also please consider sharing this post if your found it useful. Have a wonderful tomato growing season ahead!

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