There are some types of vegetables categorized as companion plants for cucumbers. Consider planting these veggies now to make good garden neighbors to them.
Cucumbers belong to the squash and lemons family. You can eat them raw in your salad or cook them with other ingredients.
What is good to plant with cucumbers?
When you grow cucumbers, make sure you provide them with sufficient room. Because they require more space to grow well and be healthy.
While waiting for them to bear fruit, you can maximize the available space to grow other veggies that get along well with cucumbers or even benefit them.
Check out the 10 best companion plants for cucumbers to get robust crops.
Legumes
Peas, corns, and beans belong to the family of legumes. They have a root system that can increase nitrogen in the soil.
This way, the roots can colonize Rhizobium bacteria and absorb about 20 percent of the plants’ sugar. Later, they will turn the sugar into nitrogen that the legumes will absorb.
The next process involves releasing nitrogen into the soil while the plants decompose. As a result, it will be rich with nitrogen, which helps support the cucumber’s growth.
As a bonus, this soil is also good for other companion plants for cucumbers.
Radishes
Radishes are a type of root vegetable. They are typically small, red, and round. Besides, they are quite tangy.
Small round radishes are the most popular types because they grow quickly and easily. Like legumes, they use their roots to provide nitrogen in the soil so that the cucumbers can grow well in your garden. Furthermore, they also deter cucumbers beetles, one of the most prevalent pests found in a vegetable garden.
Beets
Beets are renowned for being a good vegetable that provides nitrogen for the soil. These plants are easy to grow anywhere with any plants, including cucumbers.
These vegetables belong to the cool-season crops. Therefore, plant them either in the summer, fall, or spring. Thus, if you want to plant cucumbers in the seasons mentioned earlier, consider growing beets along with them.
Can you plant marigolds with cucumbers?
Marigold is a flower with a strong scent or smell, making the beetles stay away from your cucumber and other vegetables growing nearby. Furthermore, marigold is also famous for its ability to repel a wide variety of pests, one of which is aphids that commonly attack the cucumbers’ leaves.
Oregano
Oregano will not only make your pasta tastes much better but also help your cucumbers thrive well.
As one of the most recommended companion plants for cucumbers, oregano contributes much to repel pests that may come to attack your garden.
Therefore, you should plant oregano near your cucumbers to repel cucumber beetles and other pesky insects. As a bonus, you can make delectable pasta with it.
Nasturtiums
If you want another edible plant to prevent insects from attacking your cucumbers, consider nasturtiums.
Nasturtiums are such beautiful flowers you can grow along with sunflowers and other herbs and all kinds of veggies. Its significant ability is to attract aphids that usually attack cucumbers.
Many gardeners believe that growing nasturtium close to their vegetable garden will prevent aphids from visiting the veggies.
Dill
Dill is one of the aromatic herbs usually planted in a home garden with other vegetables. It is an excellent companion plant for cucumbers due to its ability to attract beneficial insects such as pollinators and wasps.
It means dill will help pollinate your cucumbers and keep down the level of other garden pests.
Many gardeners keep planting this herb to improve the taste of mature cucumbers. However, if you have planted dill around your cucumbers, avoid growing sage and mint in the same area. The strong scents together may affect cucumbers’ flavor.
Sunflowers
Sunflower stalks are like corn stalks you can use as natural trellises to vine cucumbers. Growing these flowers near your cucumber garden is much of an advantage, particularly in saving space and maximizing it.
In this case, the sunflowers will support the way you are growing cucumbers.
However, it can only work well with small varieties, such as the pickling cucumber.
Sunflower stalks may not be able to support larger cultivars.
Root Vegetables
Root vegetables, such as radishes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips, are also great companion plants for cucumbers. They can grow well and get along without interfering root system.
These veggies will grow primarily beneath the soil and use the space that the cucumbers do not need. At the same time, those root vegetables will deter cucumbers beetles, which are the worst enemy for your plants.
Corns as Companion plants for cucumbers
Like sunflower stalks, many gardeners consider corn stalks one of the best natural trellises for vining cucumbers.
Growing corns around the cucumbers area is maximizing the space that the cucumbers may not need. It is also one of the companion plants for cucumbers that help you maximize your garden efficiency.
Although there are many types of cucumbers, you can opt to grow one cultivar that stays small and light if you tend to grow corn, too. In this case, pickling cucumber is the type that is usually grown along with the corn as a companion plant.
Cucumbers and corns have such a mutualism symbiotic, which means cucumbers also give a good return for the support. This way, the vines can serve as natural mulch beneath the corn stalks, recollecting moisture and hindering the weeds from emerging.
Why should you not plant cucumbers near tomatoes?
Cucumbers can be planted near tomatoes, but they shouldn’t be too close to them. They shouldn’t be in the same area because they need different amounts of sunlight. If you want to plant them together, you can space them apart by about 3 inches. If you have a greenhouse, you can grow them together. Cucumbers need more light than tomatoes.
Conclusion
Overall, growing companion plants for cucumbers is necessary not only to make use of the cucumbers patch but also to keep your primary plant grow well without the beetles or other insect attacks.
Moreover, some companion plants are suitable to provide nitrogen to the soil, which eventually supports cucumbers’ growth. However, recognizing the types is also essential to determine what kind of companion plants would be more suitable to grow with them. For example, pickling cucumbers will get along well with corns and sunflowers. Therefore, they are the recommendable options to consider growing as companion plants for cucumbers.
Plants with sturdy stalks will make great natural trellises and support the growth of vining cucumbers.