When growing different types of vegetables in the garden, intercropping is often the best solution. There are plants that grow beautifully together while saving the gardener space. However, there are also varieties that cannot be planted together because they compete for nutrients and inhibit each other's growth. We continue our series on plants for mixed cultivation and today reveal which vegetable plants are bad neighbors for eggplant.
Planting eggplant: Which plants are bad neighbors?
The eggplant or egg plant is a heat-loving vegetable that can also be grown in our latitudes with the right care. We recommend growing in a greenhouse or foil house, where the necessary growth conditions can be better met. In wine-growing regions, the vegetables can also be grown outdoors.
The early young plants are planted in the greenhouse from May and outdoors from June. Since the eggplant is a heavy feeder, weak feeders are best suited as a mixed crop, such as most types of cabbage, beans, radishes, spinach and Jerusalem artichokes. However, a mixed culture with other heavy feeders would be disadvantageous because the plants will compete for nutrients.
So which plants shouldn't you put together in the bed with eggplant? Here is the complete list of bad neighbors for the egg crop.
Other nightshades
The eggplant belongs to the nightshade family. These are primarily heavy feeders - i.e. plants that extract a lot of nutrients from the soil during the growth phase. They therefore have a very high nutrient requirement and should not be placed next to each other in the bed. There is also another reason why one should avoid combining plants from the same family. These are usually susceptible to the same pests and diseases, meaning a potential infestation can spread and transmit quickly.
If you would like to get a better overview of which vegetables are low-eaters and which are heavy-eaters, then take a look at oursArticles about good and bad neighbors in the vegetable patchover. There you will also find clear tables with suitable types of vegetables for mixed cultivation.
To the nightshade family, which is considered badNeighbors for eggplantapply, include, among othersTomatoes, peppers and potatoes.
Why cucumbers are bad neighbors for eggplant
Cucumbersare also heavy feeders and would compete with the eggplant for nutrients if they were placed in the same bed. Furthermore, the pumpkin plant grows much faster compared to the egg plant and can inhibit its growth because it would not get enough space and light in the shade of the cucumber. Both plants are alsosusceptible to mildew, which can mean that the fungal disease can easily be transferred from one plant to another.
Be careful with zucchini and pumpkin
Also other cucurbits likeZucchini and pumpkinshould not be placed directly next to eggplants for the same reasons as cucumbers. Planting together in a raised bed is possible if there is sufficient distance between the plants and the bed has not previously been affected by mildew.
Do not plant peas with eggplant
Plants that have similar growth must also not be grown in the immediate vicinity. This is because they will compete for light and space, especially during the growing season.Peashave similar root formation and growth to eggplant and both plants will get in each other's way if they are planted together in the bed. Therefore you should not plant them directly next to each other.
Beetroot is not a good companion plant
Middle-eaters like thatRote BethIn principle, they can be grown together with heavy feeders, but the combination with nightshade plants should be avoided. Since the eggplant is also part of it, a mixed culture with beetroot is not beneficial.
Do not plant together with fennel
There are plants that do not get along well with most other plants in the garden. One of them is thisfennel. It can stunt the growth of neighboring plants, resulting in lower yields. Fennel also gives off a strong aroma that can affect the taste of nearby plants, including eggplant. So it's better to keep your egg plant away from these vegetables in the garden.
Eggplants and raspberries are bad neighbors
Dieraspberryhas many good neighbors, but the eggplant is not one of them. It promotes the spread of dangerous fungal diseases such as verticillium wilt, which is very difficult to combat and can lead to crop failure. That's why you shouldn't plant raspberry bushes and eggplants together.
Also read:Which plants are bad neighbors for zucchini??
