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Companion Planting Chart for Raised Beds (What to Plant Together)
The pairings that matter, the ones to avoid, and why. Printable chart.
Updated 2026-09-11
How much of this is real?
Most companion-planting lore is folklore, but a handful of pairings have practical reasons: shade, pest confusion, trellis sharing, root depth and nitrogen. Use the chart for those and ignore the rest.
The five mechanisms that actually do something:
- Shade. Tall crops cool the soil for lettuce, spinach and cilantro, which bolt later.
- Scent confusion. Onions, garlic and strong herbs make it harder for carrot fly, aphids and cabbage moths to find their host.
- Shared structure. Cucumbers, peas and pole beans can climb one trellis.
- Root depth. Shallow lettuce and radishes sit between deep carrots without competing.
- Nitrogen and pests. Beans and peas leave nitrogen for the next crop; nasturtiums pull aphids off brassicas.
"Marigolds repel everything" is the one to drop. In the corners of a bed they mainly feed hoverflies, which is still useful.
| Crop | Good partners | Keep apart | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | basil, lettuce, carrots, marigold | potatoes, brassicas, fennel | shared blight with potatoes; basil and lettuce use the shade |
| Peppers | basil, onions, carrots | beans, fennel | onions deter aphids; beans shade peppers |
| Beans | corn, squash, carrots, radish | onions, garlic | alliums stunt beans; beans fix nitrogen |
| Lettuce | carrots, radish, strawberries, tall crops | none serious | shade from tall crops delays bolting |
| Carrots | onions, leeks, lettuce, tomatoes | dill | onions confuse carrot fly; dill crosses and attracts pests |
| Cucumbers | beans, peas, dill, sunflowers | potatoes, sage | shared trellis, pollinators |
| Squash/zucchini | corn, beans, nasturtium | potatoes | space; nasturtium as a trap crop |
| Brassicas (kale, cabbage) | onions, dill, chamomile, beets | tomatoes, strawberries | strong-scented alliums deter cabbage moth |
| Onions/garlic | carrots, beets, lettuce, brassicas | beans, peas | allium scent confuses pests; stunts legumes |
| Potatoes | beans, corn, horseradish | tomatoes, cucumbers, squash | shared diseases |
The three pairings worth planning around
- Tomatoes + basil + lettuce. Basil in front of the tomatoes, lettuce in the tomato shade from June. That is why the salad stays sweet into July.
- Carrots + onions. Alternate squares. Carrot fly and onion fly each lose the scent trail.
- Beans away from onions and garlic. Alliums stunt legume roots. Opposite ends of the bed, at least 3 ft apart.
Using it in a 4×8 bed
Put the tomato row on the north side with basil and lettuce in front. Onions between the carrot squares. Beans and squash on the south end, away from the onions. Marigolds and nasturtiums in the corners. That single arrangement satisfies almost every row above.
Square by square, north to south: row 1 is 3 tomatoes, a cucumber trellis, 2 peppers and 2 basil; row 2 is lettuce and more basil in the tomato shade; row 3 alternates carrots and onions with beets and dill at the ends; row 4 is bush beans and a zucchini in the south-west corner, nasturtiums in the free corner. The same bed with plant counts is plan 2 in the layout plans.
Interplanting: the timing trick
Companions also work in time. Radishes sown in the carrot squares come out in 4 weeks, just as the carrots need the room. Lettuce planted around a tomato transplant in May is gone by the time the tomato fills the square in July. Fast crop plus slow crop in one square is the most useful "companion" idea there is.
What to ignore
Long lists of enemies with no mechanism behind them. Tomatoes and peppers together are fine (same family, same needs; rotate them as a group). Cucumbers near tomatoes are fine on a trellis. If a pairing has no reason in the "why" column, treat it as optional.
Rotation next year
Move each family one bed or one end along: tomato/pepper → beans → brassicas/greens → roots/onions. It matters more than companions for disease.
| Family | Members | Follow with |
|---|---|---|
| Nightshades | tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato | beans, peas |
| Legumes | beans, peas | brassicas, greens |
| Brassicas | kale, cabbage, broccoli, radish, turnip | roots, onions |
| Roots and alliums | carrot, beet, onion, garlic, leek | nightshades |
In a single bed, rotate by ends: the tomato end becomes the bean end. Garlic planted in October in the fall garden counts as the allium step.
Mistakes to skip
- Following a 40-row chart so strictly that nothing gets planted.
- Beans next to the garlic because both are "easy".
- Dill in the carrot squares; keep it at the corners.
- Potatoes in the same bed as tomatoes, this year or next. Blight overwinters in tubers.
- Planting the companion so close that it competes: basil gets its own square.
FAQ
Can tomatoes and peppers be planted together?
Yes. Same family, same needs, so they grow well side by side. Rotate them together next year and keep both away from potatoes.
What should not be planted next to beans?
Onions, garlic, leeks and chives. Alliums stunt legume roots. Give them 3 ft or the other end of the bed.
Do marigolds really keep pests away?
Partly. French marigolds reduce root nematodes only when grown as a full-season cover crop, and their scent has a small effect on whiteflies. Their real value in a raised bed is feeding hoverflies and other aphid predators.
Can cucumbers and tomatoes grow in the same raised bed?
Yes, both on the north side, cucumber on its own trellis. Both are heavy feeders, so add compost and feed monthly, and keep the leaves apart for airflow.
How close counts as "companion" or "keep apart"?
The same or neighbouring square for helpful pairings; 3 ft or opposite ends of the bed for the keep-apart pairs.
What I'd buy first
Botanical Interests Beginner Vegetable Seed Collection
Beginner-proof varieties (bush beans, zucchini, lettuce, radish, cherry tomato) with the best planting instructions on the packet.
Check price via Botanical Interests
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