Tomato Companion Plants [Deter Pests & Increase Harvests]

Tomato companion plants deter pests, increase tomato yields, create a better tomato flavor, and make good use of garden space.

So what companion plants should you grow with your tomatoes?

Best Companion Plants for Tomatoes

Baby greens
Salad greens
Mescluns

Radishes
Green onions*
Arugula
Spinach

Cilantro*
Dill*
Onions*
Garlic*

Shallots*

Tomato Companion Plants to Keep Pests Away

Some common tomato pests are the tomato hornworm, aphids, and Colorado potato beetles. You can help deter these pests with strong scents. Many of the plants like herbs or flowers that claim to deter pests may not have scientific evidence, but many gardeners swear they work.

Basil has a strong scent that deters pests like aphids and tomato hornworms

Calendula flowers can help to attract pollinators. Although tomatoes don’t need pollinators to produce fruit, yields increases with increased pollination.

Borage is said to deter tomato hornworms. It has pretty purple blue star shaped flowers and has a mild cucumber taste. It’s one of the edible flowers.

Garlic, Onions, Shallots, Chives these plants are great to grow around or close to your tomatoes for scent deterrence. Onions are well known for deterring most pests.
Marigolds help to repel nematodes that attack the roots underground
Nasturtiums help to deter aphids away from tomatoes. They look gorgeous too around your tomato plants!

Carrots: There’s a companion planting book that’s called ‘Carrots Love Tomatoes’. Apparently carrots taste better grown next to tomatoes, although they will compete for root space if they’re too close to each other. I can vouch for carrots being great for getting rid of aphids that eat your crops.
Flowers to increase pollination like zinnias, chamomile or short annuals. Sweet alyssum attracts beneficial insects.
Herbs that are strong smelling like oregano, thyme, dill, chives, cilantro. Some of these are annuals, some are perennials. You’ll need to prune dill and other herbs to keep these from growing too much.