In a world gone mad with tomato plants, cucumber remains the only real option for those who care about their garden. Cucumbers are easy to grow and do not require that much attention. They also can be eaten raw if picked early in the season or used as pickles when they have reached full maturity.
Cucumber Companion Plants: What to Plant and What not to is a blog post about what plants are good for growing with cucumbers, and which ones should be avoided. Read more in detail here: bad companion plants for cucumbers.
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Not sure which plants make ideal cucumber companions? You’ve arrived to the correct location!
If you read our earlier piece on tomato growing tips for a higher yield, you’ll recall that we recommended interplanting to keep pests at bay.
This is true for cucumbers as well. Companion planting is the term for this kind of interplanting. It’s also handy for a variety of additional purposes.
Some plants, for example, enhance soil conditions while others increase yield, but cucumbers cannot be paired with just any plant.
Finding the ideal cucumber companion plants might be difficult if you are a novice home gardener. But, as usual, YardSurfer and experts have you covered.
The finest and worst cucumber companion plants are shown below.
Contents
Companion Plants for Cucumbers
Beans
Beans’ nitrogen-fixing qualities make them one of the greatest companion plants for cucumbers and a number of other crops. However, why does the plant need nitrogen?
What you may not realize is that nitrogen, like potassium and phosphorus, is a component of chlorophyll and plays an important role in photosynthesis. As a result, sooner rather than later, the soil will run out of it.
You may go a mile farther and choose bush beans, which promote even more growth and output.
When growing beans, however, utilize a shared trellis for the greatest results. Furthermore, it will save you a lot of room in the yard.
Other legumes, such as peas, may be substituted for beans. Garden peas are the greatest choice for this task.
Corn
Do you have any maize plants in your garden? Except for cucumbers, maize takes up a lot of room and is difficult to cultivate alongside other plants.
Corn, unlike beans or peas, has no direct influence on soil quality, but if you have large corn plants, they are compatible enough for a good relationship.
This is because the corn plant’s stalks function as a natural trellis for the cucumber plant’s vines. However, grow smaller cucumbers so that the stalks can support the weight.
Cucumbers also have a role to perform. They function as mulch for the corn plants, reducing weed development and preserving moisture.
Dill
Are you concerned that bugs in your garden may destroy your cucumbers? Dill comes to the rescue. Another plant that has little effect on the soil but has a powerful perfume.
Apart from repelling pests, its scent also attracts beneficial pollinating insects like parasitic wasps.
Some gardeners believe it imparts a distinct taste character to cucumbers, so keep that in mind when planting dill.
Other herbs that work well with Dill include:
- catnip
- chives
- oregano
- Tansy
- Vegetables with Roots
Most gardeners avoid Vegetables with Roots but what they do not know is that they are great companion plants for cucumbers and here’s why.
Vegetables with Roots like radish, turnips, carrots, etc. grow below the soil and that’s perfectly fine because they take up the space cucumber plants won’t be using. To top that, radishes keep away the cucumber plant’s worst enemy, the cucumber beetles.
But what about the roots of cucumber plants?
The cucumber plant has a single thin taproot that does not spread more than 8-10 inches, so it does not interfere with the development of other cucumber plants.
Sunflowers
Have you been cultivating sunflowers in your yard because they offer a splash of brilliant color? You now have a fantastic cucumber companion plant.
These, like maize, provide a sturdy support system for cucumber plants, saving you both space and effort spent erecting cages or trellis.
Also, the blooms are more than simply pretty to look at. These blooms also attract pest-controlling birds and pollinators like bees. They also serve as a natural soil detoxifier.
Marigold
Marigolds, like sunflowers, are lovely, vivid blooms that will capture anyone’s eye, but there’s more to them than that.
Because of their powerful odor, they are excellent insect and bee repellents. It is for this reason that they are known in Hungary as büdöske, which means stinky.
Because of this, marigolds are often grown in vegetable gardens and farms across Hungary.
Nasturtiums
These are great-looking plants that are filled with nutrients that will keep insects like thrips and aphids away from cucumber plants.
They have a similar growth pattern as cucumbers and look great together (sure to make anyone stand up and take notice).
But don’t plant them for the sake of company.
If you’re unfamiliar with Nasturtiums, they’re delicious in salads and don’t need cooking. These may also be used to flavor vinegar or to make antibiotics when dissolved in alcohol.
Lettuce
Lettuce is known as the “lazy person’s plant” at YardSurfer. This is because they are one of the simplest plants to cultivate and take little work since they do not need frequent fertilization or the construction of cages.
Leaf lettuce is a good choice since it goes well with salads, burgers, and sandwiches.
Lettuce and cucumbers have a neutral relationship in that they neither help nor hinder each other’s development. This makes them an excellent choice for novices who want to make the most of their garden area.
Apart from cucumbers, lettuce also pairs well with strawberries, radishes, and carrots.
Celery
Celery is another beneficial plant that is commonly planted alongside cabbages and is used in soups and salads. Because of its powerful aroma, the cabbage butterfly is kept at bay. It’s also a terrific partner with dill.
Cucumber, on the other hand, is a neutral friend that only comes in useful if you have a multi-plant garden with cucumber and other crops like melons or potatoes since it provides space between the different plants.
Plants with the Worst Cucumber Comapnion
Aromatic Plants
Wait, didn’t we just suggest above that you plant dill and a few others with cucumbers? Yes, they are some of the herbs that go well with cucumbers but apart from that, Aromatic Plants like peppermint, sage, or basil are a big no.
That’s because basil gives cucumbers a poor flavor (though it goes well with tomatoes), and sage may stunt development.
Peppermint has a strong taste. It also spreads out a lot, so planting both at the same time will take extra time.
Melons
Keep melons away from cucumber plants unless and until you want insects to eat your cucumbers. The same insects feed on both plants.
Furthermore, planting both creates a monoculture, which will cost you a fortune since monocultures need a lot of fertilizers and pesticides to keep diseases at bay.
Melons, on the other hand, are the perfect partner for plants like brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, and okra that are growing nearby.
Potatoes
If you’ve ever grown potatoes before, you’re aware that they’re heavy feeders, which may deprive the cucumber plant of vital nutrients (they are greedy that way).
Cucumbers, on the other hand, aren’t always simple to work with on potatoes. Potato blight, a deadly fungal disease that causes rot in potatoes, may be triggered if the circumstances are favorable.
While growing the plants together is not a good idea, if you do, make sure you keep an eye out for diseases and provide enough nutrients for both plants in the soil.
Conclusion
That concludes our contribution. If you want to maximize the area in your garden while still enjoying cucumbers, these cucumber companion plants are ideal.
Choose one that is most beneficial to the plant. Peas and beans, for example, boost soil quality while dill deters pests. Corn plants, on the other hand, serve as support structures.
Also, most herbs, potatoes, and melons should be avoided.
If you’ve been using a different companion plant that you’d want us to discuss, please leave a comment below.
Cucumber Companion Plants is a great article that gives you an overview of what to plant and what not to. The article also includes the “Must Have” text. Reference: beans companion plants.
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