Companion Plants for Zucchini and Summer Squash

Traditional companions for zucchini and summer squash include dill, marigolds, nasturtiums, pole beans, pumpkins, radishes and 1 more in the table below.

Keep potatoes 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 zucchini and summer squash

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 zucchini and summer squash
Plant	Kind	Spacing	Season
Pole Beans	Vegetable	8 per sq ft	Warm season
Pumpkins	Vegetable	1 per 9 sq ft	Warm season
Radishes	Vegetable	16 per sq ft	Cool season
Sweet Corn	Vegetable	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Dill	Herb	1 per sq ft	Cool season
Marigolds	Flower	1 per sq ft	Warm season
Nasturtiums	Flower	1 per sq ft	Warm season

What not to plant with zucchini and summer squash

Potatoes: 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 marigolds with zucchini and summer squash has some trial support (the University of Arizona Extension). Planting nasturtiums with zucchini and summer squash has some trial support (the University of Arizona Extension).

What reliably helps zucchini and summer squash: 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 zucchini and summer squash 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 zucchini and summer squash

Questions

What can I plant with zucchini and summer squash?

The traditional companions are dill, marigolds, nasturtiums, pole beans, pumpkins, radishes and sweet corn. Plant companions in neighbouring rows or squares rather than in the same hole.

What should not be planted with zucchini and summer squash?

The guides keep potatoes apart from zucchini and summer squash. Give it a different bed.

Does companion planting with zucchini and summer squash work?

Most pairings are tradition rather than tested results: extension services call companion planting promising but largely unproven. Planting marigolds with zucchini and summer squash has some trial support (the University of Arizona Extension). Planting nasturtiums with zucchini and summer squash has some trial support (the University of Arizona Extension). Good spacing, sun, water and rotation do more for a harvest than any single pairing.

How close can dill grow to zucchini and summer squash?

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