The eggplant is a great plant to grow in the vegetable garden. It is a delicious vegetable that can seem difficult to care for, but if you plant it in the right place in the garden, it can produce a delicious harvest without much effort. To maximize the overall yield, choose good neighbors for the eggplant that can grow together.
It is important to choose the right companion plants for your eggplants to reap the various benefits. Some herbs can repel pests, while other plants benefit from the same care. And when you attract pollinators thanks to the companion plants in your garden, you can harvest more fruit. Learn which plants to plant near your eggplants here.
Legumes are helpful for eggplant
Legumes such as runner beans and bush beans can be of great benefit to eggplants as they absorb nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil, increasing its fertility.
Growing bush beans among eggplants also protects them from the Colorado potato beetle, which feeds on the eggplant leaves and makes it difficult for the plant to grow. Just be careful when planting that the legumes do not shade the eggplants, as runner beans can grow quite tall.
Lentils and peas are also good neighbors for eggplants as they belong to the legume family. And the best thing about this companion cultivation is that there is no competition for nutrients between plants.
Cucumbers as companion plants
Cucumbers make good companion plants for eggplants because both plants like lots of sun, nutrient-rich soil and moist, well-drained soil. But remember that cucumbers grow very quickly and therefore careful planting is required to protect the eggplants from shade.
Use trellis to support the cucumbers and keep the fruit off the ground and save space.Fertilize both cucumbersas well as eggplants every 3 weeks.
Plant potatoes together with eggplants
Eggplants and potatoes both belong to the nightshade family. Plant the eggplants 45 to 60 cm away from potatoes. Make sure the soil is sufficiently fertile for both plants. To maintain its health, rotate crops every season to prevent soil nutrients from becoming depleted.
Eggplant good neighbors: tomatoes
Tomatoes and eggplants both require the same growing conditions and require plenty of space and compost or organic material. If you plant a vine tomato, you should grow it at appropriate distances from eggplants so that it doesn't cause unwanted shade.
Plant peppers and eggplants together
Peppers are another nightshade plant that shares growing conditions with eggplant. It's great for creating variety in the garden while improving eggplant flavor and maximizing growth.
Good neighbors: spinach and eggplant
Many leafy vegetables make good neighbors for eggplants because eggplants are tall plants that can provide shade on hot days. Spinach benefits from the shade of eggplant and is a good ground cover, retaining moisture in the soil and suppressing weeds.
If you want to grow a lot of leafy vegetables, plant different varieties and cut off the crowns with sharp scissors when the plants are 15-25 cm tall.
Attract pollinators with borage
Borage is a flower that can keep pests away and attract beneficial insects like bees to pollinate your eggplants. It is particularly suitable for deterring army and cabbage caterpillars. Its roots can also draw trace elements from deep soil to provide vegetable plants with shallower root systems. It is also little known that the borage flowers are edible and can be used in delicious cocktails. If you don't have space for a perennial borage plant, you can also place a potted plant near the eggplants.
Garlic for companion cultivation
Garlic makes an excellent companion plant for eggplants because its scent repels aphids, flea beetles, caterpillars, mites, snails and whiteflies. Since both plants love the sun, they can be grown together to maximize garden space.
Plant the garlic in the fall, leaving enough space between them for the eggplants that will be planted in the spring. Be careful not to injure the garlic bulbs when planting the eggplant seedlings.
Combine the eggplant with dill in the garden
Dill is not only incredibly aromatic, but also attracts a surprising number of pollinators. Plant it close to your eggplants, with about 15cm between plants, to attract the beneficial insects and repel some pests such as aphids.
Dill is said to improve the flavor of vegetables grown in close proximity.Plant the tasty herbnext to your eggplants to increase yield and promote growth.
