What Can You Plant With Potatoes

One of the most popular vegetables grown by the home gardener along with tomatoes. Also like their cousin the tomato, they have preferences when it comes to neighbours. So what can you plant with potatoes?

What Can You Plant With Potatoes

In the UK potatoes are generally sown from March and depending on type are harvested from June through to October. In all cases potatoes should be lifted before frosts return to your area. There are many plants that can be grown as companion plants with potatoes, below is a list of some of the best ones.

Potatoes and Celery

Celery has a strong scent which will deter pests like aphids and potato leafhoppers from your potatoes.

Potatoes and Sweetcorn

The relatively long growing season needed to produce decent ears of sweetcorn make it an ideal companion for potatoes. Grow sweetcorn between the rows of potatoes as protection from the wind and hot sun.

Potatoes and Horseradish

This one comes with a warning, horseradish can become host to the cabbage white butterfly’s caterpillar so keep well away from brassicas. Horseradish planted at the corners of the potato patch will provide general protection from general potato bugs including potato beetles, aphids, and blister beetles.

For more information on potato pests click here for the university of Kentucky’s page potato pests.

The oils exuded by horseradish are the reason for this protection from insects. The problem is this same oil will flavour any plant grown close to it and that’s why it should be grown at the corners of the patch. Once planted it is difficult to eradicate because the smallest piece of root will spread this plant, so it is often grown in large pots sunk into the soil.

The oils released by horseradish are also anti bacterial and anti fungal which will help to protect your potatoes from diseases like blight and others for more on diseases in potatoes click here to link to the university of Massachusetts post.

Potatoes and Peas

Peas fix nitrogen in the air, they don’t take any from surrounding crops. This makes them ideal companions for potatoes. Only grow peas with early potatoes because peas can carry fusarium crown and root rot which is more likely to affect second earlies and main crop potatoes.

The Colorado Beetle, a major pest in potatoes is repelled by peas but because of the potential for viral diseases being carried by them, only grow with early varieties. To learn more about companion planting peas click the link.

Potatoes and Onions

Onions make good companions for potatoes but never grow peas and onions together. The strong scent of the onion will keep many pests away from potatoes. The high sulphur content in onions gives them anti-fungal properties that will keep many diseases away.

Potatoes and Garlic

Garlic is a great companion plant for potatoes, it has a beneficial effect on all it’s neighbours. By releasing sulphur through its roots, garlic keeps the surrounding soil free from many infections. Garlic also repels many pests including aphids, slugs, snails and many others.

Potatoes and Dead Nettles

Dead nettles make good companions for potatoes by improving the flavour, promoting growth, and by keeping pests away.

Potatoes and Sage

Growing sage in companion to potatoes or even placing sage cuttings around potato plants will deter flea beetles.

Potatoes and Marigolds

Eel worm is a serious cause of damage to potato crops and eel worms are repelled by marigolds especially tagetes. The only problem here is marigolds are attractive to slugs so you will need to keep a lookout for them. For more on marigold companion planting click the link.

Potatoes and Petunias

Petunias are useful in repelling many garden pests including aphids, leafhoppers and beetles.

Potatoes and Flax

Flax or linseed is known to deter potato bugs and improve both the growth and flavour of potatoes. It comes in a variety of colours and is a decorative plant to brighten up the veg garden.

Potatoes and Alyssum

Alyssum is a great plant to grow with potatoes as a ground cover plant to stop weeds from growing. The alyssum flowers also attract beneficial wasps that get rid of harmful insects.

Potatoes and Bush Beans

Bush beans or dwarf beans fix nitrogen in the air and therefore are a good companion plant for potatoes. They are also known to repel Colorado beetles so are well worth growing in companion with potatoes. Potatoes in turn, keep Mexican bean beetles away from the beans.

Potatoes and Lettuce

Lettuce can easily be grown in between potato plants and will provide ground cover to prevent weeds. They are a cool weather crop so they will be gone before potato harvest time.

Potatoes and Spinach

Spinach is a good plant to grow in companion with potatoes and will be gone before it’s time to lift potatoes. It provides ground cover and helps prevent water evaporation.

Herbs As Potato Companion Plants

Grow these herbs as companions to potatoes to enhance the flavour:-

• Thyme
• Basil
• Chamomile
• Yarrow
• Parsley

All of these also attract many beneficial insects to the potato patch and are attractive plants in their own right.

So that answers what can you plant with potatoes, now let’s look at the flip side.

What Not To Grow With Potatoes

This list is surprisingly long and takes many factors into account. What not to grow with potatoes includes:-

Potatoes and Tomatoes

On paper there shouldn’t be a problem growing these two together. The problem is they are closely related and suffer from the same pests and diseases. For example the same blight spores affect both plants and this is a major problem.

Potatoes and Asparagus

There are many references to this combination being bad but no clear cut reason why. That said asparagus has an extensive root system and harvesting potatoes would be disruptive.

Potatoes and Cucumbers

Cucumbers and all members of the curcubit family, make potatoes more susceptible to blight. Keep cucumbers and melons away from potatoes.

Potatoes and Squashes

All squashes should be kept far away from potatoes as they make potatoes more prone to diseases like blight. This includes pumpkins, butter nuts, courgettes (zucchini) and all other members of the squash family.

Potatoes and Sunflowers

Sunflowers are an allelopathic plant, well known for inhibiting seed germination. When grown near potatoes they stunt plant growth which will lead to smaller misshaped potatoes.

Potatoes and Fennel

Fennel is another allelopathic plant and nothing grows well anywhere near it. If left to flower fennel attracts beneficial and predatory insects. So if space allows grow alone but near other plants.

Potatoes and Brassicas

Brassicas need a different acid content to the soil than is favoured by potatoes. Members of the brassica family need neutral soil whereas potatoes thrive in more acidic soils. Brassicas do better in soil that has been treated with lime.

Potatoes will suffer from scab if there is too much garden lime in the soil. It is better to grow these two as far away from each other as possible.

Companion Planting With Potatoes-A Summary

Companion Planting Potatoes

Many modern farmers are turning to companion planting to grow potatoes and other food crops. It cuts down on harmful and costly chemicals and is better for the environment, wildlife, health, and the farmers bank balance.