Pumpkin Companion Planting: What to Plant With Pumpkins

Engage in companion planting to keep out pests 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.

Companion planting is all about encouraging growth, and optimizing overall output, combining guardian plants with complementary crops. Growing healthy pumpkin plants means being prepared for any number of pests: squash bugs, cucumber beetles, squash vine borers, and aphids can all be a problem for developing fruit. Companion planting pumpkins with heat-tolerant, pollinator-attracting neighbors can help them manage.

• Aromatic herbs like oregano, chives, chamomile, marjoram, tansy, and hyssop. Oregano makes a good ground cover and attracts hoverflies, which feed on aphids, while the presence of marjoram is said to enhance pumpkin’s flavor. Tansy is a mostly ornamental plant that both boosts potassium in soil and repels Japanese beetles.
• Radishes. Flea beetles are more likely to go for radishes when given the choice, so they can be used as a sacrificial trap crop if needed. (Basil and catnip are effective repellents of flea beetles, among many other pests.)
• Nasturtium. This peppery, orange-flowered vine is considered one of top attractors of natural predators to not-so-beneficial garden pests, including squash bugs, aphids, and pumpkin beetles.
  
• Corn and beans. Take advantage of a centuries-old tradition and plant pumpkins near its natural fellows, as seen in the classic Native American “Three Sisters” planting technique. The corn stalks act as a natural trellis for the beans, which feed nitrogen back into the soil. Low-lying pumpkin leaves and vines act as living mulch and weed control.

Consulting a companion planting chart will also show you what not to plant together. For example, pumpkins don’t typically make good companions for potatoes, or anything in the brassicas (cabbage) family like cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, or kale.

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