7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (2024)

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Mary Marlowe Leverette

7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (1)

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

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Updated on 10/02/23

Reviewed by

Barbara Gillette

7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (2)

Barbara Gillette is a Master Gardener, herbalist, beekeeper, and journalist. She has 30 years of experience propagating and growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals.

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7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (3)

If you are ready to grow peppers, think about planting them in a salsa garden. Vegetables and herbs that make great salsa also make perfect companion plants for peppers. The plants require the same growing conditions (light, soil pH, water) and help with insect and disease control. Great crops to plant alongside peppers are cilantro, marigolds, and onions.

What Is Companion Planting?

Companion plantingis the practice of growing different plants together for mutual benefit. While not all companion planting information is based on hard scientific facts, researchers are studying the observations and garden lore found in farmers’ almanacs.

A garden is a system of biodiversity where all of the plants are connected and interdependent. Sometimes the benefit is one-sided, with one plant selflessly offering partnership advantages to the other. In many cases, the benefit is mutual, with each plant enhancing the other's growth.

7 Companion Plants for Peppers

  • 01 of 07

    Basil

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (4)

    Planting basil has multiple companion benefits for pepper plants. It grows quickly from seed providing a dense ground cover that traps the heat and moisture peppers prefer. Basil also repels aphids, spider mites, and thrips that can damage pepper plants while also enhancing the flavor of the peppers in salads and main dishes.

  • 02 of 07

    Carrots

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (5)

    Peppers and carrots are excellent companions because peppers provide the shade that tender carrot tops need while the carrots create a livingmulchto reduce weeds. Since carrots are root vegetables, they help to loosen the soil, making it easier for peppers to grow deep roots. Carrots also attract beneficial insects for peppers like ladybugs and lacewings.

  • Cilantro

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (6)

    Cilantro and peppers not only taste great together, they are also excellent companion plants. Cilantro attracts beneficial insects while also repelling pests like spider mites and aphids. Cilantro and other herbs like dill, oregano, and marjoram grow close to the ground so they won't compete with peppers for space.

  • 04 of 07

    Marigolds

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (7)

    While the data is lacking as to whether marigolds actually deter insect pests, they do attract beneficial insects such as lacewings, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps. Vibrant African or French marigolds are great for discouraging pests such as nematodes, squash bugs, and whiteflies. The bursts of color attracts pollinators and add a decorative look to the vegetable garden.

    Continue to 5 of 7 below

  • 05 of 07

    Nasturtiums

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (8)

    Aphids are drawn to peppers, but they prefer the round leaves of nasturtiums. Plant the peppers and nasturtiums within 12- to 18-inches of each other because aphids are tiny and can't travel far. As a bonus, having lots of aphids on nasturtiums will bring beneficial insects that feed on aphids, including ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings.

    Tip

    You can even add the peppery-tasting yellow or orange nasturtium blossoms to your salad along with slices of peppers.

  • 06 of 07

    Onions

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (9)

    Another common companion for peppers in the kitchen works well in the garden. Onions protect peppers against slugs, aphids, mites, and cabbage worms. You can choose to plant tender green onions or white, yellow, or red varieties.

  • 07 of 07

    Spinach

    7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (10)

    This leafy green is an ideal companion plant for peppers as it helps to shade the soil, retain soil moisture, and suppress weeds while attracting beneficial insects. Because spinach matures rapidly and is low growing beneath the pepper plants, you may be able to harvest two crops per growing season

Selecting and Planting Companion Plants for Peppers

  • Whether you are transplanting pepper plants and its companions into the garden or growing them all from seed, plan your transplanting and/or sowing so that the plants are in their later growth stages at a similar time.
  • Move the plants to the garden after the danger of frost has passed. Peppers, and their companion plants, need at least six to eight hours of full sun during the growing season. The soil should be well drained and contain organic matter. These plants will also thrive in large containers or raised beds.
  • Be sure to give the plants even and consistent watering of 1- to 2-inches per week. Pepper plants require a lot of water, so using companion plants can help provide mulch and keep the soil cool to help maintain soil moisture.
  • Peppers come in a variety of colors, shapes, flavors, and levels of heat. Bell peppers, Capsicum annuum (Grossum Group), are considered to be "sweet peppers" while the members of Capsicum annuum (Longum Group) include chili peppers and cayenne peppers.Whether you are growing sweet or hot peppers, planting these 8 companion plants can be beneficial in producing healthy, fruit-bearing plants.
  • If you like to grow peppers in containers, group containers containing these plants close together to reap a healthy crop.

What Not to Grow with Peppers

What are the worst plant companions for peppers? Again, avoiding some plants is scientifically based while others are anecdotal.

  • Apricots: If you want to produce quality apricots, do not attempt to grow peppers in containers or locate your garden plot near an apricot tree. A common pepper fungal disease can spread to your apricot tree, ruining fruit production.
  • Brassicas: Almanacs and home gardeners recommend avoiding planting brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, cauliflower)near peppers because they require different soil acidity levels and can deter pepper plant growth.
  • Beans: Beans require a large quantity of nitrogen to thrive and they will "steal" it from the soil and leave pepper plant growth stunted. Vining beans on tall stakes can also deprive pepper plants of sunlight.
  • Fennel: Fennel is also a greedy plant that consumes the nutrients in that pepper plants need to thrive.

Peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants are members of the nightshade family and can be planted together. However, the crops should be rotated in the garden every season. Don’t plant peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, or potatoes in the same garden spot more often than once every three years to help avoid disease.

11 Best Strawberry Companion Plants (and What Not to Plant Nearby)

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Companion Planting in the Vegetable Garden.University of Massachusetts Amhurst.

  2. Pepper. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.

7 Companion Plants Perfect for Peppers (and What to Avoid) (2024)

FAQs

What should you not plant peppers next to? ›

4 Plants to Avoid Growing With Peppers
  • Apricot: Avoid planting peppers near apricot trees. ...
  • Beans: Peppers and beans have incompatible soil nutrient needs. ...
  • Brassicas: The brassica family—broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale—has different soil preferences than peppers.
Aug 9, 2021

What not to plant near jalapenos? ›

Beans, in particular, are not good jalapeno pepper companions and should not be planted near them. Peas should also be avoided. Anything in the brassica family are not good companions for jalapenos.

Can cucumbers and peppers be planted together? ›

Cucumbers and squash plants pair well with peppers because their low growth habit shields the soil from direct sun, prevents weeds, and keeps your soil from drying out too quickly. If you choose to grow cucumbers as groundcovers without trellising, try adding organic mulch around your plants.

Can marigolds be planted with peppers? ›

A: Yes! Marigolds are incredibly easy to grow and make great pepper companions! A great pest deterrent based on their strong fragrance, as well as their ability to repel nematodes through their roots, marigolds are a long-standing pest deterrent in the vegetable garden.

What should you not plant near tomatoes? ›

10 Plants You Should Never Grow Next to Your Tomatoes
  • 01 of 10. Fennel. Fennel is not a good companion for any garden crop. ...
  • 02 of 10. Cabbage. Getty Images. ...
  • 03 of 10. Pole Beans. Neyya / Getty Images. ...
  • 04 of 10. Dill. Oxana Medvedeva / Getty Images. ...
  • 05 of 10. Corn. ...
  • 06 of 10. Okra. ...
  • 07 of 10. Potatoes. ...
  • 08 of 10. Broccoli.
7 days ago

Can tomatoes and peppers be planted together? ›

The reality is that because the two have similar growth requirements, they can in fact be grown quite successfully together. Diseases common to both tomato and pepper include Verticillium wilt and bacterial spot.

What is a good companion plant for hot peppers? ›

Pair hot peppers with annual flowers and herbs like cosmos, zinnia, borage, and basil to increase visits from pollinators and pepper yields. Interplant beans with peppers to maximize pepper growth and increase yield. For best results, sow bean seeds one week before transplanting pepper seedlings.

What grows well next to jalapenos? ›

then there are lots of options, and many of those that make good companions for bell or sweet peppers, are also good for jalapeños. Vegetable crops to grow alongside jalapeños include beans, peas, carrots and cucumbers. And therefore in reverse, peppers make good cucumber companion plants, and companions for the rest.

What should you not plant next to cucumbers? ›

Antagonistic plants for cucumbers
  • Plants in the same family as zucchinis, melons and pumpkins should not be planted directly next to cucumbers.
  • The same applies to Jerusalem artichokes, lovage, sage, radishes, radishes and tomatoes.
Apr 11, 2023

Can peppers and zucchini be planted together? ›

Zucchini can offer some shade and ground cover for peppers and the two crops grow well together. Peppers do not add any specific benefit for zucchini, but you can grow both together and have a good crop of both.

What grows well with bell peppers? ›

In a raised bed, various herbs such as basil, parsley or dill are good companions for peppers. Lettuce, carrots and onions also make good neighbours for peppers in a raised bed.

Can onions and peppers be planted together? ›

You can plant onions and peppers together. As onions do not take up a lot of room above the ground, they are good to plan as neighbors if you're growing peppers. Also, onions have a strong smell with helps to deter a lot of pests such as aphids and slugs, making them great for pepper companion planting.

What can you not plant near peppers? ›

Brassicas: Brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are not good companion plants for peppers as they require similar nutrients from the soil, which can lead to competition and reduced yield. They also attract pests such as flea beetles and cabbage worms that can damage pepper plants.

What can you not plant near marigolds? ›

Marigold companion planting enhances the growth of basil, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, kale, potatoes, squash and tomatoes. Marigold also makes a good companion plant to melons because it deters beetles. Beans and cabbage are listed as bad companion plants for marigolds.

What not to plant with zucchini? ›

Potatoes can also spread diseases such as late blight, which can also affect zucchinis. Cucumbers and pumpkins should not be planted next to zucchinis as they belong to the same family (Cucurbitaceae) and therefore attract similar pests and diseases.

What can and cannot be planted together? ›

Examples of Plants That Should Not Be Grown Together
AsparagusFennel, Garlic, Onions, Potatoes
BeansBroccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Chives, Garlic, Leeks, Onions
BeetsPole Beans
CabbageStrawberries, Lettuce, Corn, Dill, Eggplant, Peppers, Radishes, Rue, Tomatoes
CarrotsDill, Celery, Parsnip
21 more rows

What should not be planted with cucumbers? ›

Antagonistic plants for cucumbers
  1. Plants in the same family as zucchinis, melons and pumpkins should not be planted directly next to cucumbers.
  2. The same applies to Jerusalem artichokes, lovage, sage, radishes, radishes and tomatoes.
Apr 11, 2023

Do peppers like to be planted close? ›

Plant them 18 to 24 inches apart in a sunny, well-drained spot. Pepper plants need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil when planting. Water immediately after planting, then regularly throughout the season.

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