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Peas can be a great addition to a home garden. And if you are growing peas in your garden this season you might be wondering what grows well next to peas? When using peas in companion planting you can add beneficial nitrogen to the soil, help repel unwanted bugs, and cast some beneficial shade to certain crops. In this article, we go over good companion plants for peas and what not to plant with peas in the garden.
Good Companion Plants for Peas
- Beans
- Carrots
- Celery
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Ginger
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Mint
- Okra
- Parsley
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Radishes
- Sage
- Spinach
- Squash
- Strawberries
- Turmeric
- Zucchini
Beans like the same growing conditions as peas and also help add nitrogen to the soil just like peas do. Make sure not to plant peas and pole beans too close as you don’t want the vines competing for space and light.
Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, and Zucchini all benefit from the nitrogen added to the soil by peas.
Ginger is a good companion plant for peas because it benefits from shade provided by the pea plant and also from the extra nitrogen.
Peppers: Both hot peppers and green peppers make good companion plants for peas because they benefit from peas adding nitrogen to the soil.
Potatoes give an extra benefit to peas when used as a companion crop. Potatoes help repel the bean beetle, which peas can be susceptible to. Peas also contribute to pest control for potatoes when planted together, as peas help keep away the Colorado potato beetle. When using potatoes as a companion crop with peas. However, be sure to plant the peas early in the potato season, not late in the potato season.
Spinach when used as a companion plant with peas will benefit from shade cast by the growing pea plants. And of course like other vegetables, spinach benefits from the nitrogen peas add back into the soil.
What Not to Plant With Peas In The Garden
- Cauliflower
- Chives
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Onions
- Scallions
- Shallots
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
Cauliflower does not do well as a companion plant with peas because the cauliflower growing near peas can have it’s growth stunted, and it’s yield reduced by almost 30%.
Garlic, Leeks, Scallions, and Shallots can cause stunted growth of peas growing nearby. Garlic as a companion crop to peas has also been shown to have it’s yield affected according to this study. It showed that garlic yield was down 65.8% when planted with peas.
Onions don’t thrive very well when planted near peas.
Tomatoes don’t do well with extra nitrogen in the soil. Tomatoes also grow tall, especially indeterminate vines, this will cause both the pea plants and the tomato plants to compete for sunlight. Peas can also make tomato plants more susceptible to root rot.
Turnips have been shown to have a lower yield (almost 30% lower) at harvest time when used as a companion crop for peas.
Related Reading:
Companion Plants for Leeks
Companion Plants for Tomatoes
Companion Plants for Bell Peppers
