Pairing beets with certain plants can improve their growth and help deter common pests. Finding the right beets companion plants is a simple way to get a healthier, more productive harvest from your garden. This guide will show you which plants to grow alongside your beets and which ones to keep far away.
Beets Companion Plants
Companion planting is the practice of placing plants near each other for mutual benefit. For beets, good companions can loosen soil, repel insects, and even improve flavor. The wrong neighbors, however, can stunt growth or attract problems. Understanding these relationships helps you plan a more efficient and successful garden.
The Benefits Of Companion Planting For Beets
Why bother with companion planting at all? The advantages for your beet crop are real and measurable. You’ll see the difference in the quality and quantity of your roots and greens.
- Pest Control: Some plants emit scents that confuse or repel harmful insects like leaf miners and flea beetles, which often target beet leaves.
- Improved Growth: Companions like legumes add nitrogen to the soil, which benefits the leafy growth of beets, while others help break up compacted earth for better root development.
- Space Efficiency: Pairing shallow-rooted plants with deeper-rooted beets lets you use your garden space more effectively, a technique known as intercropping.
- Weed Suppression: Low-growing companions can act as a living mulch, shading the soil to prevent weed seeds from germinating.
- Flavor Enhancement: Some gardeners report that certain herbs and alliums can actually improve the sweetness of the beetroot itself.
Top Companion Plants For Beets
These plants have proven, time-tested relationships with beets. Including them in your garden plan will give your beets a significant advantage.
Onions, Garlic, And Chives
Alliums are arguably the best companions for beets. Their strong scent masks the smell of beets from pests like deer and rabbits. More importantly, they deter smaller insects that can damage foliage.
- Plant garlic or onions in rows adjacent to your beet rows.
- Chives can be planted as a border around the beet patch.
- This pairing also helps deter aphids, which can sometimes cluster on beet greens.
Lettuce And Other Leafy Greens
Lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard are excellent neighbors. They have shallow root systems that don’t compete with the deeper-growing beetroot. Their broad leaves provide light shade, keeping the soil cool and moist for the germinating beet seeds.
Members Of The Cabbage Family
This includes broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. These heavy feeders enjoy the loosened soil left by beet roots. In return, they don’t compete directly for the same nutrients in the same soil layer, making them compatible bedfellows.
Radishes
Radishes are a fantastic fast-growing companion. They help break up soil as they grow, making it easier for beet roots to expand. You can sow radish seeds directly with beet seeds; the radishes will be ready to harvest long before the beets need the extra space.
Bush Beans
Bush beans fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. Beets, which benefit from nitrogen for lush top growth, can use this extra nutrient boost. Avoid pole beans, as they can grow too tall and shade out your beets.
Catnip And Mint
These aromatic herbs are known to repel flea beetles and other pests. Be cautious with mint, as it is incredibly invasive. It’s best to plant mint in a container and then sink the container into the soil near your beets to contain its spread.
Plants To Avoid Planting Near Beets
Just as some plants help, others can hinder. Keeping these plants separate from your beet patch is crucial for avoiding competition and disease.
Mustard And Field Mustard
These plants can attract pests that also favor beets, creating a larger problem in one concentrated area. They also may inhibit beet seed germination in some conditions.
Pole Beans
Unlike bush beans, pole beans can create too much shade for sun-loving beets. They also may compete more aggressively for water and nutrients, potentially stunting beet growth.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are heavy feeders and can out-compete beets for essential soil nutrients. Their large size and spreading habit also creates excessive shade.
Fennel
Fennel is allelopathic to many plants, including beets. This means it releases substances into the soil that can inhibit the growth of nearby plants. Always plant fennel in a isolated part of the garden.
How To Plan Your Beet Companion Garden
Putting this knowledge into practice requires a little planning. Follow these steps to design a productive beet bed.
- Sketch Your Layout: Draw a simple diagram of your garden bed. Note the sun direction and any existing perennials.
- Place Your Beets: Mark where your primary beet row will go, ensuring it gets full sun.
- Add Primary Companions: Integrate your most important companions, like onions or garlic, in rows next to the beets or interspersed between beet plants.
- Incorporate Secondary Helpers: Add quick-growing plants like lettuce or radishes in the spaces between beet seeds. They’ll be harvested before the beets fill in.
- Consider Succession Planting: After harvesting an early companion like radishes, you can plant another round of a different companion, such as bush beans, in its place.
Common Beet Pests And Companion Solutions
Companion planting is a key tool in organic pest management. Here’s how to use companions to tackle specific beet problems.
Leaf Miners
These pests lay eggs that become larvae which tunnel through beet leaves. Spinach and Swiss chard are also susceptible.
- Companion Solution: Interplant with strong-scented herbs like mint or catnip to deter the adult flies. Floating row covers are also very effective when used at planting time.
Flea Beetles
Flea beetles create small holes in the leaves of young beet plants, which can weaken them.
- Companion Solution: Catnip, mint, and radishes are known to repel flea beetles. A border of radishes can act as a trap crop, drawing the beetles away from your beets.
Aphids
These small sap-sucking insects can cluster on the undersides of leaves.
- Companion Solution: Plant alliums like garlic and chives nearby. You can also attract beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, by planting nectar-rich flowers like dill or calendula in the vicinity.
Improving Soil Health For Beets
Healthy soil is the foundation for healthy beets. Companions can play a direct role in building better soil structure and fertility.
Beets prefer loose, well-draining soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Compacted or heavy clay soil can cause roots to become misshapen.
- Radishes and Daikon: These are “bio-tillers.” Their strong taproots break up hardpan soil, improving drainage and aeration for future beet crops.
- Clover or Alfalfa: Planting these as a cover crop the season before beets adds significant organic matter and nitrogen when turned into the soil.
- Avoid Fresh Manure: Never amend soil with fresh manure just before planting beets, as it can lead to forked and hairy roots. Use only well-composted material.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Plant Beets Next To Carrots?
It is generally not recommended. Beets and carrots are both root vegetables that compete for the same space and nutrients in the soil. Planting them together can result in smaller, underdeveloped roots for both crops. They are not antagonistic, but they are not beneficial companions either.
What Are Good Companion Plants For Beetroot?
Excellent companion plants for beetroot include onions, garlic, lettuce, cabbage family plants (kale, broccoli), bush beans, and radishes. These companions help with pest control, soil improvement, and efficient use of garden space without competing directly with the developing beetroot.
Should You Plant Marigolds With Beets?
Yes, marigolds are a good companion for beets. French marigolds, in particular, release a substance from their roots that can help suppress nematodes, which are microscopic pests that can damage beet roots. They also add a bright splash of color to the vegetable garden.
How Far Apart Should Companion Plants Be From Beets?
Follow the spacing requirements for each individual plant. For example, beet plants typically need 3-4 inches between them in a row. You can plant a row of onions 6-12 inches away from the beet row. Low-growing plants like lettuce can be interspersed between beet plants within the same row, as long as they have enough room to form their heads without being crowded.
Can Beets And Strawberries Be Planted Together?
This is not an ideal pairing. Strawberries are perennial plants that spread via runners and can quickly overtake a bed, making it difficult for beets to establish. They also have different water and nutrient needs, which can make care more complicated. It’s best to keep them in separate beds.