Companion Planting With Zucchini

Zucchini is a popular vegetable for many reasons. It’s delicious, it’s easy to grow, and it doesn’t require much space in the garden. However, if you have an abundance of zucchini on your hands (or in your garden), you may be wondering what else can be planted with them. That’s where companion planting comes into play! Companion planting is simply using plants that thrive together when they’re grown next to each other. But did you know there are some specific plants that actually improve the growth of zucchini? Let’s look at some of them:

Companions

Companion planting is a method of planting where you plant two or more crops together. The benefits of companion planting include improving the health and growth of your plants, deterring pests, attracting beneficial insects and pollinators, and improving soil quality.

In this article we’ll look at the following companion plants for zucchini:

• Beans (any kind)
• Basil

Mint

Mint is a great companion plant for zucchini. It can also be used as a companion plant for many vegetables, including cucumbers, squash and beans.

Mint’s aromatic leaves are an insect repellent that keeps away aphids, whiteflies and other harmful insects that feed on your plants. Mint’s volatile oils also deter adult flea beetles from laying eggs on your plants. If you want to keep the pests off your vegetable garden all season long, planting mint around each bed will help keep them away!

Basil

Basil is a great companion plant for zucchini, as well as tomatoes and peppers. Basil also works well with lettuce, eggplant, and other veggies that need a lot of water to grow.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a root vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a mild, cabbage-like flavor and crisp texture.

Kohlrabi tastes best when it’s young and tender; use the larger ones for cooking. If you’re growing kohlrabi from seed, plant them in spring after all danger of frost has passed to harvest in late summer or fall.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums: great companion plants for zucchini. Nasturtiums are a great companion plant for zucchini because they repel aphids. Aphids are small green bugs that damage your plants and cause them to produce less fruit, if any at all. Nasturtiums also repel squash bugs and squash vine borers, two other common pests that affect your garden.

Nasturtiums can be planted around your zucchini plants in between rows or as a border along the outside of the bed. They grow quickly, so be sure not to plant them too close together; otherwise they will shade out your zucchinis.

Peas

Peas grow best in cool weather and require loose, friable soil. Peas thrive in full sun but will tolerate partial shade and even dappled light. Because peas are legumes, they will help to improve the nitrogen content of your soil over time by adding nitrogen-fixing bacteria to their roots as they grow.

Members of the squash family also make good companions to zucchini.

Squash family plants, including cucumbers, pumpkins and melons, are also great companions for zucchini. They grow easily and they’re good pollinators. The squash family will keep pests away from your garden while attracting beneficial insects that eat pests.

For example:

• Cucumber beetles are one of the most common pests in home gardens—they can damage cucumber plants by sucking the juices out of their stems while they’re still tender young shoots (and they can even kill them if left untreated). Growing catnip nearby helps attract a predator called a hoverfly to your garden where it’ll lay eggs on the cucumbers’ leaves; when those eggs hatch into larvae, they feed on cuke-killing cukes! But don’t worry—the larvae won’t hurt your zucchinis because those guys don’t eat veggies at all–they just hang out there waiting for their next meal ticket so you don’t have to worry about bugs!

Zucchini is a great companion plant.

As a companion plant, zucchini is great with mint, basil, kohlrabi, nasturtiums and members of the squash family (including cucumbers).

In addition to adding flavor and color to your garden bed, companion plants can help deter pests. When planting in a bed with lots of other vegetables or herbs that you want to keep pest-free—chives planted near carrots is an example—the smell emanates from all sides and repels those pesky insects.

Companion planting with zucchini can be a great way to have a productive garden. The plant is not only easy to grow but also provides excellent companions for other plants.