Potato - Companion Plant

The potato - lord of the underground

Just toss them under some earth and soon enough you can call yourself a farmer. But what can be done to stave off the attack of pests? Something as elementary as picking the right plants to grow alongside your favourite tuber can turn the tides completely!

With a great many friends, and a few vegetable enemies too, there's a lot to get right and a lot to get wrong when pairing potatoes with garden companions.

To get the best from you potato crop, consider that:

• French marigolds will keep bugs and nematodes away above and below the ground
• A cover crop of nasturtiums can stave off weed infestation and deter pests
• Aubergines can act as a trap crop for destructive beetles
• Horseradish is known to increase potato disease resistance
• Spinach and radishes can be inter-planted with potatoes, as they come to harvest long before the potato and are thought to improve potato flavour too!
• You might consider planting a row of beans between potato rows, as this will add nitrogen to the soil later when you dig everything under and about, and in the meantime the potatoes will ward off bean-loving pests.

Potatoes do, however, have less than ideal relationships with the likes of tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins and sunflowers, which will actively hinder growth and may also increase the chances of the onset of blight.

Image: Denis and Yulia Pogostins/Shutterstock

Something incorrect here? Suggest an update below: