Can i plant onions and potatoes together

Potato Companion Plants: Spud Buddies

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Potatoes are a staple food in many places around the world. This starchy tuber can be fried, mashed, baked, roasted, or grilled to create various dishes. Potatoes are highly recommended if you’re growing your own food because they’re easy to grow and store over winter. Fortunately for gardeners, there are many potato companion plants that are good to grow with potatoes that will help make your experience more enjoyable.

Companion plants for potatoes are responsible for deterring pests, attracting beneficial insects, adding nutrients to the ground, and improving flavor. Remember that potatoes grow deep underground, so when you’re choosing companion plants, you should avoid plants with deep roots and opt for ones that are shallow-rooted so they won’t disturb the growth of the tubers.

Companion planting with potatoes is easy once you know all the dos and don’ts. Let’s get into all the plants you should plant with your potatoes and which plants to avoid.

What Is Companion Planting?

Which potato companion plants are best for you? Source: mcav0y

Companion planting is strategically putting plants next to each other so they can benefit each other. It has been used for years and likely traces back to ancient times. It’s often used today among organic gardeners because it offers many benefits without using chemicals or genetically modified crops.

The benefits of companion planting will depend on each plant and what they can do for other plants. For example, potatoes benefit from having nitrogen in the soil, so planting a nitrogen-fixing plant near potatoes is a smart choice.

Many gardeners use flowers as companion plants to attract pollinators to the garden. Food won’t grow without pollinators, so adding a companion plant or two (or ten!) will improve your yield. Flowers will also attract beneficial insects that eat pests, so you won’t have to worry about resorting to chemicals.

You can also use companion planting to make your life easier. You can plant tall and sturdy plants near vining plants to have a natural trellis. Sunflowers and corn make excellent trellises for peas or beans. You can also use fast-growing plants as row markers by planting them on the end of your rows. This will help you easily identify where you put seeds to avoid accidentally double-plant in the space.

Good Potato Companion Plants

Chives have shallow roots and can help repel some pests. Source: Mary

Now that we have looked into the benefits of companion plants in general, let’s look at which plants are good companion plants for potatoes.

First, think about how potatoes grow. They have leaves above the ground, and the roots and potato tubers grow deep underneath the soil. The roots are mostly above the tubers, allowing for some free space right above the soil level.

Good companion plants have shallow roots that won’t interfere with the potatoes. Companion plants should be planted next to potatoes so there won’t be any interference, but it’s always best to avoid any potential issues. Some good shallow root options include a variety of herbs, including chives, basil, and parsley.

Brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage, Napa cabbage, collard greens, cauliflower, kale, and kohlrabi also have shallow roots that will cooperate with potatoes. Some sources advise against planting brassicas near potatoes because they make the soil alkaline; however, it shouldn’t be an issue if your soil is neutral or slightly acidic. Leafy greens, including spinach and lettuce, also have short roots that won’t compete. The potato leaves will benefit the lettuce because they’ll provide shade to prevent the lettuce from burning.

Potatoes planted next to bush and pole beans, fava beans, peas, and lentils will grow bigger, taste better, and produce a bigger yield. Legumes are nitrogen-fixing plants, which means they deposit nitrogen into the soil. Potatoes benefit from nitrogen, so these plants are a good choice. Stray away from planting peanuts, however, because those can grow up to three feet deep into the soil, which could stunt the growth of your potatoes as they’ll have to compete for space.

Potatoes are susceptible to Colorado potato beetles and other harmful insects. Planting flowers and certain herbs will help deter harmful insects and attract beneficial ones that will eat pests. Herbs such as cilantro and thyme are great for drawing in the good bugs. Catnip attracts beneficial insects, too, but it also attracts cats which may see your crop of potatoes as a litter box or bed. Sage and mint deter pests, including flea beetles, but these are invasive and will quickly take over your potato bed. Try planting these in containers so you can keep them under control.

There are so many beneficial flowers for potatoes that it’s hard to list them all! Alyssum, petunia, chamomile, yarrow, borage, lovage, and calendula all attract beneficial insects. Sunflowers attract pollinators like bees, so it’s great to have them near potatoes, too. Flax and marigold repel potato beetles, so they’re excellent companion crops to plant around the potato bed. Nasturtium functions as a trap crop, which attracts pests that like potato plants. Plant nasturtium close enough to the potatoes that you can attract them but not close enough that they’ll wander away from the flowers.

A few vegetables that are good to grow alongside potatoes include corn, leeks, onions, garlic, and radishes. Corn can improve the flavor of potatoes, leeks and radishes have shallow roots so they don’t compete, and onions and garlic ward off pests. Companion vegetables are ideal in organic gardening because they allow you to make the most of your space.

Don’t forget that your potato plants may actually help other types of plants, too. A good plant for potatoes to be near is beans as the potatoes repel Mexican bean beetles. In fact, while the potato crop is dealing with the Mexican bean beetles, your beans that grow alongside them will be reducing the Colorado potato beetle population, making both your potato crop and your bean crop better overall by lessening the pressures of insect pests.

What Not To Plant With Potatoes

Daikon radishes have large roots that compete with potatoes for space.

Source: detsugu

There are plenty of good neighbors for potato plants, but there are also combinations that you should avoid. Bad companions can allow diseases to spread quickly, compete for nutrients, overtake the bed, and cause the potatoes to be misshapen.

When it comes to potatoes, you should avoid planting near other solanaceous plants, which are plants that are in the nightshade family. Potatoes are related to eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers. These plants are all susceptible to blight, leaf spot, and mosaic viruses. When they’re planted closely together, they can quickly transmit the disease to each other, resulting in the loss of a lot of crops. If one of these crops becomes infested with pests, those will easily hop from crop to crop, and they’ll become more challenging to get rid of. Other plants that aren’t in the nightshade family are also susceptible to blight and other diseases, such as apple, peach, cherry, and other stone fruit trees, as well as raspberry bushes.

Pumpkins and other squash will compete for nutrients with your potatoes, so avoid planting potatoes near these crops. Cucumbers and related plants such as cantaloupe or watermelon require lots of water and will fight over it with your potatoes. They’ll likely grow around the potato plants and eventually choke them out.

Fennel is allelopathic, meaning it can interfere with plant growth. They can make potatoes small and misshapen, stunt the growth, or they can cause them to stop growing completely. Fennel attracts beneficial insects and repels fleas, so they’re good to have in the garden, but it’s best if you grow them in a container instead of near your potatoes.

We mentioned before that deep-rooted plants shouldn’t be grown with potatoes because they inhibit their growth. Vegetable root crops to avoid include Daikon radish, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips. Asparagus should also be avoided because it has a large root system. Horseradish is a great pest preventative, but the size of the large horseradish root can be a problem.

Finally, as a general rule of thumb, plants to avoid include those that have different growing condition requirements. Potatoes prefer loose soil so they can easily grow. They’re susceptible to root rot, so the soil needs to be slightly dry. Growing plants that prefer more compact soil or lots of water won’t be good companions for your potato crop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Potato plants don’t mind shallow-rooted neighbors. Source: Mullica

Q: Can I plant potatoes near tomatoes?

A: Potato plants and tomatoes should be at least 6 feet away from each other. They are both in the nightshade family, so they’re susceptible to the same diseases and pests. When they’re put together in the same space, the likelihood of having a pest or disease outbreak is much higher.

Q: How many potatoes do you get per plant?

A: Expect to get 5-10 potatoes per plant. You may have a few large ones and several small ones on each plant. The yield is dependent on many factors, including the variety of potatoes, how many eyes are on a seed potato, the quality of soil, and the amount of water it gets. If potatoes are grown with a companion plant, you may see an increase in yield. But if you grow potatoes near plants that aren’t recommended, you may see a smaller yield or smaller potatoes.

30 Potato Companion Plants And 8 Plants To Never Grow With Potatoes

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Potatoes are a staple crop on many temperate climate homesteads. Potatoes are generally a relatively easy (though space consuming) crop to grow.

Get it right when it comes to choosing and growing potatoes and you can enjoy your own home grown potatoes all year round – especially if you learn how to store them for many months.

As you will find out in this article, there are a number of ways to boost your potato harvest – but choosing the right companion plants is our number one tip.

Top Tips To Boost Your Potato Harvest

We have plenty of tips when it comes to getting the most from your potato harvest. General tips for a good potato harvest include:

Choose the right varieties for your location and needs, and source seed potatoes from a reputable source.
Chit potatoes to give them a good head start.
Consider growing first early potatoes under cover early in the year for an earlier potato harvest. (And perhaps even an additional under-cover sowing later in summer for a Christmas harvest of small new potatoes.)
Plant potatoes with comfrey leaves (or fertilize with a liquid comfrey fertilizer) at planting time.
Earth up potatoes with high quality compost and mulch well with organic matter (such as seaweed, comfrey leaves etc..)

But perhaps the best way to boost your potato yield this year is to stop growing potatoes in their own, separate bed.

Instead, choose companion plants for potatoes, to create polycultures or guilds around them to help them grow strong.

To find out more about companion plants and why we use them, check out my article on companion plants for tomatoes. In that article, you’ll find out more about how and why we use companion plants and create polycultures in an organic garden.

But which companion plants should you choose to grow alongside your potatoes?

Read on for some suggestions.

Vegetables to Plant Alongside Potatoes

First of all, let’s take a look at some of the other annual vegetables (and legumes) that could be grown alongside your potatoes:

1. Horseradish

Horseradish is a perennial root vegetable grown for its fiery flavour. But another reason to grow it is to give potatoes a helping hand.

Horseradish grown around the edges of your potato growing area is said to increase the disease resistance of your potato plants.

It is also believed to repel the potato bug, potato beetles, aphids, whiteflies and some caterpillars.

While these claims have little scientific backing, there is a wealth of anecdotal evidence from gardeners and growers who swear to its efficacy.

There is also some evidence to suggest that incorporating the organic material from horseradish plants into the soil around potatoes can, in certain circumstances, have pest controlling characteristics.

It is the compound allyl isothiocyanate found in the plant which is said to have pest repelling properties. (It is also this oil which gives the plant its peppery taste.)

(Note, however, that horseradish is a member of the brassica plant family and can harbor common brassica pests, so should not be grown close to cabbages, kale, broccoli or other members of this plant family.)

2. Garlic

Planting garlic around the potato bed may also be efficacious in repelling certain pests.

The pungent aroma of the garlic is said to repel certain species, and to confuse or distract others, making the primary plants in the bed more difficult for pests to find.

Intercropping potatoes with garlic was also found to be more effective than fungicidal treatments for the control of late blight in this study.

3. Onions

Onions have also been found to be efficacious against certain insects when intercropped with potatoes in certain studies.

Again, the strong smell of this allium may help to reduce insect damage on your potato plants.

4. Scallions/ Green Onions/ Spring Onions

Scallions, green onions or spring onions are an allium that could be particularly useful for growing alongside potatoes in a home setting, because they are small and can easily be incorporated between rows of potatoes being earthed up in a traditional way, and along the edges of growing areas.

Note, however, that alliums are believed to suppress the growth of legumes such as peas and beans.

So while, as you will see below, alliums and legumes can both be potentially beneficial for potatoes, both should not be included in the same polyculture.

5. Peas

Peas are a nitrogen fixing legume, and as such, may be helpful to potatoes, which have relatively high nitrogen needs.

Studies have suggested that yield on a certain area of land can be increased by intercropping of these two plants.

In a warm climate, during hot summer weather, pea crops planted to provide shade to potatoes may also have a benefit, since the increased shade will reduce moisture loss from the soil and aid the potato crop, which requires relatively high levels of water.

Peas have also been shown to reduce the incidence of Colorado potato beetles.

6. Beans

Beans may also provide similar benefits to potatoes as peas. Both as a nitrogen fixing plant, and as a shade provider.

Studies into intercropping of beans and potatoes have shown that in certain circumstances, overall yield can be increased on a given area of land by planting the two together.

7. Corn

In a warm climate, growing corn on the sunny southern side of your potatoes could also bring benefits through providing shade for this cool climate crop.

The shade will help reduce water evaporation from the soil, which can help make sure potatoes have enough water and will grow well and taste good upon harvest.

8. Lettuce

Finally, it is also worthwhile considering crops that, while they may not help the potatoes themselves, will help increase the yield on your property without affecting your potato crop.

Lettuce is one shallow-rooted, fast growing crop that can be sown between potatoes. It grows fast enough that it can be harvested before competition becomes an issue.

9. Spinach

Spinach is another example of a leafy green with shallow roots that can be sown around your potatoes early in the season.

Sowing lettuce, spinach and other similar leafy greens will help you to make the most of the space you have available.

Another benefit of sowing leafy greens like lettuce and spinach around young potato plants is that they can help to create good ground cover, which is another way to reduce moisture loss.

It can also help to reduce the incidence of weeds that may compete for nutrients with your potato plants.

10. Radishes

Radishes are another great space-filling crop. These too have relatively shallow roots and are fast-growing.

So again, you can enjoy a harvest from between your potato plants before they grow to fill the space and require the room and nutrients available.

Radishes can also help the potatoes and the leafy greens planted alongside them by repelling flea beetles.

Herbs That Make Good Companion Plants for Potatoes

It is important to think about vegetables and legumes that could be sown and grown alongside potatoes.

As mentioned above, these can aid the potatoes and make the most of the space available. But it is also a great idea to think about adding aromatic herbs around your potato plants.

Some aromatic herbs that could make good companions for potatoes include:

11. Thyme

Thyme is a good companion for potatoes on the plate, but also in the garden.

Primarily, thyme is a good companion for potatoes because it is particularly good at attracting hoverflies/ Syrphidae which reduce aphid numbers through predation.

It can also spread to create good ground cover.

Thyme likes much drier conditions than potatoes, but could work well elevated on the southern side of potato mounds, for example, where it can enjoy the sunnier and drier conditions it needs.

Even better, harvest some thyme leaves ad sprinkle on your roast potatoes for a delicious flavor combo.

12. Yarrow

This is another perennial herb that can work very well as a companion plant to many other crops.

Yarrow also attracts a range of beneficial insects, and its deep roots mean that it can be an effective dynamic accumulator. When later chopped and dropped around potato plants, it can help to deliver the nutrients they need.

Yarrow helps break up the soil, and potatoes can benefit from this.

They do best in soil that is not too compacted. Yarrow grown as a companion alongside other aromatic herbs can also help increase their essential oil production, which can boost their pest-repelling or confusing properties.

13. Chamomile

Grown alongside other companion herbs, chamomile also increases their oil production. It also attracts a range of beneficial insects, including hoverflies and predatory wasps.

14. Basil

Basil is a herb that can do well when grown alongside potatoes. It can thrive in the somewhat moist environment beneath your more mature potato plants.

It repels certain common pests, including thrips, flies and hornworms.

15. Parsley

Parsley is another herb that enjoys the moist soil around potato plants.

It attracts certain beneficial insects, and acts as a trap crop for insects that feed on potato plants (as well as tomato plants and other members of the same family).

16. Sage

Sage is another aromatic herb that helps vegetables by attracting honeybees and other pollinators, and may also help potatoes by keeping flea beetles away.

17. Catmint

Catmint also has deterrent properties for certain pests. Some gardeners swear that catmint is one plant that can help to deter potato beetles, for example.

18. Tansy

Tansy is another herb that may help keep potato beetles at bay. Again, this is a herb that can also attract certain beneficial wildlife.

19. Cilantro

Likewise, cilantro is another crop to plant in a fight against potato beetles. Cilantro also attracts hoverflies which can aid in reducing pest populations.

20. Lovage

Lovage improves the health of almost all plants grown nearby as a companion plant.

It is also especially good at attracting beneficial insects such as bees and other pollinators, as well as certain wasps and beetles.

Flowers That Make Good Companion Plants for Potatoes

Finally, it is also a good idea to think about the flowers that it is beneficial to grow alongside potatoes. Flowers that can be great companions for potatoes include:

21. Marigolds

Marigolds are an important companion plant that are beneficial when planted throughout your garden.

Check out this article on growing marigolds in the vegetable garden to find out more about this wonderful flower and the many reasons to grow it in your garden.

22. Calendula

Calendula (also called pot marigold) should not be confused with the above. But this too can be a useful companion plant.

Largely for its wildlife attracting properties, calendula can also be a great choice for potato polycultures.

23. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are another multi-purpose companion plant that you can use as a good companion for a range of commonly cultivated fruits and vegetables.

More commonly, you will use them as companions for cucurbits such as cucumbers and squash, or other summer crops like tomatoes.

But the same reasons that make them good companions for these plants also make them good companions for potatoes.

Check out my article on reasons to grow nasturtiums in your garden to find out more.

24. Borage

Borage is another flowering plant that you should consider sowing and growing throughout your garden.

It can be beneficial in a forest garden or fruit tree guild, or in an annual vegetable plot.

Around your potatoes, it can help as a dynamic accumulator, and can help maintain fertility and retain moisture for your crop when chopped and dropped.

It can also help by attracting a range of beneficial insects when in flower.

Here’s a lot more reasons why you should grow borage.

25. Petunias

These pungent, sweet smelling flowers may protect potatoes from certain pests such as leafhoppers.

26. Alyssum

Alyssum can create excellent ground cover around your potato plants.

These flowers not only look pretty, and help retain soil moisture, they are also excellent at attracting predatory wasps that eat insect pests that might plague your potatoes.

27. Clover

Clover, like peas and beans, is a nitrogen fixing plant. It can also help potatoes by providing good ground cover around the plants during the warmth of summer.

When in flower, both white and red clover varieties attract pollinators but also a range of other beneficial insects.

28. Vetch

Vetch is another nitrogen fixing plant and, again, you can intercrop it with potatoes or use it to create good ground cover.

Again, this can help to reduce soil moisture loss and reduce can also help to reduce the incidence of weeds.

29. Dead Nettle

Some weeds, however, can be a good thing, and this is well worth remembering.

One weed that can be beneficial to potatoes is dead nettle (lamium).

Dead nettles may improve the taste and vigour of potato plants growing nearby and might also help in repelling certain pests.

30. Flax

Finally, flax may improve potato plants’ growth and flavour. It may also deter potato bugs.

8 Plants To Avoid Planting Near Potatoes

What you avoid planting near potatoes can be just as important as what you do grow near them.

Here are some of the plants which do not make good companions for your potato plants:

1. Brassicas

Since horseradish is such a good companion for potatoes, many other brassicas (members of the cabbage family) are often recommended for growth alongside them.

But while this plant family is often recommended for growth alongside potatoes, it is not really a good idea.

The primary reason why it is not a good idea to include brassicas and potatoes in the same growing area is that they do not enjoy the same conditions.

While they do have similar water and nutrient needs, brassicas will do best in a somewhat more alkaline environment.

Potatoes, on the other hand, grow best in slightly acidic soil.

The mulches you choose for these plants can be used to influence this factor, and help to prevent problems such as root knot in brassicas and scab in potatoes.

When you grow them together, the different needs will be much harder to meet.

2. Tomatoes (And Other Members of the Nightshade Family)

Potatoes are part of the same plant family as tomatoes, peppers and aubergines.

The problem will growing potatoes close to or with other members of this family is that pests and diseases spread easily between them.

Don’t grow them together, or plant them in the same bed following one another. Try to keep a good crop rotation system in play when it comes to this plant family.

3. Cucumbers and Squash

It is also a good idea to keep cucumbers, squash and other members of the cucurbit family away from your potatoes, since these can make your potatoes more susceptible to blight.

These are also, like potatoes, ‘hungry’ plants, and can compete with the potato plants for water and nutrients.

4. Raspberries

Keep raspberries well away from your potato plants too. Since these too can increase the chances of a problem with blight and other potato diseases.

5. Carrots

Carrots are another crop that are not beneficial close to potatoes.

For one thing, the carrots and potatoes do not share the same environmental needs. Carrots can cope with far drier conditions than potatoes.

Carrots may also stunt the growth and development of potato tubers.

But mostly, the problem is that the disruption involved in harvesting potatoes can damage and disrupt the carrot crop nearby. (The same goes for several other root crops.)

6. Asparagus

Growing asparagus in the same bed as potatoes is also a no-go.

Some say that the asparagus will compete with the potatoes and stunt their growth and development.

But the main issue is that asparagus, as a perennial crop, has an extensive root formation that will be damaged by the earth movement required in potato growing and harvesting.

7. Sunflowers

Sunflowers can have allelopathic effect, which means they excrete chemicals which can inhibit seed germination and stunt the growth of certain other crops grown close by.

Growing sunflowers near potatoes may result in smaller and misshapen potato tubers.

So while sunflowers can be great companions for corn and other crops – keep them away from your potatoes.

8. Fennel

Finally, fennel is another allelopathic plant. It can stunt the growth of a wide range of commonly cultivated crops.

So you should keep fennel away from other plants that are affected by the chemicals it excretes.

Place it where it can attract beneficial insects without having a detrimental effect.

Examples of Potato Polycultures

It is important to remember, when planning your garden, that companion planting is by no means an exact science.

A huge range of factors contribute to the interactions between plants.

Where you live will have an influence on which combinations work well, so experimentation is definitely in order.

In order to further help you to come up with successful guilds in your garden, here are examples of the potato polycultures that work well for me where I live:

I plant potatoes in my polytunnel early in the spring. Soon after the potato plants emerge, I companion plant with:

lettuce and other spring greens
radishes
spring onions

All of which will be harvested before the potatoes grow to fill the space. I also place marigolds along the edge of the bed as soon as the weather warms sufficiently.

These remain in place after the potatoes have been harvested, when the potatoes are replaced by summer beans and more leafy salad crops.

I also grow potatoes outdoors. I plant these a little later in the spring alongside:

fava beans
green peas
horseradish
borage
and a range of aromatic herbs (e.g. parsley) around the edges of the bed.

Once the potatoes are ready for harvest, the peas and beans are chopped, leaving the roots in place. And the borage is chopped and dropped.

I add additional mulch to the zone, ready for the next phase of planting.

Of course, these are just examples of what I have found works well for me.

Be sure to experiment with plant combinations to see which work best for you, where you live.

But remember, integration is always better than segregation when it comes to the plants that you grow.

What can be planted next to potatoes and what can be planted after it? in 2022 on GoodGrunt

Content

Neighbors for potatoes
Life-saving flowers
Benefits of crop rotation for plants
Green manure plants
What to plant after potatoes 9015
You can increase the yield of vegetables and improve their palatability with the right companion plants. When planning the joint placement of crops on the site, you need to know what is best to plant next to the potatoes. Proper distribution of plants will help to significantly save space on the site, improve the soil and stimulate the growth of garden crops.

Neighbors for potatoes

Potatoes generally occupy a significant portion of cultivated land. At the same time, there is enough space next to the furrows that can be effectively used. When choosing neighbors for a vegetable, it is necessary to take into account the basic requirements for the growing conditions of each of the crops:
- lighting;
- watering;
- top dressing;
- soil composition.
The most important condition for joint plantings is plant compatibility.
- Legumes enrich the soil with oxygen and are considered the most useful neighbors for potatoes. Planting seeds occurs at the same time. A potato is thrown into one hole along with a pea or a bean. Joint planting eliminates damage to legumes during hilling. First, the legumes are harvested, later the potatoes are dug up.
- Bush beans planted along the edge of potato furrows have a similar effect on this vegetable. In addition, this plant is able to repel various harmful insects.
- The free space between the rows can be used for planting different types of cabbage. The most favorable for potatoes is the neighborhood with cauliflower and kohlrabi.
- It is convenient to use free plots of land next to potatoes for growing various greens. During the summer season, you can get spinach leaves and all kinds of lettuce at the table. A good option is a joint planting with radishes.
- Garlic planted next door can protect potatoes from phytophthora. A bow can scare away the Colorado potato beetle.
- Carrots and beets planted nearby will not harm the nightshade family. They can be placed on the sides of the beds.
- Potatoes grown in the warm regions of the country will benefit from proximity to crops such as corn and grapes.
- Some gardeners use the space next to the potatoes to grow zucchini, squash and eggplant.
- When planting horseradish in the same area with vegetables, it must be remembered that the plant is actively growing and it is very difficult to remove it from the garden.
- Once sown in a potato field, dill will produce an annual harvest - dill umbrellas can be used for conservation during the summer season.
Tip

Tomatoes and peppers are subject to the same diseases as potatoes. In addition, these crops are affected by the same pests. It is not recommended to place such plants nearby.

Potato plantings are undesirable in the immediate vicinity of apple and cherry trees. Sunflower and mountain ash are considered unsuitable neighbors for a vegetable.

Flowers-saviors

Will benefit when growing vegetables of the nightshade family and at the same time decorate the summer cottage flower crops:
- calendula will provide protection against the Colorado potato beetle;
- marigolds will save from the bear and the nematode;
- tansy will scare away ants;
- nasturtium will protect against whiteflies and whiteflies;
- chamomile-feverfew will protect against aphids and rodents.
Tip

It is recommended to use calendula as a green manure, planting it in the ground in autumn at the site of future potato beds.

Benefits of crop rotation for plants

Getting a good harvest depends not only on a well-planned neighborhood, but also on crop rotation. Plants that have been growing in one place for many years become more vulnerable to pests. With the annual planting of the same crop, the soil is depleted. Potatoes actively consume phosphorus and potassium from the ground, therefore, when preparing the site for the next planting season, it is necessary to enrich the land with these microelements. It will not be superfluous to apply nitrogen fertilizers.

In order for vegetables to get enough nutrients from the ground, it is recommended to change the planting site every 2-3 years. Owners of small land plots can place garden crops on small ridges. It is necessary to plan the location so that the cultivation of vegetables alternates every year.

A plot where potatoes have been grown for 5 years needs to be rested - leave the land unsown for the season. If this is not possible, then the soil is enriched by fertilizing or growing useful plants on the site.

Green manure plants

Planting green manure on vacated potato beds improves soil fertility. After sowing crops such as peas, mustard, oats, rye, phacelia or rapeseed, they are subsequently buried in the soil when digging. In the process of decomposition, green plants enrich the earth with phosphorus and potassium.
1. In autumn, after harvest, it is recommended to sow mustard on the plot. This will help saturate the soil with nitrogen.
2. In the beds freed from vegetables, many gardeners plant rye before winter to improve and enrich the land. In the spring, the site is plowed up along with young green shoots.
3. Phacelia can be planted throughout the season. Green spaces are embedded in the ground no later than a week after the start of flowering. Thanks to this plant, the soil is enriched with the necessary nutrients.
4. Oats planted after harvesting early potatoes are mowed in autumn. Before the next planting season, the garden is plowed up. A rotted plant saturates the soil with nutrients.
5. The green mass of rapeseed, sent to the soil, in the process of decomposition gives as many minerals as the mullein.
Under the influence of green manure, the earth becomes loose and light.

Tip

To speed up the process of converting green manure crops into organic fertilizer, green plants must be crushed and incorporated into the soil.

What to plant after potatoes

To obtain good yields from a plot of land on which vegetables of the nightshade family used to grow, various garden crops are planted in the enriched and restored soil in the spring.
1. It is good to alternate the annual planting of potatoes with zucchini, pumpkin and cabbage.
2. You can set up onion beds in the former potato area or grow lettuce, spinach or radishes.
3. Beetroot will feel comfortable after nightshade.
4. A good harvest of turnips and radishes will grow.
It is useful to plant nasturtium, calendula or marigolds next to vegetables planted in potato beds to improve the soil.

The annual change of garden crops on the same land plot contributes to the restoration of beneficial microelements in the soil.

It's easy to find the right partners for potatoes and plan the placement of mutually beneficial crops in the same or adjacent beds. It is equally important to follow the rules of plant rotation to improve soil fertility. This will help save space on the site and get a rich harvest of vegetables.
What can be planted next to potatoes, is it possible to plant cabbage with potatoes

Contents:
- Potato as a crop
- Which neighborhood is unacceptable and which is possible
- What is good for what
Why does a neighbor have a fruitful potato, but on his own plot with the same care it is worse? How does this culture develop, and what, in addition to traditional agrotechnical cultivation methods, do you need to know in order to consistently please crops?

Not all summer residents and gardeners know that plants, like other living beings, have their own characteristics in development. The roots of the plant, their leaves secrete certain substances that interfere with the development of other plants, and, on the contrary, can improve growth and even protect against diseases and pests. There is such a successful neighborhood that even improves the taste of certain cultures.

Potatoes have their "friends" as well as unfortunate neighbors. Therefore, when choosing what to plant next to potatoes in the neighborhood, you need to remember its negative and positive effects on other plants and how they themselves affect potatoes.

How to grow such an enviable crop?

Potato as a crop

Tuberous nightshade got the name “potato” from the Italian word “tartofel”, “tartufolli”, which was explained by the similarity of the underground part of the plant with the fruiting bodies of truffles. Later, the Germans formed their own version of the name, more similar to ours. In general, potatoes, as you know, were brought to Russia by Peter 1, and after several centuries this culture became one of the most popular in the whole world. Currently, more than half a thousand of its varieties are known, in our country the cultivation of half of them is recommended, including varieties of table, technical, fodder.

This plant is known to everyone, but it was not always grown in Rus'

Potato is a plant from 30 to 150 cm high, in which stolons develop on the part sunk into the ground - shoots that form tubers. Tubers can vary in color, size, weight, depending on the variety. The most giant tubers can reach a kilogram or even more.

Which neighborhood is unacceptable and which is possible

Video: What can be planted next to cherries

So what can be planted next to potatoes, and what harms it and neighboring crops?

The right choice of neighborhood improves the yield of both crops.

It is no coincidence that potatoes have to be given special attention. Firstly, because planting it, as a rule, takes up a lot of space on the site. Therefore, the choice of what to plant in the aisles of potatoes is very important. Properly thought out placement will not only improve the quality of potatoes, but also save space, make plantings more compact, and the site will be used more efficiently.

When choosing a plot for potatoes, the following parameters should be taken into account:
- illumination of the place - whether the territory is in the sun, in partial shade or shade;
- soil acidity level - can be keeled, alkaline or normal;
- feature of the soil - the soil can be sandy, black soil, loam, etc.;
- dependence of neighboring plants on irrigation or fertilization.
All this must be taken into account before planting plants on the site. And, of course, to know about the compatibility of different cultures when choosing partners.

One can only envy such a successful neighborhood

It is strictly forbidden to place potatoes with plants of the same family as the Solanaceae. These include peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, which is associated with diseases and pests common to them. So, even inexperienced summer residents know how the Colorado potato beetle can instantly get from potatoes to tomatoes or eat eggplant bushes in one night.

Gardeners know what harm this neighborhood can do if infection with late blight occurs. At the same time, the treatment of potatoes with pesticides is less harmful than the use of the same solutions for other crops, which accumulate more substances harmful and toxic to humans in fruits.

In a small area where there is no extra space for separate cultivation of vegetables of this family, it is recommended to separate plantings with plants that can repel pests with their aromas. For example, such opponents of the Colorado potato beetle as marigolds or calendula show themselves well. Tall corn, beans, beans can also become a kind of shield in the way of harmful insects.

The second unwanted neighbor is a strawberry. Planting potatoes next to a plantation of this berry will lead to the fact that during the rainy season the berry plant can become a breeding ground for black gray rot (this crop is extremely susceptible to this disease), which can spread to potato bushes. They have one more enemy - a nematode, from which both potatoes and strawberries suffer. The wireworm in this neighborhood affects potatoes faster than usual.

Divider strips with crops of carrots, beets, radishes or spinach will help protect these crops from negative mutual influence.

A beautiful rural landscape, in which the potato field rests against the golden rims of sunflowers, will in fact give a poor harvest. This is because oilseeds consume a lot of nutrients. Therefore, it is possible to grow something in the neighborhood of sunflower only when organic fertilizers are applied to the soil.

The potato row cannot be interspersed with sunflower, if there is such a need to combine these crops, then oilseeds can only be planted in the direction from north to south - so tall plants at least do not obscure the lower potato bushes.

What else does potatoes get along with badly? Of course, you should not place it under apple trees, and grapes and cherries will not benefit from such a neighborhood. The harvest will be on them, but the taste of the fruit is noticeably worse. Unsuccessful placement of potato beds - under currants, raspberries, sea buckthorn.

What to plant next to potatoes in the neighborhood

Among the variants of a bad neighborhood, one can also name celery, including leaf, root, petiole, as well as parsley, which also oppresses potatoes.

Determining what can be planted near potatoes, many summer residents choose cucumbers as neighbors of potatoes. Firstly, because this vegetable is planted by everyone, and it needs to find a bright place. Secondly, such a landing has no direct prohibitions. Plants really do not harm each other. However, as in the case of nightshade, potatoes and pumpkin (and cucumbers are also included in this family) have a common misfortune - this is late blight disease. More than others, it is cucumbers that suffer from it if they adopt this disease from potatoes. Therefore, special literature often directly contains prohibitions on placing pumpkins, cucumbers, and zucchini with squash next to potatoes. But what to do if there is no other place than to place them side by side?

Tip . It is not necessary to plant disease-prone cucumbers in open ground, it is better to arrange at least a mini-greenhouse. They make such a lightweight fixture unstable - from wooden or metal arcs and plastic wrap. On a day when there is no rain, it can be opened by exposing the plants to light, air, and at night the cucumbers must be hidden from rain and dew by covering the greenhouse with a film. In close proximity, it is also necessary to carefully treat potatoes from pests so that pesticides do not get on cucumber plantations.

To save other cucurbits from infection, simply do not allow the lashes of pumpkins and mustaches of squash squash to come into contact with potatoes. Phytophthora will not affect the fruits if, at the time of pouring the pumpkin, put something under each that excludes contact with wet ground, for example, wooden planks.

Now about what plants can be placed near potato beds. You can safely plant all types of cruciferous. The latter include cabbage, radish and radish.

Experienced gardeners generally do not consider the radish worthy of a separate place and, remembering its rapid entry into commercial ripeness, they often scatter the seeds directly over the potatoes when planting. By the time of the first weeding of potatoes, the radish begins to ripen, and it is safely harvested. However, according to the rules, if you need to economically use the area and compact the plantings, then it is better to sow radishes in the middle of two double rows of potatoes. In this case, on the potato beds located on the sides, weeding can be carried out, and after harvesting the radish, hilling can be done. When cutting wide, a meter, row spacing, between potatoes, the radish also feels quite good.

In the aisles, except for radishes and radishes, you should not plant anything. So, cabbage, which is generally neutral to potatoes, will be in a depressed state, because the potato with its sprawling powerful tops will block the light for it, and cabbage of any variety needs a lot of sun. In addition, when the plantings are thickened, both cultures can get sick with such a common and unpleasant disease as the black leg. It is undesirable to place carrots between the rows, which, in general, adjoin quite well to potato beds. The same can be said about other root crops, in particular, beets.

What is good for something

What can be planted next to cherries

Of the useful plants that are best planted side by side in Russian conditions, the following can be distinguished.

All green crops and herbs are excellent for planting close to potatoes. Lettuce, spinach, and even more fragrant dill, parsley, basil, coriander repel some pests with their pronounced smell. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to place them on a separate bed - greens and herbs grow well in the aisle.

For the same reason, you can compact potato rows with onions and garlic, as well as plant them along the perimeter of the main plantings - the smell will protect the potatoes.

Combined plantings can be quite useful for plants

Separately, it is worth mentioning the relationship of potatoes with green manure plants. Mustard is better than others for this role, which, with secretions from its root system, contributes to the disinfection of the soil not only under itself, but also around. It can be sown between potatoes, but should be pruned as soon as the plant grows to the height of the tops. The roots that remain in the ground, decomposing, will become good fertilizer. The other best neighbor in the area can be any legumes. This family includes peas, beans, beans, all of which improve the soil by saturating it with nitrogen. By the way, the roots of legumes have a special smell that the Colorado potato beetle does not tolerate, the larva of the click beetle does not tolerate. But if bush beans can no doubt be planted even in rows, even next to potatoes, then beans are useful only in planting along the edge. After all, they can significantly reduce the taste characteristics of potatoes, only because in the struggle for nutrients (and legumes need a large amount) they have stronger accumulation capabilities, which is why potatoes suffer.
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