Strawberries are a favorite of many of us! Picking a sweet strawberry from your own garden is a wonderful treat for young and old. But not only people love the delicious fruits, pests also like to feed on the sweet fruits. Well, then gardeners need to know what to plant next to strawberries so that you can use companion plants to control the pests and protect your plants. Here are some suggestions for plants that get along well with strawberries and that can be beneficial for the berries. Plant them together and you will enjoy your fruits.
Why strawberries need companion plants?
Essentially, strawberry companion plants can attract pollinators, control pests, and companion planting can also make good use of available space in the garden. Improving the taste and increasing theStrawberry resilienceagainst pests such as snails are also among the advantages of companion cultivation. These are all good results for permaculture gardening and this is how you can create a sustainable garden.
Choosing good neighbors for strawberries
What can you plant next to strawberries? You can plant a number of herbs, flowers, vegetables nearby. Of course there are good and bad neighbors for strawberries and below we explain which onesPlant yourself with strawberriestolerated and which not. By growing strawberry companion plants alongside your fruit bushes, you can help increase the harvest of these delicious berries. They can also make your gardening work easier.
Which flowers are good neighbors for strawberries?
Growing certain ornamental plants among your berries will not only make your garden bed look beautiful, but will also bring a number of benefits, as some flowers can be useful for strawberries. Here we will show you which flowers are good for strawberries.
Nasturtiumproduces flowers in yellow, orange, red and cream. The flower is a magnet for hoverflies and pest-eating bugs. Their spicy aroma is known for itWhiteflies, aphids and various species of beetlesthat want to eat your strawberries.The marigoldis highly valued for its pest-repellent properties. A mixed culture of strawberries and marigolds is therefore a classic combination in many mixed garden plantings. Many gardeners swear by marigold's ability to keep pests, bugs, and even invasive weeds at bay.Lupinsbind nitrogen in the soil and are therefore good for your fruit bushes. Plant lupins and strawberries together. They look good and are also mutually beneficial.
Suitable vegetables for mixed cultivation with strawberries
When it comes to vegetables, what can I plant next to strawberries? A number of vegetables will be useful for your strawberry plants.Spinach is one of the best companion plantsfor strawberries because it has the ability to control weeds in your vegetable patch. Simply plant it between rows of strawberries for best results.Garlic and onionssmell strong and help pestsfrom the strawberry plantskeep away. They don't take up much space in the garden, so you can easily plant them between the rows of strawberries.
Strawberries and asparagusgo well together in the garden because they have similar growth requirements. However, keep in mind that asparagus has tall and flexible leaves that can obscure the shorter strawberries. To avoid this, you should place the strawberry plants in front of the asparagus plants so that they receive enough light.
What herbs to plant next to strawberries?
Some herbs are beneficial for strawberries because they attract beneficial insects that protect the berries from pests. If you are trying to naturally rid your strawberry plants of aphids,plant thymenearby, because thyme flowers are ideal for attracting hoverflies, which in turn eat aphids and thrips. Therefore they are perfect as a companion plant for strawberries!Basilis a classic choice among the best companion plants for strawberries because the delicious herb can repel pests and keep your plants growing well.Borretschand strawberries are also a good choice because borage flowers attract pollinating insects, which also help increase strawberry yields. Gardeners also swear that borage placed near strawberries gives them a more intense flavor.
What shouldn't you plant next to strawberries?
Of course, there are also some plants that strawberries don't get along with because they can cause damage to the berries. Therefore, when choosing companion plants for strawberries, you should avoid the following:
- Brassicas like cauliflower and cabbage compete with strawberries for nutrients and water, so don't plant them together.
- Do you think tomatoes and strawberries are good neighbors? No! That's wrong! Fungal diseases can easily affect tomatoestransferred to strawberriesand vice versa, so they should not be planted together.
- Strawberries and potatoes should not be grown as companion crops for the same reason.
- If you are growing roses in your garden, you should not plant strawberries where roses have been grown in the last five years because both are susceptible to a disease called verticillium, which can persist in the soil for long periods of time. So we learned what to plant next to strawberries and what not.
Also read:Caring for strawberries in March: cutting & fertilizing depending on the variety