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Spinach, like lettuce, is a popular crop to grow in a home garden. Spinach can also be used as a companion plant to other crops to help save space in smaller gardens. It also benefits from other crops growing near it. In this article we go over companion plants for spinach in the garden, and what not to plant with spinach.
Good Companion Plants For Spinach
- Asparagus
- Basil
- Beans
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Horseradish
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Melons
- Nasturtium
- Onions
- Peas
- Radishes
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
- Zucchini
Beans make great companion plants for spinach. Beans provide spinach with shade that help protect it from heat and keep it from bolting. You can use different types of green beans or other legumes as companions with spinach in the garden. Spinach will also benefit from the extra nitrogen in the soil from beans.
Companion Plants for Green Beans
Basil can help keep unwanted insects away from spinach growing in the garden. Find other companion plants for basil here.
Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts all will work well as companion plants for spinach, as they can all be planted close together to help save space.
Companion Plants for Broccoli
Eggplant is another companion plant that will provide shade for spinach. Find out what else is good to plant with eggplant here.
Garlic can help keep away unwanted pests like aphids, flea beetles, and spider mites. Spinach will benefit growing garlic by providing a ground cover to help keep weeds from overtaking your garlic crop. This is also a great companion plant to help save space in the garden.
Leeks can be used as a companion plant for spinach and will help keep away carrot rust flies. If you are planting beans or peas near your spinach, be sure the leeks are not planted too close to them.
Nasturtium, a very common companion plant, works great with spinach. It helps keep beetles and aphids away.
Peas not only provide shade for spinach, but also like beans, they will add nitrogen to the soil helping growing spinach. Find out what else to plant with peas in the garden.
Radishes act as a trap crop when used as one of the companion plants for spinach. Radishes will help attract leafminers to their leaves, helping keep them off your spinach crop.
Companion Plants for Radishes
Strawberries will not compete for nutrients from the soil with growing spinach. Strawberries will benefit from shade cast by the spinach leaves. Spinach produces saponin, which is antifungal and antibacterial, and growing strawberries will benefit from this too. Make sure if using strawberries as a companion plant for your spinach, do not use another companion crop from the Brassica family (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, etc).
Tomatoes and spinach work best as companion crops when your tomato plants are still young and growing. Since spinach is a fast growing and early harvest crop, you will have harvested your spinach before the tomato plants grow too much to cause any issues with the spinach. This is a great way to help save space in the garden. Find out what else to plant with tomato plants here.
Zucchini can provide shade to spinach.
Companion Plants for Zucchini
What Not To Plant With Spinach
- Fennel
- Potatoes
- Swiss Chard
Fennel is one of those crops that should be planted alone and does not make a good companion plant for just about anything else in the garden.
Potatoes can block too much light and also compete for nutrients in the soil. Discover what you can use as companion plants for potatoes here.
Swiss Chard is in the same family as spinach and if you plant these two crops together it can help attract even more pests and disease. It is best to keep these two crops in separate areas of your garden to help control harmful pests and contain any possible disease outbreaks among your crops.
Frequently Asked Questions About Companion Planting for Spinach
Yes spinach and tomato plants are good companion plants. When planting spinach and tomatoes together you will want to harvest your spinach before the tomato plants get too big.
While there is no indication that carrots cannot be planted with spinach, there also isn’t any indication that there are benefits of planting carrots with spinach. If you do plant spinach and carrots together, it would be best to plant the spinach between the rows of carrots, this can help save space in the garden.
Fennel and potatoes should both not be used as companion plants for spinach.
Basil is another plant that doesn’t have any direct indication that it is a good companion plant for spinach. However, basil can repel aphids, beetles, mosquitoes, hornworms, and whiteflies. This can be good for spinach, especially if using tomatoes as a companion plant for spinach.
Companion Plants for Strawberries
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