What Grows Well With Potatoes? 8 Best Companion Plants, What to Avoid, and a Simple Planting Plan

Introduction, why companion planting matters for potatoes

What grows well with potatoes? Great question, because the right neighbors can double your yield and cut pest problems without chemicals. Companion planting turns a potato patch into a mini ecosystem, where herbs, flowers, and legumes protect tubers, improve soil, and attract beneficial insects.

For example, plant bush beans at the edge to add nitrogen, marigolds between rows to suppress nematodes, and garlic or chives nearby to repel aphids and Colorado potato beetles. Nasturtiums make excellent trap crops for flea beetles and whiteflies. These are practical, low-effort moves a beginner can try in a single season.

No fancy gear required, just space companions thoughtfully and wait until potato shoots are established before interplanting. Read on for eight proven partners, the few plants to avoid, and a simple planting plan you can use this spring.

Quick answer, plants that grow well with potatoes

If you want a fast answer to what grows well with potatoes, here are the top companions and quick tips.

• Beans and peas, fix nitrogen and boost yields, plant 6 to 8 inches from potato rows.
• Cabbage family (kale, cabbage), good space users that do not share major pests with potatoes.
• Marigolds, repel nematodes and beetles, space one every 12 inches.
• Nasturtiums, act as trap crops for aphids and flea beetles.
• Garlic and onions, plant around bed edges to deter Colorado potato beetles.
• Horseradish, planted at corners, reduces scab and other diseases.
• Basil and dill, attract beneficial insects and improve flavor.
• Carrots and lettuce, quick maturing fillers between potato hills.

How companion plants help your potato harvest

If you’re asking what grows well with potatoes, focus on what each companion actually does for the crop. Companion plants help by controlling pests, sharing nutrients, attracting pollinators, and improving soil structure, all of which boost yields.

Pest control, for example, comes from trap crops and repellents. Plant nasturtiums to lure aphids away, and sow French marigolds around the bed to reduce root-knot nematodes. For Colorado potato beetles try interplanting strong-smelling herbs like sage or rosemary.

Nutrient sharing is simple, plant nitrogen-fixing legumes such as bush beans between rows, they add usable nitrogen for the potatoes without competing for deep soil moisture. Pollinator attraction matters when potatoes flower; borage and thyme bring bees that improve flowering health and tuber set.

For soil improvement use cover crops and deep-rooted plants. Comfrey or daikon radish breaks up compacted soil and concentrates minerals, while regular compost topdressing feeds tubers season after season.

Top 6 companion plants for potatoes, and how to plant each

Beans, especially bush beans, are one of the best answers to what grows well with potatoes? Plant beans after potato sprouts appear, when soil is warming, to avoid smothering young tubers. Space bush beans 3 to 4 inches apart in rows between potato hills, or space pole beans 6 to 8 inches from the tuber row and provide trellises. Real reason it helps potatoes, beans fix nitrogen, delivering steady nutrients as potatoes bulk up.

Alliums, like onions and garlic, repel potato pests. Plant onion sets 4 inches from potato rows and garlic cloves in fall or early spring, 2 to 3 weeks before potato planting. Space onions 4 to 6 inches apart. The bulbs mask potato scent from aphids and deter some beetles, lowering pest pressure.

Marigolds, especially French marigolds, reduce nematode damage. Plant a border or intersperse blooms every 8 to 12 inches at potato planting time. The roots emit compounds that suppress root-knot nematodes, protecting developing tubers.

Nasturtiums act as a trap crop for aphids and flea beetles. Sow seeds at potato planting or direct-seed between rows, about 12 inches apart. Their pungent foliage draws pests away from potato leaves, reducing defoliation.

Brassicas, like kale or cabbage, can be planted in alternating rows with potatoes, spacing transplants 12 to 18 inches from potato plants. They mature at a different pace and attract beneficial predatory insects, which helps control moths and caterpillars that might hit potatoes.

Horseradish planted at the corners of a potato patch is a classic tip. Place root pieces 12 inches from potatoes in early spring. Horseradish appears to boost disease resistance, particularly against common scab, giving your tubers cleaner skin at harvest.

Plants to avoid with potatoes, and why

Avoid these, they cause real headaches for potato beds.

• Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other nightshades, they share blight and Colorado potato beetle problems. Substitute with bush beans or cabbage rows to break the disease cycle.

• Strawberries and raspberries, they can carry verticillium and reduce yields. Plant marigolds or nasturtiums instead, they act as pest buffers.

• Fennel, it releases chemicals that stunt many crops. Replace with chives or garlic, both deter pests and boost potato health.

• Other heavy root crops like carrots or beets, they compete for underground space and nutrients. If you are asking what grows well with potatoes? try legumes, brassicas, or shallow-rooted herbs such as dill and parsley.

How to plan your potato bed, step by step

Start with a manageable bed, 4 feet by 8 feet works great for one gardener, or use a single 3 foot wide row bed for tighter spaces. For a 4 by 8 bed, plant two potato rows down the long axis, spaced about 18 inches apart, with individual seed potatoes 10 to 12 inches apart in the row. Plant depth is 4 inches, then hill soil up as shoots reach 6 inches.

Place companion plants strategically. Plant bush beans or pole beans on the far side of the bed to fix nitrogen, marigolds or nasturtiums along the outer edge to repel pests, and chives or garlic near the potatoes to deter blight and aphids. Avoid planting tomatoes or peppers next to potatoes.

Timing matters. Set seed potatoes in early spring when soil reaches about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow beans 3 to 4 weeks after potatoes emerge. For succession, sow fast greens like lettuce or radish between rows early; after potato harvest, follow with a cover crop or a late crop of beans to rebuild soil nutrients.

This layout answers what grows well with potatoes? with a simple, actionable planting plan.

Use companion planting to reduce pests and disease

If you’re wondering what grows well with potatoes, choose companions that either repel attackers or attract their enemies. For Colorado potato beetle, plant nasturtiums or tagetes near potato beds as trap or repellent plants, add strips of buckwheat to bring parasitic wasps and predatory insects, and cover young plants with floating row cover until flowering. Actively scout once a week, lift a few leaves and crush any yellow egg clusters you find, or drop adults into soapy water.

Late blight thrives in wet, crowded beds, so pair potatoes with low, airy companions like chives or borage, space rows wider, and mulch to cut soil splash. At first sign of dark, water soaked spots or white fuzzy growth, remove infected foliage and avoid composting it; use approved copper sprays or biological fungicides as needed. Quick monitoring rule, check the undersides of 10 plants twice a week during humid weather, and you will catch problems before they wipe out a crop.

Conclusion, a quick planting plan and final insights

Keep it simple. The best companions for potatoes are nitrogen fixers and pest deterrents, so plant bush beans for nitrogen, marigolds for nematode control, and chives or garlic to repel scab and aphids. If you wonder what grows well with potatoes? Start with those.

Starter plan:

1. Prep: work 2 inches of compost into loose, well drained soil, plant seed potatoes 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart.
2. Interplant: sow bush beans 2 weeks after potato sprouts and tuck marigolds between rows.
3. Protect: mulch, water deeply once a week, hill soil as shoots reach 6 inches.

Common mistake to avoid: planting potatoes next to tomatoes, they share diseases and invite blight.