12 Potato Companion Plants For A Plentiful Harvest

Potatoes in ground — Photo:
cash14/Getty Images

There's perhaps no vegetable more humble than the potato. This starchy spud grows quietly underground but, once you've dug up your harvest, you're treated to everything from sides dishes like perfectly crisp homemade french fries to scalloped potatoes to recipes from breakfast to dinner. Potatoes are the versatile workhorse of the kitchen and, depending on the variety you plant, your harvest season could last several months.

But you'll find the most luck in growing a healthy crop of potatoes if you plant them with carefully selected companion plants that will enhance their flavor and help them grow without the threat of disease or pests.

How To Use Companion Planting in Your Garden

When gardeners design their garden based on companion planting, they're strategically placing two or more plants next to each other that will offer benefits including adding nutrients into the soil, repelling pests, and creating the right environment for a more flavorful crop. Often, two companion plants will require the same growing conditions—light, soil, water, but they'll thrive based on different nutrients.

Best Companion Plants for Potatoes

For potatoes, the best companion plants are often those that grow with shallow root systems. These won't disturb the deep roots of potatoes. They also enjoy growing near herbs, like cilantro, basil, and parsley, which can enhance their flavor and set you up for the perfect baked potato.

Ready to plan your garden with an emphasis on the best garden friends for your potatoes? Here are twelve of the best companion plants to ensure you'll have an abundant, mild-tasting potato crop by late summer.

01 of 12

Spinach

Botanical Name: Spinacia oleracea
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline

The shallow roots of spinach won't threaten a potato's underground growth, which makes it an ideal companion plant. Depending on your planting schedule, you could end up with a spinach harvest in early fall, just as you're harvesting potatoes. And is there any better combination than creamed spinach and scalloped potatoes for a delicious and hearty meal?

02 of 12

Garlic

Botanical Name: Allium sativum
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral

While garlic is also an underground vegetable, it still makes for an excellent companion for potatoes. Their strong scent will keep away aphids and beetles, both of which are eager to attack your potatoes. Plus, they'll prevent diseases and fungal infections, like brown leaf spot, from impacting your crop.

03 of 12

Beans

Botanical Name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic

Beans, in their many shapes and sizes, including green beans, are one of the most agreeable plants to place side-by-side with potatoes. They add nitrogen into the soil, which potatoes need to thrive. Try planting the two in alternating rows.

04 of 12

Cabbage

Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Loamy, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Potato beetles are one of the biggest threats to your potato harvest. They can't get enough of the leaves that grow above the ground. But, thankfully, planting cabbage nearby will help deter the beetles from making their home amidst your potato plants.

05 of 12

Horseradish

Botanical Name: Armoracia rusticana
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Loamy, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Most plants with a strong, distinct odor are going to help keep pesky predators away. Horseradish will help deter the Colorado potato beetle, which is one of the most harmful pests for your potato plants.

06 of 12

Lettuce

Botanical Name: Lactuca sativa
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Loamy, rich, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Similar to spinach, lettuce and potatoes grow neatly together, not disturbing the other. You can plant a row of shallow rooted lettuce, then a row of deep rooted potatoes, and the two will happily co-exist. Plus, potatoes and lettuce are two of the easiest vegetables to grow in the garden, so you'll have no trouble getting your companion plants to thrive.

07 of 12

Chives

Botanical Name: Allium schoenoprasum
Sun Exposure: Full sun but will tolerate some shade
Soil Type: Well-drained, sandy or loamy
Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0-7.0)

The strong, onion-like smell of chives will keep away potato pests including aphids and spider mites, and their brilliant purple flowers will attract pollinators to your garden.

08 of 12

Basil

Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Moist, rich
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline

Thrips are another pests that will attack potato plants, but, if you plant basil as a companion to potatoes in the garden, you shouldn't have a problem. Basil is known for deterring thrips while also adding flavor to your mild-mannered spuds.

09 of 12

Marigold

Botanical Name: Tagetes spp.
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral

Marigolds are nearly every plant's best friend in the garden. They're known for repelling a wide variety of pests including the potato beetle, nematodes, whiteflies, and thrips. Plus, they add a pop of color to your garden.

10 of 12

Cilantro

Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic

Cilantro is a great companion plant not for the pests it deters, but the bugs it attracts. By attracting ladybugs and lacewings, cilantro brings in the main predators for potato-eating insects like aphids, mites, whiteflies, and thrips.

11 of 12

Parsley

Botanical Name: Petroselinum crispum
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Well-drained, rich
Soil pH: Slightly acidic, neutral

Shallow rooted parsley is known for improving the flavor of potatoes while also repelling Colorado potato beetles. If it blooms, its flowers will also attract hoverflies, which are known for feasting on aphids.

12 of 12

Nasturtiums

Botanical Name: Tropaeolum spp.
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline

Nasturtiums attract many of the same pests as potatoes—namely aphids and potato beetles—and that's exactly why you should plant them in your garden. If you plant them at the same time as potatoes, but just far enough away, you'll create a distraction that will leave your potatoes pest-free.

Keep These Three Plants Away From Potatoes

Potatoes are members of a family of vegetables called nightshades, which are rich in nutrients but also produce a toxic compound known as alkaloids. These are fine when consumed in small doses, but, generally, you shouldn't plant multiple nightshades in the same location. When planted together, they'll produce an environment ripe for spreading disease from plant-to-plant.

Here are three plants you should never plant with potatoes.

Eggplant

Eggplants are one of the nightshades that shouldn't be planted near potatoes. Not only do these two vegetables enjoy the same nutrients from the soil, but they will fall victim to the same blight. It's a lose-lose situation when these two are next to each other.

Cucumber

Bite into a refreshing cucumber, and you won't be surprised to learn they require an enormous amount of water. This means any vegetable planted nearby will end up thirsty, and that's not a great scenario for growing potatoes.

Root Vegetables

Because potatoes are root vegetables, they don't play well planted with other root vegetables. Whether it's carrots or turnips, they'll compete for space in the soil, and they'll want to take the same nutrients from the soil.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!