Companion planting is the gardening practice of arranging certain plants next to one another for their mutual benefit and to promote their health and development.
Different plants can support neighboring ones by acting as natural pest repellants, enhancing the flavor of fruits or vegetables, blocking weed growth, helping to retain the soil’s moisture, or boosting the soil with nutrients.
Zucchini is one of the three vegetables that grow well together (the others being beans and corn). Zucchini and other squash are “high feeders” and need more fertilizer than other plants for optimal growth and development.
While corn stalks provide vining plants like beans with a backbone on which to climb, beans and other legumes like peas extract nitrogen from the air and deposit it into the soil.
Zucchini, beans, and corn are often grown as companion plants, and there are other plants that make great companion plants for zucchini, too.
Here are seven plants to consider planting that make great companion plants for zucchini.
1. Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are lovely companion plants for zucchini. They are edible flowering plants that ward off pests like flea beetles and attract advantageous insects that help pollinate plants.
Plant nasturtiums around zucchini plants as a natural pest repellant as they add color to your yard.
2. Radishes
Radishes have earned the reputation of being garden “workhorses” because these dainty plants repel aphids, squash bugs, and cucumber beetles. They don’t take up much space, so they can easily be planted next to larger vegetables like zucchini.
3. Borage
Borage is an annual herb that is easy to maintain and grows quickly. Their brilliant blue flowers taste and smell like cucumbers.
This herb’s flowers entice bees, butterflies, and other pollinators into gardens where they can pollinate lots of different plants.
In addition, borage plants release calcium and potassium into the soil, which helps fight diseases like blossom rot in zucchini and tomatoes.
4. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is a fragrant perennial herb and is another excellent companion plant for your zucchini. They are lively plants with lovely heart-shaped leaves, and they release a pleasant citrus scent.
Lemon balm is a member of the mint family and is simple to grow, even for amateur gardeners.
Lemon balm makes a great companion plant because it attracts bees and other pollinators while repelling pests like gnats and mosquitoes.
Some gardeners assert that lemon balm also controls weed growth.
5. Sunflowers
When planted next to zucchini plants, sunflowers provide natural support for climbing. They are also known to entice pollinators like bees and birds, which feed on the plant’s seeds in the fall.
These birds may also consume other passing insects that could pose a threat to growing zucchini plants.
6. White Clover
White clovers are great companion plants for zucchini because they increase the amount of nitrogen in the soil. Plant then near or directly beside zucchini to ensure your plants can take advantage of the additional nutrition.
To prevent the clover from developing a “weedy” appearance, mow it before it produces seeds.
7. Oats
Field oats are good for effective and natural weed management around taller veggies like zucchini. They grow fast in the summer and fall but can be destroyed in harsh winter weather.
Mowing oats regularly during their growing season is essential for maximizing their benefits for growing zucchini plants. Mowed oat stems will continue to suppress weeds when left in place.
Only plant oats with vegetables growing from transplants, not from seed. Oats are allelopathic, meaning they contain substances that can impede the development of growing plants.
