Choosing the right neighborhood for tomatoes is crucialif you care about healthy plants and . After all, plants, like people, can influence each other in a good or bad way (this is called allelopathy).
If you don’t want them to get sick quickly, absolutely avoid planting potatoes next to tomatoes. They will form a pair because they belong to the same family (Sanaceae), which increases the risk of transmitting pathogens and competing for resources. Placing other vegetables next to them will be a much better idea.
Without providing good conditions for vegetables, tomato cultivation is unlikely to be successful. Remember that the key to success is to choose a sunny, wind-protected location for them.
You also need to keep spaces between seedlings so that air can freely reach each seedling. This will reduce the risk of fungal diseasesincluding potato blight, which is extremely dangerous for tomatoes.
When it comes to caring for tomatoes, it is important to water them regularly but moderately. Be careful not to get the leaves wet. They will certainly be happy if you support their development with natural fertilizer (e.g. in the form of nettle slurry) and plant other vegetables next to the tomatoes that will support them.
We have already mentioned that if you plant potatoes next to tomatoes, both plants will most likely begin to languish as they compete for resources. However, this is not the only vegetable that will be a bad neighbor for them.
It is also not recommended to grow cucumbers next to tomatoes in a small space (in a tunnel, greenhouse, small vegetable garden), because both plants have different preferences and are very voracious. Cucumbers like higher air humidity and more frequent watering.
It is also better not to plant them next to tomatoes broad beans – because especially at small distances, when it begins to shade them and strongly compete for water, it may limit their growth.
It is also not recommended to have cruciferous vegetables nearby (cauliflower, broccoli), which have a high demand for nitrogen and quickly sterilize the soilwhich may cause tomatoes to bear less fruit or dill.
The latter will not harm them at first, but when it matures and grows, it will start to take away their access to light. Radishes can be planted, but not too densely, because then they will compete with tomatoes for resources.
So what should you plant next to tomatoes so as not to damage the beds? It will be beneficial to place plants such as parsley, asparagus, celery, lettuce or beetroot nearby, because they do not compete strongly with them for the same resources and have different root systems.
Lettuce grows quickly and shallowly, so it does not disturb the tomatoes. Parsley and celery can improve the structure of the soil and use ingredients from other soil layers.
Beetroot is also out of competition. Onion and garlic will also be a very good companion for tomatoesbecause they secrete substances that limit the development of some pathogens and repel some pests. Beans are also recommended because they bind nitrogen from the air, enriching the soil.
