What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is when you grow different plants together that help each other. For example, some plants can make the soil better for other plants. Some plants can keep away bugs that eat other plants. Some plants can make other plants taste better.
Companion planting is good for the environment and for the plants. It can also save space and water in the garden.
Why is Companion Planting Important for Peppers
Companion planting is important for peppers because it can make them grow bigger, healthier, and tastier. How does it work? Well, some plants can protect peppers from pests and diseases. Some plants can also give peppers more nutrients and water. They can also make peppers smell and taste better.
What are the Best Companion Plants for Peppers?
Basil
Basil can make your peppers taste better and keep away bad bugs like aphids, spider mites, thrips, mosquitoes, and flies.
Chives
Chives can help your peppers by keeping away aphids and other bad bugs. Chives can also make your peppers grow bigger and healthier.
Garlic
Garlic is a strong-smelling plant that can scare away many bad bugs that want to eat your peppers. Garlic can also help your peppers by making the soil healthier and richer.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes and peppers are from the same plant family, so they like the same things and can grow well together. Tomatoes can also help peppers by giving them some shade and protection from the sun and wind.
Eggplant
Eggplant and peppers are from the same plant family and can grow well together. Eggplant can also help peppers by attracting good bugs that eat bad bugs.
Petunias
Petunias are pretty flowers that come in many colors. Petunias can help peppers by attracting good bugs like bees and butterflies that pollinate the flowers and make them turn into fruits. Petunias can also keep away bad bugs like aphids, beetles, leafhoppers, and worms.
Dill
Dill can help peppers by attracting good bugs like ladybugs and lacewings that eat bad bugs like aphids and caterpillars.
Carrots
Carrots can help peppers by growing deep in the soil and making more room for the pepper roots to spread out. Carrots can also help peppers by sharing water and nutrients with them.
Okra
Okra can help peppers by growing tall and strong and acting as a trellis for the pepper plants to lean on. Okra can also help peppers by creating shade and windbreak for them.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers can help peppers by growing on the ground and covering the soil with their leaves. This can keep the soil moist and cool for the pepper roots and prevent weeds from growing.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums can help peppers by attracting good bugs like bees and butterflies that pollinate the flowers and make them turn into fruits. Nasturtiums can also keep away bad bugs like aphids, whiteflies, squash bugs, and cucumber beetles.
Onions
Onions can help peppers by keeping away many bad bugs that want to eat your peppers with their strong smell.
Leeks
Leeks can also help peppers by keeping away many bad bugs that want to eat your peppers with their strong smell.
Marigolds
Marigolds can help peppers by attracting good bugs like bees and butterflies that pollinate the flowers and make them turn into fruits. Marigolds can also keep away bad bugs like nematodes, which are tiny worms that live in the soil and damage the pepper roots.
Parsley
Parsley can help peppers by attracting good bugs like hoverflies and parasitic wasps that eat bad bugs like aphids and caterpillars.
What not to plant with peppers?
Beans
Beans and peppers are not good friends. You should not plant them together.
Why? Because beans and peppers are like cousins. They are from the same family of plants. They can share their smells and tastes with each other. This can make your beans taste like peppers or your peppers taste like beans. You may not like that.
Peas
Peas and peppers are not good friends. They do not like to grow together. Peas like cool weather and peppers like hot weather. Peas make a lot of nitrogen in the soil and peppers do not need a lot of nitrogen. Peas can also attract bugs that eat peppers.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower and peppers are not good friends. They do not like the same things. Cauliflower likes it cool and moist. Peppers like it hot and dry. If you plant them together, they will fight for water and space. They will also attract different bugs that can harm them. So it is better to plant them far away from each other.
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi likes to grow in cool weather and moist soil. It does not need a lot of sun or heat. Peppers like to grow in warm weather and dry soil. They need a lot of sun and heat. If you plant them together, they will not be happy and they will not grow well.
Kohlrabi also has some enemies that like to eat its leaves. These are called aphids, flea beetles, cabbage worms, and loopers. They are small insects that can make holes in the leaves and make the plant sick. Peppers do not have these enemies, but they have other ones that like to eat their fruits. These are called cutworms, hornworms, slugs and snails. They are bigger bugs that can chew on the peppers and make them rotten.
Broccoli
Broccoli and peppers are different plants. They need different things to grow well. Broccoli likes cool weather and moist soil. Peppers like warm weather and dry soil. If you plant them together, they will not be happy. They will compete for water and space. They will also attract different bugs that can eat them.
Cabbage
Cabbage and peppers need different things from the soil. Cabbage likes soil that is rich and moist. Peppers like soil that is sandy and dry. If we plant them together, they will compete for the soil they want. That will make them unhappy and weak.
Another reason is that cabbage and peppers can attract different bugs that can harm them. Cabbage can get attacked by caterpillars, aphids, and cabbage worms. Peppers can get attacked by spider mites, leafminers, and pepper weevils. If we plant them together, they will bring more bugs to each other. That will make them sick and damaged.
Kale
Kale likes cool weather and moist soil. Peppers like warm weather and dry soil. If you plant them together, they will not be happy. Also, kale and peppers can attract the same pests.
Brussels sprouts
Peppers like a lot of sunlight and warm weather. Brussels sprouts like cooler weather and less sun. If you plant them together, they will not be happy. They will compete for space, water, and nutrients. They might also get sick or attacked by bugs more quickly.
Potatoes
Potatoes and peppers make each other grow slower or smaller because they need the same things from the soil. That is why it is not a good idea to plant potatoes with peppers as a companion plant.
Fennel
If you plant fennel next to pepper, the fennel oil can make the pepper fruits smaller and less spicy. The fennel can also take away the water and food that the pepper needs to grow.
Apricots
Apricots and peppers are not good friends. Apricots are trees with big roots. Peppers are small plants with little roots. If you plant them together, the apricot roots will take all the water and food from the soil. The pepper roots will not get enough water and food.
Beets
Beets like to have more water and less space than peppers. Peppers like to have less water and more space than beets. If we plant them together, they will compete for water and space. This will make them grow poorly and produce less food for us.
FAQ:
Why can’t you plant peppers next to beans?
Beans may take too much space from peppers. Peppers and beans may also make each other taste funny.
How much soil for pepper plants?
Pepper plants need about 8 inches of soil. 8 inches is like the length of a big pencil. If the soil is less than 8 inches, the pepper plants will not be happy and healthy.
Are peppers and garlic companion plants?
Peppers and garlic are good friends and can grow together in the garden. They help each other by keeping away bugs and diseases. They also do not need much space or water.
