Good & Bad Cucumber Companion Plants
You want to grow cucumbers at home and want to know what plants to grow with cucumbers?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you the best and worst cucumber companion plants in the following chapters.
Table of Contents
Why do I need Companion Plants to grow Cucumbers?
While you don’t necessarily need to grow cucumbers with other plants, you would still miss out on many benefits that come along with proper companion planting.
For instance, good companion plants loosen the soil, keep it moist, attract pollinators, provide shade and deter pests from your cucumbers.
In turn, the overall growth behavior as well as the yield of your cucumbers will be higher on average.
However, please note that not all plants will have those beneficial effects on cucumbers.
In fact, there are also some plants that you should never grow with cucumbers.
Hence, make sure to check out the following tables to figure out all the plants you should grow with cucumbers and also to get to know the plants you should not grow with cucumbers and also why this is the case.
Good Cucumber Companion Plants
| Companion Plant | Why is it good? |
|---|---|
| Radish | Loosens the soil. |
| Onions | Keep away pests. |
| Garlic | Deters pests. |
| Beans | Fix nitrogen in the soil. |
| Peas | Fix nitrogen in the soil. |
| Shallots | Keep away pests. |
| Brassicas (Kale, Cabbage, Sprouts, etc.) | Improve soil conditions. |
| Dill | Deters pests and attracts pollinators. |
| Parsley | Deters pests. |
| Basil | Deters pests and attracts pollinators. |
| Mint | Deters pests and improves the flavor of cucumbers. |
| Oregano | Keeps away harmful insects. |
| Lettuce | Good ground cover. |
| Spinach | Good ground cover. |
| Celery | Makes your cucumber growth project more efficient. |
| Tomatoes | Make your cucumber growth project more efficient. |
| Kohlrabi | Make your cucumber growth project more efficient. |
Bad Cucumber Companion Plants
| Companion Plant | Why is it bad? |
|---|---|
| Corn | Takes away too much sun. |
| Potatoes | Take away too many nutrients from cucumbers. |
| Sunflowers | Take away too much sun. |
| Sage | Slows down growth of cucumbers. |
| Fennel | Slows down growth of cucumbers. |
| Pumpkins | Heavy feeders that take away too many nutrients from the soil. |
| Melons | Heavy feeders that take away too many nutrients from the soil. |
Best & Worst Cucumber Companion Plants – Summary List
| Best Companion Plants | Worst Companion Plants |
|---|---|
| Spinach | Potatoes |
| Lettuce | Sunflower |
| Tomatoes | Corn |
| Beans | Melon |
| Peas | Pumpkin |
| Onions | Fennel |
| Shallots | Sage |
| Garlic | |
| Mint | |
| Oregano | |
| Parsley | |
| Kohlrabi | |
| Celery | |
| Basil | |
| Dill | |
| Brassicas | |
| Radishes |
What should you grow with Cucumbers?
You should grow cucumbers with beans, peas, radish, brassicas, dill, mint, basil, parsley, oregano, celery, kohlrabi, tomatoes, onions, garlic, shallots, spinach and lettuce.
You should not grow cucumbers with corn, pumpkin, melon, sunflower, potatoes, sage and fennel.
If you want to know more about growing cucumbers in general, make sure to also check out my grower’s guide on how to grow cucumbers from seed to harvest.
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
