Companion planting guide for Australia

Companion planting is putting crops together that help each other. Some fix nitrogen for the next plant over. Some pull pests off their neighbour. Some just give shade to a root crop that does not want full sun. None of it is magic and none of it replaces decent soil, but it is free and it works often enough to be worth doing.

The two right hand columns are the four turn rotation: legumes, then leafy greens and brassicas, then fruiting crops, then roots and alliums, then round again. Herbs fit in any turn. Perennials such as asparagus and rhubarb keep a bed of their own. Members see the same before and after on every planting in My Garden, along with the crops to keep apart.

Type a crop to find its mates, then tap Plan a bed to try them together in our free bed planner. No account needed to play with it.

Crop	Grows well with	Grow before it	Grow after it	Plan
Amaranth	Onions, corn, peppers, egg plant, tomatoes	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Angelica	Any herbs that like damp, shady areas – mint, lemon balm	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Asparagus	Parsley, Basil, Nasturtiums, Lettuce	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Basil	Tomato	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Beans – climbing	Sweetcorn, spinach, lettuce, summer savory, dill, carrots, brassicas, beets, radish, strawberry	Roots and alliums	Leafy greens and brassicas	Plan a bed
Beans – dwarf	Sweetcorn, spinach, lettuce, summer savory, dill, carrots, brassicas, beets, radish, strawberry and cucumbers	Roots and alliums	Leafy greens and brassicas	Plan a bed
Beetroot	Onions, Silverbeet (Swiss Chard), Lettuce, Cabbage, Dwarf Beans, Dill, Peas. Strawberries	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Borage	Strawberry, tomatoes, zucchini/squash. Deters pests from many plants.	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Broad Beans	Dill, Potatoes	Roots and alliums	Leafy greens and brassicas	Plan a bed
Broccoli	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Cabbage	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Capsicum	Egg plant (Aubergine), Nasturtiums, Basil, Parsley, Amaranth	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Carrot	Onions, Leeks, Lettuce, Sage, Peas, Radishes, Tomatoes, Beans, Celery, Rosemary	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Celeriac	Beans, brassicas, carrots, leeks, lettuce, peas, sage, tomatoes, onions	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Chinese cabbage	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Chives	Carrots, Tomatoes, Parsley, Apples	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Collards	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Coriander	Dill, Chervil, Anise, Cabbages, Carrots	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Cucumber	Nasturtiums, Beans, Celery, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Cabbages, Sunflowers, Coriander, Fennel, Dill	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Daikon	Chervil, cress, lettuce, leeks, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Dill	Cabbage, Coriander, Fennel, tomatoes, broccoli	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Eggplant	Beans, capsicum, lettuce, amaranth, thyme	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Endive	Carrots, onions, Florence fennel, tomatoes.	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
French tarragon	Aubergine (Eggplant) and Capsicum (Peppers)	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Garlic	Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Dill, Tomatoes, Parsnips	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Horseradish	Best kept separate	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Jerusalem Artichokes	Tomatoes, cucumbers	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Kale	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Kohlrabi	Beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Leeks	Carrots	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Lemon Balm	Good to attract bees	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed
Lettuce	Carrots, Onions, Strawberries, Beets, Brassicas, Radish, Marigold, Borage, Chervil, Florence fennel	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Luffa	Peas, Beans, Onions, Sweetcorn	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Mint	Cabbages, Tomatoes	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Mizuna	Radish, lettuce	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Mustard greens	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
NZ Spinach	Does better if alone.	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Okra	Peppers (Capsicum, Chili), Eggplant (Aubergine)	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Onion	Lemon Balm, Borage, Carrots, Beets, Silverbeet, Lettuce, Amaranth	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Oregano	Broccoli	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Pak Choy	Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Parsley	Dill, Chervil, Anise, Cabbages, Carrots	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Parsnip	Swiss Chard (Silverbeet), Capsicum, Peas, Potatoes, Beans, Radishes, Garlic	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Peas	Potatoes	Roots and alliums	Leafy greens and brassicas	Plan a bed
Potato	Peas, Beans, Brassicas, Sweetcorn, Broad Beans, Nasturtiums, Marigolds	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Pumpkin	Sweet Corn	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Radish	Chervil, cress, lettuce, leeks, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Rhubarb	Brassicas (Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc)	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Rocket	Lettuce	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Rockmelon	Sweetcorn, Sunflowers	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Rosemary	Beans, Carrots, Cabbages, Sage	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Rutabaga	Peas, Beans, Chives	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Sage	Broccoli, Cauliflower, Rosemary, Cabbage and Carrots	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Salsify	Beans, Brassicas, Carrots, Celeriac, Endive, Kohl-rabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Alliums, Spinach	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Savory – summer savory	Beans, Onions	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Savory – winter savory	Beans	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Silverbeet	Beans, brassica sp. (cabbage, cauliflower, etc), tomato, allium sp. (onion, garlic, chives), lavender, parsnip	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Snow Peas	Carrots, Endive, Florence fennel, Winter lettuce, Brassicas.	Roots and alliums	Leafy greens and brassicas	Plan a bed
Spinach	Does better if alone.	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Spring Onion	Carrots, Beets, Lettuce, Tomato	Fruiting crops	Legumes	Plan a bed
Squash	Cucumbers	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Strawberries	Better in a bed on their own to allow good sun and air circulation.	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Sunflower	Cucumbers, Melons, Sweetcorn, Squash	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Sweet Corn	All beans, cucumber, melons, peas, pumpkin, squash, amaranth	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Sweet Marjoram	Peppers (Capsicums, Chilis), Sage	Any turn	Any turn	Plan a bed
Thyme	Dry-environment herbs (oregano, sage), Eggplant, Cabbage	Stays in its own bed	Stays in its own bed	Plan a bed
Tomato	Asparagus, Chervil, Carrot, Celery, Chives, Parsley, Marigold, Basil	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Turnip	Peas, Beans, Chives, Spinach, Carrots, Chicory	Legumes	Fruiting crops	Plan a bed
Watermelon	Sweetcorn, Sunflowers	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed
Zucchini	Beans, nasturtiums, parsley, Silverbeet, Tomatoes	Leafy greens and brassicas	Roots and alliums	Plan a bed

Crops that prefer their own bed

Print the chart

One page, A4, every crop on the list above with its companions, plus the ones that do better on their own. Put it on the shed wall and you can leave the phone inside. It is rebuilt every week from the same crop data this page uses, and the build date is printed on the sheet so you can see how fresh it is.

What to do with this

Pick the crop you are about to plant, check its row, and slot a companion into the same bed or the next one over. The planting tool tells you the right month for your postcode. The price tracker tells you whether it is worth growing this season at all.

What to plant nowClimate zone planting guides

Companion data is a guide, not a rule. Soil, water and timing matter more than any pairing. If a combination is not working in your patch, trust your patch.