Early spring is the perfect time to plant strawberries, so you may be wondering how to care for these low-growing perennials. Proper sun and soil is important, but so is where you orient these fruits in your garden. There are certain plants that you shouldn’t grow nearby—these vegetables and herbs will compete with strawberries for nutrients and ultimately cause them to struggle.
So which plants make for bad neighbors? We spoke with gardening experts about what you should never grow next to your strawberries.
Meet Our Expert
Ankit Singh, assistant professor and ornamental horticulture educator at the University of Maine Extension
Teri Speight, landscape gardener, gardening coach, podcast host, and co-author of The Urban Garden
Related: How to Grow Strawberries for the Sweetest, Juiciest Fruit
01 of 08
Mint
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Mint is a notoriously bad neighbor, and it can quickly take over your garden if left unchecked. When it comes to strawberries, mint can be an unwelcome vector for disease.
“Compounds in this plant create the perfect environment for verticillium wilt, which causes stunted growth, wilting foliage, and a slow death to a strawberry bed,” says gardening coach Teri Speight.
Instead, always plant mint in a pot. It can spread aggressively when grown in the ground and can be hard to remove.
02 of 08
Tomato
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Just like mint, tomatoes can pass verticillium wilt on to neighboring strawberries. Instead, plant your tomatoes in a separate vegetable bed, far away from your strawberry patch.
Ankit Singh, assistant professor and ornamental horticulture educator at the University of Maine Extension, recommends rotating tomatoes and other nightshades so they aren’t repeatedly grown in the same soil.
Related: 10 Plants You Should Never Grow Next to Your Tomatoes
03 of 08
Eggplant
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Just like tomatoes, eggplant is part of the nightshade family of plants. Therefore, it can contribute to disease pressure when placed near strawberries, according to Singh.
Instead, he recommends planting it with other warm-season vegetables in a rotated vegetable bed.
04 of 08
Fennel
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Fennel may be delicious, but it’s a bad neighbor for most plants in your garden—strawberries included. It’s allelopathic and emits hormones that will inhibit the growth of nearby plants.
“Plant it by itself in a separate area of the garden, preferably away from strawberries and most vegetables,” says Singh. You can also try growing it in a container.
05 of 08
Cabbage
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Some vegetables, like cabbage, are heavy feeders. These will compete with strawberries for nutrients and space—worse, cabbage leaves will create shade, reducing flower and fruit production.
Singh recommends giving cabbage its own vegetable bed—plant it alongside other brassicas like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. This will “give it plenty of room and fertility, without crowding strawberries,” he says.
06 of 08
Corn
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Corn really needs to be planted in a field—not in a garden next to strawberries. It’s a heavy feeder and needs plenty of space and nutrients to grow. Ultimately, growing strawberries nearby will be detrimental for both plants.
07 of 08
Potato
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Potatoes can also host verticillium wilt, so it’s best to keep them far away from your strawberry crop.
“They are heavy feeders and can disturb the soil when harvested, which is not ideal near perennial strawberries,” adds Singh.
These plants do best in a separate area designated for annual vegetables.
Related: 7 Plants You Should Never Grow Next to Potatoes, According to Horticulturists
08 of 08
Broccoli
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Broccoli is packed with nutrients and is relatively easy to grow in a garden—but not if you plant it next to strawberries.
“It uses a lot of nutrients and can create dense shade as it grows,” says Singh. “Strawberries need sun and airflow to produce well and avoid fruit rot.”
Plant broccoli with other cool-season vegetables in a separate bed. These will be better companions.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart
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