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Planting tomatoes and cucumbers


Can You Plant Tomatoes With Cucumbers in Your Garden?

Vegetables

Thinking of growing tomatoes and cucumbers together this season but aren't quite sure if it's a good idea or not? Companion planting can have many benefits, but can also cause problems if done incorrectly. In this article, gardening expert and homesteader Merideth Cohrs examines if it's safe to plant tomatoes with your cucumbers in your garden.

By Merideth Cohrs Last updated: July 19, 2022 | 8 min read

Is there anything that says summer more than eating fresh tomatoes and cucumbers right off the vine? These two garden vegetables are iconic for a reason – they’re both fairly easy to grow and are incredibly delicious! The two make excellent salad companions, but should they be planted together in your garden?

Cucumbers tend to be on the naughty list when it comes to companion planting. This is often because members of the cucurbit family are heavy feeders and can beat out other plants for vital nutrients in the soil. They can also grow quite large and unwieldy if they’re not properly trellised. This can cause issues with shading other plants that require full sun exposure. Tomatoes are also sometimes frowned upon as companions because they grow so wildly.

So what does that mean for your garden? Can cucumbers share a space with your luscious tomatoes? Or are they better left separate? Read on to learn about the specific needs of both veggies to see if they make good neighbors in your garden.

Contents

The Short Answer

The short answer is YES! Tomatoes and cucumbers can be grown together successfully, and there are actually some benefits to planting them together. Both plants have similar growing needs when it comes to sunlight, soil conditions, and watering. And if space is at a premium, interplanting the two will allow you to get more out of your garden.

The Long Answer

Figuring out whether you can plant cucumbers and tomatoes together will first require taking a look at their growing needs to see if they are complimentary. Do they have similar requirements for sun exposure, soil conditions, and watering?

Will interplanting the two help or hurt each other?

Companion Planting Explained

Companion planting means creating conditions for the growth of plants similar to their natural habitat.

Also known as interplanting, companion planting has a long history in organic gardening. The idea is based on modeling how plants grow in their natural habitat. In nature, you see different kinds of plants growing in harmony in the same space.

That interconnected ecosystem works holistically, and many plants help each other thrive more than they would on their own. And, the more plants, animals, and yes bugs in a space, the more resilient plants will be to issues with pests and disease.

Now think of the modern concept of neat sterile rows of single vegetables. This type of monoculture goes against how plants naturally want to grow. It’s understandable why large growers and farmers choose to go this route; it’s all about economy of scale.

But as a home gardener, you can choose to purposefully interplant certain herbs, vegetables, and flowers to create your own complimentary garden ecosystem.

Reasons to Companion Plant
The benefits of companion plants are pest repellent, pollinator attraction and weed suppression.

There are many reasons to choose to companion plant. Benefits include pollinator attraction (which helps increase yield), pest and disease management, flavor enhancement, maximizing space and light, weed suppression, and more. It can also be a great space saving strategy when you have a smaller home garden.

When it comes to growing cucumbers and tomatoes, we are primarily focused more on interplanting for similar crop needs. When plants have similar requirements for nutrients, water, and soil conditions, it can sometimes be easier to plant them in the same location.

One thing to look out for, though, is that plants with similar growing requirements can compete for vital nutrients. But if you take the proper steps, your plants will grow beautifully and produce a large yield this season.

Growing Requirements

When it comes to questions about whether cucumbers and tomatoes can be grown together, it’s helpful to look at a few key things: sun, soil, and water requirements. If these things line up, it’s likely that the two plants should do just fine together.

Sunlight

Both plants prefer to grow in full sun for at least 6 hours a day.

Fruiting warm season crops like cucumbers and tomatoes need to be planted in an area that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sun each day.

They really prefer 8-10 hours of sun for maximum fruit production. As with most warm season crops, southern exposure is ideal where plants receive light during the majority of the day but are protected from the strongest afternoon sun.

If you’re unsure how much sun your garden receives, go ahead and measure it. Check to see when sunlight first hits the area, if it’s ever shaded by large trees or buildings, and when it leaves for the day. This will give you confidence that your sun-loving warm season cukes and tomatoes will get enough light.

Ensuring that your plants don’t shade each other is another vital concern. We’ll talk about that in the section talking about spacing and placement of the two plants.

Soil

Both vegetables need fertile and well-drained soil.

Both cucumbers and tomatoes are heavy feeders and require organically rich, fertile, well-draining soil to thrive and maximize yield. To set your plants up for success, add compost to the soil about a month prior to planting by gently digging it in.

If you have homemade compost either from a compost pile or vermiculture, this will be perfect. If not, there are a number of options for organic compost at your local nursery or garden center.

Adding compost prior to planting and fertilizer throughout the growing season will be very important to the success of your plants. Since both require a lot of nutrients to produce fruit, there is the potential that they will wind up competing for resources. You can mitigate this by staying on top of the plant’s nutritional needs throughout the growing season.

The good news is that both cucumbers and tomatoes need roughly the same nutrient levels in fertilizer. Compost or a balanced fertilizer is perfect for early in the life cycle.

Once the plants start to flower, shift to a fertilizer that has only moderate levels of nitrogen along with higher levels of phosphorus and potassium. This will optimize flower and fruit production over the continued production of leaves.

Watering

It is best to use hoses or a drip system for watering.

Watering is an area where you’ll need to find a good balance. While both plants need roughly the same amount of water each week (about 1-2 inches depending on your climate and soil type), cucumbers prefer moist soil while tomatoes like to dry out between waterings.

The best way to determine if your cukes and tomatoes are ready for a watering is to stick your finger in the soil (under the mulch line) about 2-3 inches. If the soil is completely dry, it’s time to water. If its still quite moist, give it another day and check again. This should allow you to find a happy medium between the two plants’ specific watering needs.

Soaker hoses or a drip system are the best options for consistent and effective watering. But you can use a hose as well as long as you water in the mornings and focus on watering the soil and not the leaves.

Planting Placement

There are several combinations of sowing these two veggies together, depending on the variety.

Figuring out how to plant these two veggies together can be a bit of a puzzle. Much will depend on the varieties of each vegetable you choose to plant. Cucumbers come in vining and bushing varieties, while tomatoes come in indeterminate and determinate varieties.

You’ll have your best luck cominging a vining cucumber with a determinate tomato or a bushing cucumber with an indeterminate tomato, but you can really choose any combination based on your needs. Let’s talk about all the planting combinations.

Determinate Tomato with a Vining Cucumber

To optimally support the growth of determinate tomatoes, use tomato cages or stakes.

Determinate tomatoes are a bushing variety. They grow to a predetermined height and set fruit all at once. You still need to use tomato cages and stakes with them for optimal support, but they won’t grow everywhere like their indeterminate cousins. This type of tomato will pair well with a vining cucumber because it is more compact.

To interplant the two successfully, plant your vining cuke in the back of your garden bed near a trellis (you can use a fence or any installed trellis system) and the determinate tomato plant in the front (the sunward side).

This will ensure that the sprawling vines of your cucumber do not shade your tomato plant. And because your tomato will only grow to a set height, the cucumber will also be able to maintain full sun.

Indeterminate Tomato with a Bushing Cucumber

This type of planting involves planting a bushy cucumber on the side of the tomato facing the sun.

This planting combination will be the exact opposite of the one we just described. Here, you will plant the indeterminate tomato plant on the back side of your garden bed where it can climb and sprawl as much as it wants to. The bushing cucumber will be planted on the tomato’s sunward side. This will ensure both plants receive adequate sunlight.

Indeterminate Tomato with a Vining Cucumber

Diversified planting involves training climbing cucumber vines to the same supports used for tomatoes.

This is perhaps the most chaotic of the combinations and the one you will need to pay a lot of attention to. Theoretically, you can train your cucumber vines onto the same supports you use for your tomatoes. This mingling of plants is called diversified planting, which can help with pest prevention.

The biggest concern here is airflow and sun exposure. Remember that lack of air circulation between plants is a major contributor to many diseases and pest problems. But if you are an experienced gardener, this is certainly something you can try.

You can also let your vining cuke grow on the ground in between your tomato plants. The cucumbers will act almost as ground cover in your garden bed and do a great job of weed suppression. The drawback to this is that you will have a much smaller cucumber yield than you would otherwise enjoy if the plant was trained to grow vertically.

Determinate Tomato with a Bushing Cucumber

Determinate tomatoes and bush cucumbers are best planted side by side so that none of them shade each other.

Lastly, you can choose to plant bushing cukes and determinate tomatoes together. These will do better if they’re planted side by side, however, since neither will grow tall enough to have access to sun if one is planted behind the other.

Spacing of Plants

It is recommended to place plants at least 2-3 feet apart.

Regardless of the combination you choose, giving your plants enough space is really important. This will help prevent any issues with one plant crowding out another when it comes to vital nutrients and water.

Space individual plants 2-3’ apart in rows that are 3-4’ apart. Recommended plant spacing will always vary with the specific varieties you choose to grow. But this general guideline will allow for proper air circulation for individual plants and the garden in general.

Potential Drawbacks

There are really only a few potential issues that you may face when interplanting. Let’s take a look at some of the most common drawbacks gardeners go through when trying to successfully companion plant these two vegetables.

One Plant Shades the Other
Keep in mind that both cucumbers and tomatoes should have access to full sun without shading each other.

Access to full sun shouldn’t be a problem for either plant as long as you follow the guidelines we discussed above. Just remember that your tiny tomato seedlings will grow large very fast and your germinating cucumber seeds will be spreading vines all over the garden in no time at all! Proper planning before you plant or sow seeds will save you a lot of grief as your plants begin to grow and mature.

Competition for Resources
Both veggies require regular watering and fertilization throughout the season.

Since both vegetables are heavy feeders, you will need to manage your soil and water well to ensure they don’t compete for limited resources. This is easily remedied, however, if you practice consistent watering and fertilization throughout the season.

Increased Pest or Disease Problems
Ensure your plants with good airflow to prevent disease and unwanted pests.

Since the leaves of both plants can grow quite densely, it’s important to practice proper spacing between the two to prevent issues with airflow. Staking, trellises and cages will be your best friends when interplanting these two plants.

Practice proper pruning with your tomatoes all season as well. This will go a long way in ensuring good airflow for the plant.

Planting these two garden favorites together can give you a large crop yield.

Our recommendation is to go right ahead and plant your tomatoes and cucumbers together. Even in a smaller garden, just a few of these plants can provide you with an incredible yield this season. But generally speaking, it’s best to have a larger garden space for them if planting together, especially in raised beds.

Here are a few quick tips for getting the most of companion planting.

Tomato & Cucumber Interplanting Tips

Final Thoughts

Now that you know that both tomatoes and cucumbers can be successfully planted together, its time to get planting! Both of these rapid growing veggies will bring an abundance of fruits to you garden with straightforward garden care. With just a little forethought on placement, you will be enjoying a bounty of these summer stapes in no time at all.

How to Plant Cucumbers With Tomatoes | Home Guides

By Tamara Christine Van Hooser Updated December 06, 2018

Even with the challenges of cool-climate gardening, tomatoes and cucumbers grow well as companions, along with beans, peas and nasturtiums. Starting the seedlings indoors before the last frost provides a solution for areas with a short outdoor growing season. Staking the tomatoes and cucumbers to grown upright on a trellis or cage keeps them off the ground and increases air circulation to prevent moisture collection, which attracts insect infestations and plant diseases.

  1. 1.

    Fill clean, plastic seed trays, cell packs or peat pots two-thirds full with a disease-resistant, soilless potting mix or organic soil mix. Select disease-resistant varieties of seeds to ease the onset of moisture-related problems. Start tomatoes six to eight weeks before outdoor transplanting. Cucumbers develop quickly, so they only need three to four weeks from seed to transplant.

  2. 2.

    Place a seed on top of the mix in each pot or cell. Cover tomato seeds with 1/4 inch of potting mix and cucumber seeds with 1 inch of mix. Store the trays or pots in a warm greenhouse or inside room with a consistent temperature of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch for sprouts to appear seven to 14 days after planting.

  3. 3.

    Take a soil sample from the top 6 to 8 inches of soil in the outdoor garden area while you wait for the seeds to germinate. Dry the sample completely before using a soil test kit according to the manufacturer's instructions to determine pH and nitrogen levels.

  4. 4.

    Raise soil pH with sulfur or lower it with limestone as needed. A pH of 6.5 to 7.0 lets the plants take up soil nutrients most effectively. Prepare the cucumber rows with 3 pounds of high-nitrogen fertilizer per square foot, recommends University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Do not fertilize the adjacent tomato rows. Overfertilization causes excessive vine growth and discourages fruit production. Lower nitrogen levels for tomatoes with generous watering and mulch, if necessary.

  5. 5.

    Move the seed trays or starter pots outdoors for increasingly longer periods until they spend up to six hours a day in full sun. Start this process after the last spring frost to acclimate the seedlings to outdoor light, wind and temperature variations. The hardening process strengthens the plants for better growth and productivity.

  6. 6.

    Measure soil temperature with a soil thermometer. Both cucumbers and tomatoes prosper best at a 70 degree Fahrenheit ground temperature. Black plastic ground covers or floating row covers help cool-weather gardeners trap heat to keep the plants healthy and growing.

  7. 7.

    Transplant cucumber seedlings where they will get eight or more hours of full sun daily in holes about an inch deeper than the root base. Sprinkle a handful of high-nitrogen fertilizer into each trowel-dug hole, 12 inches apart. Use a trellis to grow cucumbers vertically. Sidedress the cucumbers by raking in additional high-nitrogen fertilizer about 6 inches from the stems one and three weeks after blossoms appear.

  8. 8.

    Transplant tomatoes deep, bordering the cucumber rows. Lay any overgrown plant on its side in a trench. Toss in a pinch of low-nitrogen fertilizer and limestone. Plant seedlings 15 inches apart with staking or cages for support. Space the rows 36 to 48 inches apart. Fill each hole completely with soil for a stable base. Water deeply at ground level from a watering can when transplanting both cucumber and tomato seedlings to reduce root shock.

    Things You Will Need

    • Plastic seed trays, cell packs or peat pots

    • Soilless potting or organic soil mix

    • Soil test kit

    • Sulfur (optional)

    • Limestone

    • High-nitrogen fertilizer

    • Straw or plastic mulch (optional)

    • Soil thermometer

    • Black plastic sheets or floating row covers

    • Trowel

    • Trellis

    • Rake

    • Low-nitrogen fertilizer

    • Stakes or cages

    • Watering can

    Tip

    Varieties that work well in cool-climate gardens include fast-producing tomato varieties such as Sungold, Silvery Fir and Stupice, which are ready to harvest around the same time as Pickle Bush and Salad Bush cucumbers. The Old Farmer's Almanac recommends spraying vines with sugar water for better bee pollination and fruit production.

References

Resources

Writer Bio

Tamara Christine has written more than 900 articles for a variety of clients since 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in applied linguistics and an elementary teaching license. Additionally, she completed a course in digital journalism in 2014. She has more than 10 years experience teaching and gardening.

what seedlings to sow now – Moscow 24, 04/12/2019

April 12, 2019, 11:07

Society

The Union of Gardeners of Russia pleased summer residents with the message that in mid-April it will be possible to plant the first seedlings. But this is subject to the preservation of warm weather. In the meantime, we tell you what seedlings you need to prepare now, how to choose seeds and what to add to the soil for fast and safe growth.

Photo: depositphotos/aruba2000

What to sow for seedlings and what to sow in open ground

"Now is the time to plant tomatoes and cucumbers," gardeners and agronomists say with one voice. So if you haven't done it yet, run for the seeds and prepare pots for seedlings. Also, April is a good period for sowing various salads, basil and cabbage. And towards the end of the month, you can sow squash and zucchini, then you will get an early harvest.

But eggplants with peppers are too late to plant, this should have been done in late February - early March. If you plant them in April, they will sprout, but the first fruits will appear just before the frost, at the end of August. These are the most heat-loving crops with a long ripening period, 120-130 days from germination to the first ripening fruit. Cucumbers are more unpretentious and grow many times faster: two weeks pass from the moment of germination to planting, and only 40 days from pecking the grain to the ripening of the first fruits. Therefore, if you do not have time to plant cucumbers this month, then do not worry, you can do it later. nine0003

Outdoor planting times vary by crop, but most can be planted after May 9th. The earliest sowing in open ground - for carrots and parsley - begins in the last decade of April, when the soil has already warmed up. The sprouts germinate in about two to three weeks, and, being in an unsprouted state, they are not afraid of frost, so the seeds can be sown even in early spring.

Photo: depositphotos/g-v-l.gvl.ru

Shallow seed placement is important for early planting, and they can be sprinkled with sand or loose soil on top, so the seeds will germinate better. Additionally, you can cover the bed with non-woven material to maintain the temperature regime, this will allow the plants to sprout faster and protect them from overdrying. nine0003

If you have heated greenhouses, you can plant seedlings as early as April. For cucumbers and tomatoes, the night temperature in the greenhouse should be above 15 degrees. Peppers and eggplants are more thermophilic, so they need to be planted later, when the night temperature is at least 18 degrees.

How to choose seeds and prepare soil

According to the chief agronomist of the Moscow Agricultural Academy named after KA Timiryazev, Vyacheslav Maslov, seed quality standards have now changed. If earlier the expiration date was put on the package with seeds, now the year of harvest is put. nine0003

In one store, you can stumble upon two varieties of seeds: with an expiration date and with a production date. You need to pay attention to the storage of seeds: some are stored for at least a year, and some for 10-12 years, this should be indicated on the packaging.

Photo: depositphotos/surkovdimitri

The expert noted that it is difficult to understand from the appearance of the seeds whether they are good or not. “The main thing is that they must be whole, although this cannot be determined without opening the package. Everything else is not an indicator: the seeds may look dry, while having good germination, or, conversely, be swollen, but have very poor germination due to for being stored in damp conditions. You just need to take it and try to sow," says Maslov. nine0003

In turn, Tatyana Tereshonkova, head of the laboratory for selection and immunity of nightshade crops at VNIIO, a branch of the Federal Scientific Center for Vegetable Growing, recommends buying seeds from large, trusted companies. Such seeds are usually decontaminated, colored and ready for sowing. They can not be soaked, not processed, but sown dry in previously prepared soil. The expert recommends shedding the soil with a solution of copper sulphate before sowing to protect the plants from the black leg. nine0035

Blackleg is a fungal disease in which the roots of plants are affected by black rot. Most often, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, cabbage, radishes and lettuce get sick from this. With active development, this disease causes lodging of seedlings and its complete death.

"It is necessary to prepare a solution in the ratio of one teaspoon of copper sulfate to five liters of water. Then it is good to shed the soil, cover the sowing with a film and wait for the shoots. After the first two leaves appear (not cotyledons that protrude above the soil, namely real leaf), it is desirable to pick them up so that everyone grows in their own cup and the root system develops well, "says Tereshonkova. nine0003

Photo: depositphotos/ thefutureis

200 ml cups can be used as pots for seedlings. You can do more, but at home it rarely works out. Before planting, seedlings grow for about 40 days, and they need to eat something, so the soil in pots must be filled with complex fertilizers. Tereshonkova emphasizes that it is necessary to control watering, light and the density of the pots:

It is important not to overfill the seedlings, provide plenty of light, and it is better that they do not stand too close to each other, because then they will shrink. This is enough to grow good seedlings. nine0003


Seedlings can be planted outdoors at the end of May - beginning of June, when the risk of return frosts is gone. And when you finish with home seedlings, you can take on potatoes. Just be careful, weather forecasters have warned of possible frosts in May.

Loskutnikova Natalia

society

Is it possible to plant cucumbers and tomatoes, tomatoes with cucumbers, tomatoes with peppers, tomatoes and potatoes, tomatoes and onions

What to plant next to tomatoes depends on how and where they are grown (open ground or greenhouse), as well as the compatibility of different cultures with each other. nine0003

Contents:

It must be remembered that a certain microclimate is created in the greenhouse, that is, the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse differ from these indicators outside. And different cultures require different living conditions.

In addition, in the greenhouse, plants compete for light and nutrients, as space is limited, which also affects the choice of neighboring crops.

Tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse

To the question: is it possible to plant cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse, you can immediately answer that it is not. nine0003

Next to tomatoes, cucumbers usually turn pale, rot and begin to wither. In turn, the tomatoes begin to hurt and become covered with a fungal crust.

This happens for the following reasons:

If it is not possible to grow these crops separately, and they have to be grown in the same greenhouse, then it is better to distinguish between tomatoes and cucumbers using the following methods:

It is better if it is possible to grow these crops in different places, for example, cucumbers in a greenhouse, and tomatoes in a greenhouse. In this case, you do not have to worry about growth, plant health and yield. And the desire to save space can adversely affect the yield of these plants.

Is it possible to plant cucumbers after tomatoes

Although cucumbers and tomatoes are not compatible when grown together, tomatoes are considered good precursors for cucumbers.

Please note!

Cucumbers can be planted after tomatoes, especially in greenhouse conditions, as they grow well on the soil after tomatoes.

Is it possible to plant tomatoes with peppers

Tomatoes and peppers in the same greenhouse or in open ground can grow and bear fruit without affecting each other in any way.

This is due to the fact that they need approximately the same conditions for life processes, so they easily get along. nine0003

Is it possible to plant tomatoes together with potatoes

Tomatoes cannot be planted next to potatoes. Since they belong to the same group - Solanaceae, therefore they suffer from the same diseases, for example, late blight.

Please note!

When these crops are planted close, usually if one vegetable gets sick, the other will also start to get sick.

Phytophthora in this case will be very difficult to get rid of, so the development of this disease can destroy both potatoes and tomatoes. nine0003

potato late blight
late blight of tomatoes

Is it possible to plant tomatoes and eggplants together?

Please note!

But it must be remembered that eggplants need high humidity, which adversely affects the health of tomatoes, causing the development of fungal and microbial diseases. nine0003

Therefore, it is better to plant eggplants in the center, and tomatoes closer to doors and windows, where they will be ventilated. At the same time, both tomatoes and eggplants will feel great.

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