What Are the Best Companion Plants for Potatoes?
Potatoes grow best with sweet alyssum, beans, corn, marigolds and cabbage. 5 plants in our chart pair well with potatoes, mostly by deterring or trapping pests and using space and time efficiently; 1 of those pairings is research-supported.
| Plant | Why | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet AlyssumPollinators & beneficials | Sweet alyssum feeds hoverflies and parasitic wasps that eat aphids, which spread potato viruses. | Research-supported |
| BeansPest control | Bush beans between potato rows are an old remedy against Colorado potato beetles; results are mixed, but the crops don't compete much. | Traditional |
| CornSpace & timing | Corn and potatoes have long been grown in alternating rows; they belong to different families and share few pests. | Traditional |
| MarigoldsPest control | Marigolds are said to deter potato beetles; the evidence is anecdotal, though dense marigold plantings do reduce nematodes that damage tubers. | Traditional |
| CabbageSpace & timing | Early cabbage and potatoes were traditionally grown side by side; they are unrelated and share few pests or diseases. | Traditional |
Good companion plants for potatoes, strongest evidence first.
What Should You Not Plant With Potatoes?
Don't plant potatoes near tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, strawberries and pumpkins. The conflicts come mainly from competition for space, light or water and shared pests and diseases; 4 of the 12 are research-supported and the rest are practical or traditional rules.
| Plant | Why | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| TomatoesShared pests & disease | Both are nightshades that share late blight, early blight, Verticillium wilt and Colorado potato beetles; spores and pests move from one crop to the other. | Research-supported |
| PeppersShared pests & disease | Potatoes share Verticillium wilt and potato virus Y with peppers; aphids spread the virus from potato plants to nearby peppers. | Research-supported |
| EggplantShared pests & disease | Colorado potato beetles build up on potatoes and move to eggplant, their other favorite host; both crops also share Verticillium wilt. | Research-supported |
| StrawberriesShared pests & disease | Potatoes host Verticillium wilt, a soil fungus that survives for years and kills strawberry plants. Don't grow strawberries near or after potatoes. | Research-supported |
| PumpkinsCompetition | Pumpkin vines smother potato rows and block the hilling potatoes need. | Practical |
| ZucchiniCompetition | Zucchini's broad leaves shade potato plants and cover the soil you need for hilling. | Practical |
| MelonsCompetition | Melon vines get trampled when potatoes are hilled, and both crops need the same open, sunny ground. | Practical |
| WatermelonCompetition | Watermelon vines run into potato rows, where they are damaged during hilling and compete for space. | Practical |
| AsparagusCompetition | Digging potatoes damages the shallow, spreading roots of asparagus crowns. | Practical |
| CucumbersCompetition | Garden lore links cucumbers and potatoes to blight, which doesn't hold — cucumbers don't host potato late blight. The real issue is that cucumber vines crowd potato rows and both crops need steady moisture. | Traditional |
| SunflowersAllelopathy | Sunflower residues contain allelopathic compounds, and tall sunflowers shade potatoes; reports of smaller tuber yields are mainly anecdotal. | Traditional |
| Black WalnutAllelopathy | Black walnut roots release juglone, and potatoes are commonly reported to wilt and decline within the tree's root zone. | Traditional |
Plants to keep away from potatoes.
Which Potato Companion Claims Are Backed by Research?
5 of the 17 potato pairings in our data are research-supported: sweet alyssum, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and strawberries. Of the rest, 5 rest on practical horticulture and 7 are traditional claims.
Research-supported pairings rest on documented biology: shared pathogens, pollination, nematode suppression or insects that feed on specific flowers. Practical pairings are plain logic about space, shade and timing. Traditional companions such as beans, corn, marigolds and cabbage are harmless to grow with potatoes, but don't rely on them for pest control — row covers, crop rotation and regular checks do more.
How Should You Plant Potatoes With Companions?
Plant potatoes in rows 30 to 36 inches (75–90 cm) apart and alternate potato rows with bush bean rows, or grow corn along the north side. Keep tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and strawberries in a different bed, and don't follow potatoes with them.
Companions still need room of their own, so work out how many potatoes and partner plants fit in a bed with the plant spacing calculator. Planting dates for potatoes and their companions follow your local spring and fall frost dates, so cool-season partners can be sown together in early spring or late summer for a fall crop.
Watering, feeding, light and harvest timing for potatoes are covered in the potato plant care guide.
Which Crops Share Companions With Potatoes?
Tomatoes, beans and corn share companion plants or growing conditions with potatoes, so their companion guides help plan the same bed or rotation.
- The guide to companion plants for tomatoes overlaps with this one: both crops grow well with sweet alyssum and marigolds, but tomatoes and potatoes should grow in separate beds.
- The guide to companion plants for beans overlaps with this one: both crops grow well with corn and marigolds, and beans are a good companion for potatoes too.
- The guide to companion plants for corn overlaps with this one: both crops grow well with beans, and corn is a good companion for potatoes too.
To check potatoes against every other plant at once, or test a whole bed plan, use the companion planting chart and garden checker.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best companion plant for potatoes?
- Sweet alyssum is one of the best-supported companions for potatoes. Sweet alyssum feeds hoverflies and parasitic wasps that eat aphids, which spread potato viruses.
- What should you not plant with potatoes?
- Avoid planting potatoes near tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, strawberries, pumpkins and zucchini. The most important conflict is with tomatoes: Both are nightshades that share late blight, early blight, Verticillium wilt and Colorado potato beetles; spores and pests move from one crop to the other.
- Can you plant potatoes and tomatoes together?
- It's better to keep potatoes and tomatoes apart. Both are nightshades that share late blight, early blight, Verticillium wilt and Colorado potato beetles; spores and pests move from one crop to the other.
- Does companion planting really work for potatoes?
- Partly. 5 of the 17 potato pairings in our data are backed by research, 5 are practical space or timing rules, and 7 are traditional. Flowers that feed beneficial insects and separating crops that share diseases have the strongest evidence.
Companion data: PlantoScan's own editorial compilation, written from general horticultural knowledge, plant pathology and published intercropping research. Evidence labels are our editorial judgment; results vary with climate, soil, variety and pest pressure.