Companion Planting Beets: The Best Companions For Beets
Beets have tender flavorful tops that tend to attract pests ranging from voles to cabbage worms. Because of this, beets are best grown in a bed that is companion planted with plenty of great plants that can help repel pests so your harvest can survive.
Companion planting is one of the best tools that home gardeners can use to their advantage when it comes to helping their garden thrive and producing the best yield possible.
Why Should You Companion Plant Beets?
Beets make a great companion plant for the garden. Beets get along well with a wide variety of plants and can help diversify your garden helping to protect against pest damage, and slow the spread of disease.
Companion planting also helps you maximize the space in your garden by allowing you to grow beets along with plants that grow deeper roots in the same area.
Beets are heavy feeders that can grow well alongside light feeders without causing issues allowing for your soil to remain more balanced.
How to Best Companion Plant Beets
Companion planting beets is a bit tricky because you do not want them to get in the way of your beets growth.
Planting things that will be gone by the time your beets need the soil or items with a small root system is a great way to make the best use of your garden space.
Using plants to repel pests will keep them from eating your beets will help protect the young tender leaves that make a tasty snack for many common garden pests.
When planting beets you should avoid shading them with taller plants. Beets make a great addition to the south side of garden beds where the low profile leaves with getting plenty of sunshine.
The Best Companion Plants for Beets
Cucumbers
Cucumbers make a great companion plant for beets. These root vegetables will grow well in the same garden beds.
Cucumbers root down much deeper than beets pulling nutrients from deep within the soil and even helping to move them up to where you can take advantage of the space in your garden.
Lettuce
Lettuce makes a great companion plant for beets because of its relatively short roots that won’t compete for space in your garden with your beets that are shallow and need room to grow in the soil.
Lettuce will not create competition for space and nutrients of nearby planted beets.
Radishes
Radishes make a great addition to your garden and grow well right alongside beets. Radishes grow much faster than beets allowing them to grow side by side.
When you harvest your radishes the soil will be loosened allowing the beets to spread out easier as they continue to grow later in the season.
Catnip
Catnip makes a great addition to your beet patch. It will help to repel unwanted insects that love to feast on your beet tops as well as voles and mice that find your beets leafy tops to be a tasty snack.
Bush Beans
Bush beans make a great companion plant for your beets. This may be a bit of a shock because pole beans should be avoided in your beet patch or they will stunt your beets growth but bush beans are actually quite beneficial.
Both bush beans and your beets will thrive as they work together to provide balance for the soil that helps both plants thrive.
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Broccoli and cauliflower make a great addition to your beets in the garden. Broccoli and cauliflower can grow near beets without problems because the low foliage of beets will not block the airflow around fully grown broccoli, preventing issues with mildew and rot.
Corn
Corn can be planted with beets to help make the most of your space. Corns roots go deep into the ground without interfering with the growth of nearby beets.
The two will help to keep the soil balanced and will benefit each other. Be sure to plant the corn on the north side of the beets so they do not shade them from the sun.
Garlic and Onions
Garlic and onions make great companion plants for beets. It does grow in the same section of soil so make sure you leave enough room between plants for them to grow.
Garlic will help to repel pests that you will commonly find attacking your tender beet tops.
What Not to Companion Plant With Beets
Pole beans should be avoided when growing beets in your garden. While other forms of beans are great for your beets, pole beans that you would be growing in a trellis in with your beets are best avoided. Pole beans will block the sun and pull nutrients that will lead to stunted growth of your beets.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes should not be grown with your beets. This is because the harvest of one or the other can damage the other crop and they both require similar nutrients from the soil.
So now that you know which plants grow best with beets, and why beets make a great companion plant for the garden. Why not check out these other companion planting guides:
