If you want to grow a flourishing fall vegetable garden this coming season, it’s vital to pair the correct plants together. Plants can be particular about who their neighbors are, and if improperly paired, they can end up competing for nutrition. Picking the best companion plants to pair with the various vegetables you’re growing can boost crop yield, improve the soil, and attract pollinators, all while maximizing your garden space.
We asked the experts which companion plants you should grow with your vegetables this fall for an abundant harvest.
Lettuce
Lettuce is commonly planted as a cool-weather crop, but it’s also a top companion plant for other vegetables. Edwin Dysinger, the co-founder of Seedtime, a leading garden planning and management app, recommends pairing lettuce with vegetables such as kale, collards, carrots, garlic, broccoli, and beets. “Lettuce can be seeded in two-week intervals through August and then every week through September for a continuous supply through the end of the year,” he informs.
The distance you should plant lettuce from other vegetables will depend on what you’re pairing it with. For instance, Dysinger states that if you’re growing it with kale, you should plant it 6 to 8 inches away from the crop because it provides ground cover to retain soil moisture, prevent weeds, and maximize use of space between kale plants. However, if you’re pairing it with a vegetable like carrots, then you should space it 4 to 6 inches apart. He explains that carrots grow deep and lettuce stays shallow, which allows you to maximize space and is ideal for interplanting.
Soil: Well-draining, rich in organic matter
Light: Full sun
Water: Keep evenly moist
Onions
Gardening and greenhouse expert Lucie Bradley from Easy Garden Irrigation recommends growing onions as a companion plant because their strong, pungent scent will help to repel insects. They’re great for deterring carrot flies from carrots and aphids away from beets. The smell can also repel rabbits and deer from nibbling on your fall garden.
“In the fall, the best types of onions to plant include shallots, potato onions, and those which grow well in the shorter fall days, such as ‘Monatrall’ or ‘Sierra Blanca’. Plant throughout August into mid-September to allow the onions to become established before the first frosts,” she advises. To optimize the growth of your onions, she suggests preparing the soil by adding compost or well-rotted manure to it.
Soil: Well-draining, loose, and rich in organic matter
Light: Full sun
Water: Keep moist but not soggy
Garlic
Bradley says that garlic is a great fall plant that can grow and be ready to harvest the following year. “By planting in August or early September, it will have time to develop a strong root system ready to withstand the colder, freezing winter temperatures,” she says. “Interplanting with carrots works well as they both have different root depths so that they won’t compete for space, and at the same time, the pungent smell of garlic will keep carrot flies away.”
Dysinger recommends pairing garlic with other vegetables, too, such as kale, collards, lettuce, beets, and turnips. “Garlic’s strong aroma wards off aphids and beetles and acts as a natural fungicide,” he says.
Soil: Well-draining and slightly acidic to neutral
Light: Full sun
Water: Keep moist through the growing season
Beets
Not only are beets beneficial to your health, but Dysinger says they also make a great companion for various vegetables in your fall garden, such as broccoli, lettuce, onions, cabbage, kale, and garlic. He explains that beets and cabbage pair well because they benefit from reduced pest attraction and don’t compete for nutrients. Beets also thrive in soils with less calcium, complementing broccoli’s high calcium use and minimizing competition for nutrients.
“The best time to seed beets in growing zone 7 is between mid-August and early September,” Dysinger says. “For cooler zones, seed one week earlier per zone. For warmer zones, seed one week later.”
Soil: Well-draining and rich
Light: Full sun
Water: Keep soil moist, but not waterlogged or dried out
Leeks
Leeks are part of the allium family and are closely related to scallions, onions, and garlic. Bradley says leeks are a good cool-weather crop that develops its flavor over the cooler months, ready to be harvested in spring.
“Interplant leeks with carrots, celery, or brassicas to help repel pests,” she says. “The deep root system of leeks will also help to break up the soil and improve air penetration and drainage, which makes it easier for the other plants they are with to grow.”
Soil: Well-draining, rich in organic matter
Light: Full sun
Water: Consistent moisture and regular watering
Turnips
Turnips are a root vegetable that’s similar to a radish and belongs in the Brassicaceae family. They pair perfectly with various vegetables such as Swiss chard, cabbage, garlic, onions, and broccoli. Dysinger states that turnips can be seeded from late July to early September for a fall and winter harvest. “Like beets, you can harvest both roots and leaves,” he says. “They’re quite cold-hardy, and both the roots and the leaves will sweeten up with a freeze,” he informs.
He recommends planting in alternating rows with cabbage and broccoli, since cabbage crops share pests with turnips, and interplanting can reduce damage as pests are confused and distributed.
Soil: Well-draining and modestly rich
Light: Full sun
Water: Consistent moisture
Broccoli
Broccoli gets along with all sorts of plants, but Dysinger says it typically needs to be seeded somewhere between late May and mid July (earlier for colder zones, later for warmer zones). It also performs better when it is transplanted rather than direct-seeded. But it’s worth pairing with vegetables such as lettuce because he says that it enjoys the partial shade provided by broccoli and does not compete for the same nutrients.
This can make maintaining your fall garden easier. You can also pair it with beets, chamomile, yarrow, onions, spinach, and Swiss chard.
Soil: Well draining, high in organic matter
Light: Full sun
Water: Consistently moist
Chives
Bradley says that chives are a perennial herb and are perfect for use in your fall vegetable garden when growing carrots, beets, spinach, and brassicas. “With a strong, oniony odor, chives will repel many common garden pests including aphids, carrot flies and Japanese beetles,” she informs.
“[Chives are] a cool-season herb that thrives in the cooler temperatures of fall and can handle frost,” she adds. “It prefers well-drained soil in a position where it will receive at least six hours of full sunlight a day, and it will need regular watering until they are well established.”
Soil: Well-draining
Light: Full sun
Water: Frequent watering, keep moist but not soggy
Calendula
If you want to give your garden a pop of color and provide food for the pollinators, Bradley says certain flowers make excellent companion plants for your vegetables. “Calendula is a great cool-weather flower, and even if sown in August, it will only take six to eight weeks before it starts to flower,” she says. “Not only does it provide a lovely, cheerful splash of color in the fall and into mild winters, calendula is a perfect companion plant for many fall vegetables.”
She suggests planting calendulas with brassicas such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts to deter aphids and other pests. It can also protect carrots from root flies when grown alongside them. “Although calendula prefers well-drained soil and full sun, it will tolerate various soil conditions and is really easy to grow, requiring minimum care,” she informs.
Soil: Well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic
Light: Full sun, but may need partial shade if you live in a hot climate
Water: Prefers consistent moisture, but can tolerate drought conditions
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