Asparagus Companion Planting: What to Plant With Asparagus

Engage in companion planting to keep out insects that would otherwise feast on your vegetable garden. This form of integrated pest management is a time-tested, practical way to maintain a healthy garden—attracting pollinators while filling it with sumptuous blossoms and seductive scents.

Growing mint can help an ant problem. Lemongrass has citronella, which mosquitoes hate. Lavender will attract bees, but repel other bugs. Marigolds will help get rid of mosquitoes, white flies, and root-knot nematodes. Chives will deter cucumber beetles; borage paves the way for ideal zucchini squash pollination. Bush beans and pole beans manage the nitrogen content of soil.

Planting asparagus is an exercise in patience. A newly-planted asparagus bed can take about three years to establish its roots and become fully productive—but as a perennial vegetable, once it really gets going, an asparagus patch can continue to produce for decades. That also means that events in one year can impact the next year’s growth and output, from soil or watering conditions to disease or damage.

Companion planting is a great way to manage this long-term investment. Here are a few examples of good companions for asparagus:

• Nightshades, like tomatoes and eggplant. Tomato plants are rich in solanine, which is known to repel the asparagus beetles that feast on the tender shoots and fronds of asparagus plants. Meanwhile, below-ground, asparagus deters root-knot nematodes, which attack the root systems of nightshades.
• Basil and parsley. Not only do they attract pollinators to all its nearby companion plants, basil and parsley deter asparagus beetles—along with insects that might harm any guardians of asparagus, like tomato hornworms.
• Coriander, comfrey, and dill. These herbs are particularly good at repelling spider mites and aphids.
• Members of the Aster family, like marigolds and nasturtiums. These bright, aromatic flowering plants are powerful natural insect-repellers.

It’s a good idea to consult a companion planting chart when planning the lay-out of a garden bed. It will also highlight what not to plant alongside one another. There are two main crops to avoid growing alongside asparagus:

• Alliums. Alliums like leeks, garlic, and onion sharing the soil with asparagus are said to stunt its growth. That doesn’t mean you have to choose between them: Just plant any alliums a good distance away from asparagus beds and they’ll be fine.
• Potatoes. Asparagus, on the other hand, stunts the growth of potatoes when they share the same space. Some varieties of potato, just like the root systems of asparagus, wander far and deep within the soil—introducing immediate competition isn’t a good idea.

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