Plan better garden neighbors

Companion Planting Chart

Find vegetables, herbs, and flowers that can share space, attract beneficial insects, confuse pests, or build a more diverse garden bed—plus pairings worth separating.

Find a crop How it works

Evidence before folklore

What companion planting can actually do

Companion planting works best when it is treated as thoughtful intercropping—not magic. The strongest benefits come from plant diversity, efficient use of height and root space, habitat for beneficial insects, trap crops, living mulch, and separating crops that share serious diseases.

Attract allies

Small flowers supply nectar and pollen to hoverflies, lacewings, parasitoid wasps, and pollinators.

Confuse pests

Mixed heights, colors, and scents make a target crop harder for some insects to locate.

Share the space

Fast, low, upright, and trellised crops can occupy different layers of the same bed.

Protect the soil

Spreading plants shade soil, slow evaporation, and suppress some weeds.

A proven planting system

The Three Sisters

Indigenous growers developed regionally adapted systems that combine corn, climbing beans, and squash. Corn supplies structure, beans host nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and squash creates a living mulch. Plant corn first and wait until stalks are sturdy before adding pole beans.

Shop the Three Sisters Seed Kit →

1 · CornChoose a tall, sturdy field or flour corn that can carry bean vines.

Cherokee White EagleNative-associated heirloom Hickory King WhiteTall heirloom Wapsi ValleyOpen-pollinated dent

2 · Pole beansUse true climbing beans—bush beans cannot climb the corn.

Kentucky Wonder PoleHeirloom pole bean Scarlet RunnerHeirloom runner bean Blue Lake FM-1K PoleVigorous pole type

3 · SquashSelect a running winter squash or pumpkin with broad, soil-shading leaves.

Waltham ButternutVining heirloom DelicataVining heirloom squash Amish Pie OrganicRunning winter squash

Searchable quick reference

What grows well together?

Search for a crop or filter the chart. “Keep apart” is most useful where plants share diseases, crowd one another, or have a well-documented conflict. Traditional claims are labeled accordingly.

Research-supported mechanismPractical garden fitTraditional guidance

Saved in this browser

My Companion Garden

Add plants as you explore the chart, then print your complete planting list.

No plants selected yet.

Build the bed

Five layout rules

Place tall crops on the north side.
Keep pathways and harvest access open.
Border vegetables with long-blooming flowers.
Leave enough room for mature plant size and airflow.
Rotate crop families even when companions worked well.

Start with flowers

Reliable insectary plants

Sweet alyssum, dill, cilantro, buckwheat, calendula, and other small-flowered plants can provide accessible nectar and pollen. Use several species with overlapping bloom times from spring through fall.

Shop flower seeds

Turn the chart into a garden

Choose seeds for your companion plan.

Shop vegetables, herbs, and flowers by department.

Shop vegetable seeds