Pepper plants (Capsicum annuum) produce bumper crops and are suitable for growing in a variety of climates, but are good to plant with companion plants to help with everything from pest control to managing soil conditions to by the attraction of pollinators. This article will see which are the best plants to grow with Peppers that improve the harvest.
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Companions to ward off pepper pests
Luckily, you can plant companions around your peppers to keep insects and pathogens away from your crop.
Pests, just like humans, rely on visual and olfactory cues to make their way through your garden. Planting the following companion plants hides the savory smell of your peppers from pests.
Onions, garlic and chives
The green peach aphid is a common problem for peppers. This insect feeds from spring to fall, sucking the juice from peppers.
Signs of a peach aphid infestation include yellowing of foliage, distorted growth, and curling of plant leaves.
By planting members of the allium family around your peppers, you can deter these pests.
Alliums, like garlic, onions and chives, contain sulfur compounds that insects hate. By planting them around your peppers, you protect them from aphids.
Basil
Basil is another great ally for your peppers this growing season. Basil keeps thrips away, another common pepper pest. These insects leave a silver web on the leaves, fruits or flowers of pepper plants.
Thrips also spread disease around your crop, and their small size makes them difficult for the untrained eye to spot.
Some signs of thrips infestation are dead terminal shoots or black spots of excrement. Thrips also cause early fruit drop and severe deformation of peppers.
The basil plant keeps thrips away from peppers by releasing phytochemicals into the air that mask the smell of your peppers, so the thrips never find them.
Garlic
Growing garlic next to peppers can help repel or deter aphids and some beetles from taking over the peppers.
Planting garlic around peppers, or peppers between garlic, is another way to maximize garden space for better yields.
radish and pak choi
These “trap crops” keep insects away from your peppers, giving them something else to munch on instead of your main crop.
If you grow peppers, sooner or later you will encounter flea beetles. These pests burrow into the stems of plants, making them susceptible to disease infestation.
Small holes also stunt growth, reducing the harvest yield of your plants.
Planting a trap crop of radish or bok choi is a good way to keep these pests away from your peppers.
nasturtiums
If you are having trouble with aphid infestations, you can sometimes water them down. However, they often return to the crime scene to continue their rampage over the peppers.
Planting nasturtiums nearby keeps aphids away from your peppers. These pests love nasturtiums, and they don’t wander around the garden, keeping your peppers safe.
Geraniums
Growing geraniums as a companion plant to peppers helps repel cabbage worms, Japanese beetles and other pests. They also provide wonderfully colorful flowers in the garden.
Companion plants to improve biological and ecological environments
There are a few “good” creatures to be had around the garden. Normally, these little critters like to eat the pests that invade your garden.
The ladybug is an example of a beneficial insect that likes to eat other insects, keeping your plants clean. Here are a few companions that attract these beneficial critters to your garden.
Fennel, dill and coriander
Certain flowering herbs related to the carrot genus make excellent companions for your peppers.
These plants produce small clusters of flowers ideal for sheltering predatory insects that feed on pepper pests.
Dill, cilantro, and fennel are examples of plants to grow with peppers that provide a strong aroma and attract predatory pests, such as predatory wasps that feed on caterpillars and hornworms.
Lacewings and ladybugs love to feast on insects that suck juice from plants in the carrot family.
Plant these plants around the edges of the garden and let the beneficial creatures roam freely inside the garden.
Pumpkin
Summer and winter squash can be grown near peppers, where their large leaves can help shield bare soil from the sun and deter weeds.
sunflowers
The bright and cheerful sunflower is another great addition as a plant to grow with peppers. Sunflower seeds are not only edible and an excellent source of healthy fats, but the plant also wards off garden pests.
Sunflowers invite pollinators into the garden, even when they are not in bloom. When the flowers have not yet opened, the sunflower begins to produce EFN (Extra Floral Nectar) from the leaf glands below the foliage.
Beneficial insects go crazy over these residues and will come to your garden to gorge on EFN and perhaps take care of some pests while they are there.
Plant your sunflowers around the pepper plants. Start early in the season and you’ll have many beneficial creatures protecting your pepper plants.
Corn
Due to its high growth, corn can be used as a windbreak or to shade pepper plants during certain parts of the day.
Corn is also said to act as a trap crop for aphids, which can keep them away from pepper plants.
Parsley
Growing parsley around pepper plants not only helps you get a second edible out of almost as much space, but it also serves to provide shade and cover bare ground.
Plants To Grow With Peppers That Improve Soil
As mentioned, companion plants can keep insects away and bring beneficial creatures into your garden to protect your plants. However, companion plants also serve to improve soil conditions for your peppers.
Companion plants convert nitrogen from the air and draw it into the soil to promote the growth of neighboring plants.
green peas
Peas are a great example of a companion plant for peppers because they enrich the soil around other plants.
Peas add nitrogen to the soil and pepper plants love it because 0 helps the plant grow, increasing its yield.
Peas are best planted in the spring, weaving them around the bell pepper for best results.
Take some of these ideas now that you know what plants to grow with peppers and try them out in your garden.
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