Strawberries, arguably one of the most beloved fruits in the world, have been cultivated for centuries and are enjoyed in various ways. Whether eaten fresh, baked into pies, or made into jams and preserves, these sweet and juicy berries are a favorite among many.
However, as with any crop, strawberries require proper care and maintenance to thrive and produce a bountiful harvest. Here, we’ll cover the importance of companion planting for strawberries and guide you through choosing the ten best companion plants for your garden.
From bush beans to thyme, we’ll discuss strawberry companion plants & how each plant benefits your strawberry plants, and how they work together to create a healthy growing environment. We’ll also cover which plants to avoid planting with strawberries and why. So, if you want to ensure a bountiful strawberry harvest, read on.
Importance Of Companion Planting For Strawberries
Enhancing soil fertility is crucial for successful strawberry cultivation. By planting strawberry-companion plants, you can improve the nutrient content in the garden beds and promote healthy strawberry growth. Companion planting also helps control pests naturally. Planting strawberries with compatible companions like pole beans and French marigolds attracts parasitic wasps and predatory insects that feed on common pests.
Additionally, strategic companion planting maximizes space utilization in the garden, allowing you to grow more rows of strawberries. This creates a balanced ecosystem in your strawberry patch, with companion plants acting as great living mulch or ground cover. Companion planting works wonders by providing several benefits to strawberry plants, such as improved yield, enhanced soil fertility, and natural pest control.
How To Choose The 10 Best Strawberry Companion Plants
Choosing the right companion plants for your strawberries can positively impact their growth and overall health. When selecting companion plants, it’s important to consider their compatibility with strawberries and their ability to provide benefits such as pest control, improved soil fertility, and increased pollination.
By carefully selecting these companion plants, you can create a healthy and thriving environment for your strawberry plants, leading to better yields and healthier fruits. Here are some factors to consider when choosing the ten best strawberry companion plants:
1.Bush Beans: A Versatile Companion Plant
Bush beans, as excellent strawberry companions, offer several benefits in the garden beds. First, they fix nitrogen in the soil, which is essential for the growth of strawberry plants. Companion planting bush beans with strawberries also helps control common pests naturally, as their roots emit compounds that repel destructive pests.
Moreover, bush beans act as a great living mulch, suppressing weeds around rows of strawberries and reducing competition for nutrients and water. With their deep roots improving soil structure and fertility, growing bush beans alongside strawberries is a smart double duty for home gardeners seeking maximum yields.
2.Borage: A Nutritious Addition To Your Garden
With its attractive blue flowers, Borage is a nutritious addition to your garden. When planted alongside strawberries, borage attracts beneficial pollinators like bees, enhancing the pollination process in your strawberry patch. Borage adds beauty and color to your garden; its leaves can also be used in salads or brewed into herbal tea.
Additionally, companion planting borage with strawberries improves soil health and fertility. Borage releases trace minerals into the soil, benefiting the growth of your strawberry plants. It’s an excellent choice for home gardeners looking to maximize the benefits of companion planting.
3.Caraway: A Fragrant Addition To Your Strawberries
Caraway, a fragrant addition to your strawberries, attracts beneficial insects like predatory wasps and parasitic flies to control pests in your strawberry bed. Companion planting caraway with strawberries adds a delightful fragrance to your garden.
You can even harvest caraway seeds and use them in cooking or baking. Moreover, caraway’s deep roots help improve soil quality and water retention, making it an excellent strawberry companion. It also serves as a trap crop, diverting pests away from strawberries. Caraway is a great way to enhance your strawberry garden with its multiple benefits.
4.Catnip: A Natural Pest Repellent
Catnip is an excellent strawberry companion plant that naturally repels pests such as aphids and spider mites. You can provide natural pest protection by companion planting catnip with strawberries in your garden beds or rows. Moreover, the dried leaves of catnip can be used in herbal teas or sachets, adding a delightful aroma to your garden.
Additionally, catnip attracts beneficial pollinators like syphid flies, which help pollinate strawberry flowers. The strong scent of catnip also deters hungry birds, masking the smell of ripe berries. In this way, catnip serves the double duty of pest control and enhancing the overall health of your strawberry plants.
5.Chives: A Flavorful Option For Your Garden
Chives offer more than just a burst of flavor to your dishes – they also make an excellent companion for your strawberries. These versatile herbs are known to deter pests like aphids and certain garden pests, ensuring the health of your strawberry plants.
Chive flowers are also beneficial as they attract pollinators, enhancing your strawberry harvest. With their low-maintenance nature, chives thrive near strawberries, making them a great addition to your garden beds. Add some chives to your rows of strawberries for double duty – flavorful meals and a healthier garden. Companion planting works wonders, and chives are proof of that.
6.Yarrow: An Attractive Ground Cover
Yarrow, an attractive ground cover, can be valuable to your strawberry garden. Its presence not only enhances the visual appeal but also brings numerous benefits. Yarrow attracts beneficial insects such as predatory wasps and parasitic flies, vital in controlling pests that may harm your strawberry plants.
Additionally, its deep roots help improve soil fertility and prevent erosion, ensuring a healthy growing environment for your strawberries. You can also dry the yarrow flowers and use them in floral arrangements or teas. Furthermore, the strong scent of yarrow is a natural deterrent, masking the aroma of ripe strawberries and reducing attraction to hungry pests.
7.Onions: A Nutritious And Flavorful Companion Plant
Onions are excellent strawberry companions as they deter pests like aphids, thrips, and onion flies and add a nutritious and flavorful addition to your garden. Harvest the onion bulbs for cooking or storage, making them versatile.
Furthermore, onions release sulfur compounds into the soil, enhancing strawberry growth and overall plant health. By repelling harmful insects and releasing beneficial chemicals, onions play a crucial role in maintaining the well-being of strawberry plants. Incorporating onions in companion planting is a great way to promote a thriving and productive garden.
8.Sage: A Fragrant And Beneficial Plant
With its fragrant touch, Sage is an excellent companion plant for strawberries. Not only does it repel pests like slugs and snails, but it also attracts beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies. Harvest the sage leaves in culinary dishes or herbal teas for added flavor. Sage’s strong scent also helps deter hungry pests from feasting on ripe strawberries, ensuring a bountiful harvest. By planting sage alongside your strawberries, you create a beautiful garden bed that functions as a natural pest repellent and enhances the overall health of your strawberry plants.
9.Spinach: A Nutritious And Hardy Plant
Spinach, an excellent strawberry companion, offers multiple benefits to your garden. Its shade helps retain moisture for strawberry roots, ensuring they stay hydrated. Additionally, spinach leaves can be harvested in salads or cooked dishes, providing a nutritious addition to your meals.
With its deep roots, spinach also improves soil structure and prevents erosion. Furthermore, spinach acts as a living mulch, reducing weed growth around your strawberry plants. By incorporating spinach into your garden beds alongside rows of strawberries, you can create a great living mulch that adds beauty and enhances the overall health of your strawberry plants.
10.Thyme: An Aromatic And Hardy Plant
With its aromatic properties, Thyme does wonders as a companion strawberry plant. It repels pests such as cabbage worms and certain garden pests, protecting your strawberry plants from harm. Also, thyme adds an alluring scent to your garden, creating a pleasant environment. You can even harvest thyme leaves and use them in culinary dishes or infuse them into oils for added flavor. Additionally, thyme attracts beneficial pollinators like bees, which help enhance the strawberry harvest. Its strong scent also helps mask the aroma of ripe strawberries, reducing attraction to hungry pests.
Herbs To Plant With Your Strawberries
Mint, basil, chamomile, thyme, and sage are excellent strawberry companions. Mint is a must-have, as it repels common pests and can be grown in garden beds or containers. Basil offers numerous advantages, attracting predatory insects to control destructive pests and enhancing the flavor of strawberries.
Chamomile harnesses its benefits as a companion plant, deterring pests and improving the taste of strawberries. Thyme complements strawberries perfectly with its aromatic properties and ability to repel cabbage worms. Sage is a great choice, attracting beneficial pollinators and adding fragrance to your garden. These herbs provide double duty in enhancing your strawberry growing season.
Why Mint Is A Must-Have Companion
Mint is a must-have companion for strawberries due to its numerous benefits. One of the key advantages is that mint repels common pests that tend to attack strawberries, acting as a natural pest deterrent. Its strong scent is also a natural repellent, keeping pests away from the strawberry bed.
Additionally, mint can act as a ground cover, preventing weed growth and reducing competition for nutrients. Moreover, mint attracts beneficial pollinators, such as bees, which enhance the strawberry harvest. Lastly, companion planting mint with strawberries improves soil health, making it an excellent addition to garden beds.
The Advantage Of Growing Basil With Strawberries
Growing basil alongside strawberries offers incredible advantages. Basil is known to repel harmful insects that target strawberries, acting as a natural pest control. Additionally, the combination of basil and strawberries enhances the flavor of the fruits. Companion planting basil with strawberries improves overall plant health by providing shade and acting as a living mulch. With its ability to repel pests and improve plant health, basil is an excellent companion for strawberries. It’s a great way to protect your garden beds and ensure the best results during the growing season.
Vegetable Companions For Your Strawberry Garden
Choosing the right vegetable companions in a strawberry garden can create a synergy that benefits both plants. With its leafy greens and high nutrient content, Spinach makes an excellent companion for strawberries. Garlic, known for its deterrence against pests, is another beneficial choice to grow alongside strawberries.
Beans provide nitrogen levels in the soil and support as pole beans for the sprawling strawberry plants. With their deep root systems, carrots make great neighbors for strawberries by reducing weed growth. Peppers can also thrive when planted with strawberries, adding diversity to the garden beds.
The Synergy Between Strawberries And Spinach
Companion planting spinach with strawberries has numerous benefits. Spinach is a living mulch for strawberry plants, providing shade and regulating moisture. Additionally, spinach attracts beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that control common pests in the strawberry patch.
The deep roots of spinach enhance soil quality, benefiting the growth and health of strawberries. This synergy between strawberries and spinach creates a harmonious environment in the garden beds. By companion planting these two plants together, home gardeners can enjoy double duty from their garden space, reaping the rewards of delicious strawberries and nutritious spinach.
Why Garlic Is A Good Choice
Garlic is an excellent choice as a companion plant for strawberries. Its pungent odor deters common pests that attack strawberries, such as aphids and spider mites. Additionally, garlic has natural repellent properties that can keep destructive pests at bay.
Furthermore, growing garlic alongside strawberries improves soil fertility and nutrient availability, benefiting the plants. This companion planting technique can even increase strawberry yields, giving the home gardener a bountiful harvest of ripe berries. Garlic truly offers double duty, protecting strawberries while enhancing their growth.
What Plants Shouldn’t Be Planted With Strawberries?
When it comes to growing strawberries, certain plants should be avoided as companions. These plants can hinder the growth and productivity of strawberries or attract pests that can damage the crop. Some plants that should not be planted with strawberries include:
- Brassicas: Plants from the brassica family, such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, can compete for nutrients and space with strawberries.
- Nightshades: Plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are also not ideal companions for strawberries. They belong to the nightshade family and can attract similar pests and diseases that affect strawberries.
- Alliums: Plants like onions, garlic, and chives have strong odors that can repel insects but may also deter pollinators needed for strawberry flowers.
By avoiding these companion plants and choosing suitable alternatives, you can promote healthy growth and maximize the yield of your strawberry plants.
Can Strawberry Plants Benefit From Companion Planting?
Companion planting can be a beneficial strategy for growing strawberries. By choosing the right companion plants, you can enhance the growth and health of your strawberry plants. For example, planting borage near strawberries can attract beneficial insects that help control pests, while marigolds can deter harmful nematodes.
Additionally, planting herbs like thyme or oregano around your strawberry patch can help repel pests and add aromatic flavors to your strawberries. Not all plants make good companions for strawberries, so it’s important to research and choose the right companion plants based on their compatibility with strawberries and their ability to provide benefits such as pest control or nutrient enrichment.
Conclusion
Companion planting is a great way to enhance the growth and health of your strawberry plants. Choosing the right companion plants can improve soil fertility, attract beneficial insects, repel pests, and create a more diverse and balanced garden ecosystem. The best companion strawberry plants include bush beans, borage, caraway, catnip, chives, yarrow, onions, sage, spinach, and thyme.
Herbs like mint and basil, as well as vegetables like spinach and garlic, can also benefit your strawberry garden. However, certain plants should not be planted with strawberries, such as members of the Brassica family. By practicing companion planting, you can maximize the yield and quality of your strawberries while promoting a sustainable and harmonious garden environment. We’ve discussed strawberry companion plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.What Should Not Be Planted Near Strawberries?
Ans: To ensure the health and productivity of your strawberry plants, it is important to avoid planting certain companions. Brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower can compete for nutrients, while nightshades like tomatoes and peppers may attract similar pests. Plants that attract slugs and snails, such as lettuce and beans, should also be kept away. Additionally, it is recommended to avoid planting strawberries near black walnut trees.
2.What Is The Best Thing To Plant Next To Strawberries?
Ans: To maximize the growth and health of your strawberries, consider planting companion plants like thyme, chives, and basil. These herbs provide a flavorful addition to your garden and help deter pests. On the other hand, avoid planting tomatoes or peppers near strawberries as they can attract pests and diseases.
3.What Grows Well With Strawberries In Raised Bed?
Ans: Many plants thrive alongside strawberries in raised beds. Herbs like basil and thyme make excellent companions, while flowers such as marigolds and nasturtiums add beauty and deter pests. Avoid planting vegetables in the same bed, as they can attract disease and pests. Consider a cover crop like clover to improve soil health.
4.Can You Plant Strawberries And Marigolds Together?
Ans: Strawberries and marigolds make great companion plants. Marigolds repel pests that could harm strawberries while attracting beneficial insects for improved pollination. Just give them enough space to avoid overcrowding and competition for nutrients.
5.Why Grow Strawberry-Companion Plants?
Ans: Growing companion plants with strawberries can enhance their health and productivity. Certain plants attract beneficial insects, like borage and marigolds, which control pests. Others, such as chives and garlic, repel harmful insects and diseases. Additionally, incorporating companion plants adds visual interest and diversity to your garden.
