Companion Plants for Tomatoes

Traditional companions for tomatoes include basil, marigolds, bell peppers, borage, calendula, carrots and 18 more in the table below.

Keep broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, potatoes and sweet corn away from them.

These are garden traditions, collected from 13 US extension guides. Few have been tested in trials, so treat them as a starting point: spacing, sun and rotation matter more.

Good companions for tomatoes

Spacing is per square foot, for a raised bed planted square by square. Cool-season companions can share the bed before or after a warm-season crop, or grow in its shade.

Traditional companions for tomatoes
Plant	Kind	Spacing	Season
Bell Peppers	Vegetable	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Carrots	Vegetable	16 per sq ft	Cool season
Celery	Vegetable	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Cucumbers	Vegetable	2 per sq ft	Warm season
Garlic	Vegetable	4 per sq ft	Cool season
Green Onions	Vegetable	16 per sq ft	Cool season
Head Lettuce	Vegetable	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Hot Peppers	Vegetable	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Leaf Lettuce	Vegetable	4 per sq ft	Cool season
Leeks	Vegetable	4 per sq ft	Cool season
Onions	Vegetable	9 per sq ft	Cool season
Romaine Lettuce	Vegetable	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Shallots	Vegetable	4 per sq ft	Cool season
Basil	Herb	4 per sq ft	Warm season
Borage	Herb	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Chives	Herb	4 per sq ft	Cool season
Mint	Herb	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Oregano	Herb	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Parsley	Herb	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Thyme	Herb	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Calendula	Flower	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Marigolds	Flower	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Nasturtiums	Flower	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Sunflowers	Flower	1 per 2 sq ft	Warm season

What not to plant with tomatoes

Broccoli: usually planted in a different bed.
Brussels Sprouts: usually planted in a different bed.
Bush Beans: usually planted in a different bed.
Cabbage: usually planted in a different bed.
Cauliflower: usually planted in a different bed.
Collard Greens: usually planted in a different bed.
Fennel: usually planted in a different bed.
Kale: usually planted in a different bed.
Kohlrabi: usually planted in a different bed.
Potatoes: in the same family (tomato family), so it shares pests and diseases and belongs in a different bed in the crop rotation.
Sweet Corn: usually planted in a different bed.

What the evidence says

Companion planting charts come from long garden experience, and most pairs have never been tried in a replicated trial. Several extension services say so directly; one review gives traditional charts more entertainment than scientific value.

Planting basil with tomatoes has some trial support (Penn State Extension).

What reliably helps tomatoes: the right planting dates, enough space, and moving crops to a new bed each year (crop rotation).

Plant them side by side

Draw your beds, tap squares to plant tomatoes next to their companions, and get every crop's planting dates for your ZIP code. Free, in your browser.

Open the garden planner When to plant tomatoes

Questions

What can I plant with tomatoes?

The traditional companions are basil, marigolds, bell peppers, borage, calendula, carrots, celery, chives and 16 more listed above. Plant companions in neighbouring rows or squares rather than in the same hole.

What should not be planted with tomatoes?

The guides keep broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, potatoes and sweet corn apart from tomatoes. Give them a different bed, especially the crops from the same family, which share pests and diseases.

Does companion planting with tomatoes work?

Most pairings are tradition rather than tested results: extension services call companion planting promising but largely unproven. Planting basil with tomatoes has some trial support (Penn State Extension). Good spacing, sun, water and rotation do more for a harvest than any single pairing.

How close can basil grow to tomatoes?

In a raised bed planted by the square foot, give tomatoes 1 per sq ft and basil 4 per sq ft, in neighbouring squares. In rows, tomatoes need 24 in between plants.