Tomato plants are particularly susceptible to fungal diseases. As a result, the plants can die within a few weeks after just one harvest cycle. With the right plants as neighbors, you can promote perennial health and an abundant harvest.
Advantages of mixed culture
Mixed culture is a concept that has developed over generations. It was observed which types of vegetables have a positive or negative effect on the vegetables in the immediate vicinity. Particularly with sensitive plants such as tomatoes, it is important to pay attention to the right plant neighbors and not to plant unsuitable vegetables or herbs in the immediate vicinity.
Positive effects of mixed cultures:
- mutual defense against pests
- Disease prevention
- optimal use of the available space
- optimal use of available nutrients
Another advantage of mixed cultures is that the plants can protect themselves even in extreme weather. For example, tomato plants value constantly moist soil, which can be achieved by plants that cover the soil well. The tomato is also a sun worshiper and plants that cannot tolerate so much sun thrive in its shade.
Note:
In addition to good and bad partners, there are also so-called neutral neighboring plants. They hardly support each other, but there are also no negative effects when planted next to each other.Good plant neighbors
The classic combination with tomato plants is basil. Not only because it is convenient to harvest, because both are often eaten together, but basil keeps the whitefly away and prevents powdery mildew. They also have fungicidal properties chamomile and Garlic, which are suitable as good partners in the tomato patch.
Other good combinations:
- Salads
- Nasturtiums
- French beans
- Carrots
- mint
- spinach
- Marigolds
When choosing suitable partners, you should consider if you have other vegetables in the bed plant, again make sure that the good neighbors to the tomato also have other vegetables tolerate.
Note: Tomato plants are prone to late blight, so combinations with crops that have fungicidal effects should
to be favoured. This includes mixed cultures with vegetables from the leek family.Tomatoes as a supporter
Not only are the tomato plants protected by good partners, the tomatoes themselves are good partners for other crops. In nasturtiums or beans, their intense odor acts as a defense against aphids. Pests on beans are also driven away by the intense smell of the tomato plants.
Note: Plant broths or manure can be made from distant shoots and leaves of the tomato plants, which in turn can be used to ward off pests for other crops.
Heavy drain as a neighbor
Tomato plants are heavy eaters, which is why they rarely stand next to other heavy eaters in mixed cultivation. However, if there are more than enough nutrients in the soil, as long as the vegetable species do not hinder each other in another way, there is nothing against a combination with heavy eaters.
Therefore, the following plants are also suitable as neighbors for tomatoes:
- Corn (Zea mays)
- Root parsley (Petroselinum crispum subsp. tuberosum)
- Endive (Cichorium endivia)
- Seasoned Tagetes (Tagetes tenuifolia)
Difficult partnerships
In addition to completely unsuitable partnerships, there are also neighbors with whom the tomatoes have a difficult relationship. They do not fit into any category, because the effect on each other is not common to every hobby gardener. he wishes.
celery
Often celery is said to be a good partner for tomatoes. In principle, this partnership is not disadvantageous, but it can happen that the fruits of the tomato have a slight taste of celery. Does this bother
not or if the fruits are to be processed into soup anyway, then there is nothing wrong with this partnership.Cabbage
Cabbage species and tomato plants also have a difficult relationship to one another. Towards autumn, dead plant parts of cabbage species favor Late blight in tomato plants. On the other hand, the intense smell of the tomato plants drives away Pests such as fleas or cabbage whites on cabbage species. For this reason, only types of cabbage that grow quickly are suitable for mixed cultivation. This includes, for example, kohlrabi or cabbage, which can be harvested early.
Cruciferous vegetables
In general, you should be careful with plants from the cruciferous family, as they are also susceptible to Late blight are. Only cruciferous vegetables that also grow quickly, such as:
- radish
- Garden cress
- arugula
- mustard
Bad neighbors
There are some combinations that are neither good nor neutral, on the contrary, they even harm each other.
Nightshade family
These include primarily plants that, like the tomato plant, also belong to the nightshade family. Post shade plants are prone to the same diseases and pests:
- potatoes
- paprika
- Eggplant
Combined, for example, is a great food for potato beetles.
pumpkin
Tomato plants and cucurbits are also a bad combination. The main risk here is that powdery mildew will spread quickly.
More bad neighbors
- fennel
- Beetroot
- Swiss chard
- peas
- Red cabbage