grow these partner plants will help advance your pumpkin harvest and keep pests out of your garden naturally .
Laurie Black
Anyone who ’s evergrown a pumpkin plantcan tell you that pumpkin are backbreaking bird feeder , take up a peck of infinite in the garden , and are prone to gadfly , such as squash bug andaphids . Due to their demanding nature and tendency to pull insects , finding the correct pumpkin fellow plant can be a challenge . However , a few vegetables , herbs , and flowers grow attractively beside pumpkin vine , and these plant companions help keep sculpture and Proto-Indo European pumpkins naturally pest - costless .
Credit:Laurie Black
Oregano
While you might be tempted to develop pumpkin with other cucurbit veg , such as cuke , squeeze , and zucchini , this is n’t a good estimation . These plant are all heavy feeders competing for soil nutrient and space , and they ’re prone to the same pestis , like squash rackets bugs . Instead , twosome pumpkins with strongly odorous herbs , likeoregano , which appeal aphid - eating hoverflies and helps protect pumpkin from pest harm .
Beans and Peas
Kindra Clineff
One of the quondam example ofcompanion plantingis the “ Three Sisters ” planting method acting , which the Peoples of the First Nations developed . In this industrial plant sexual union , pole beans are grown withwinter squashand corn ; however , you could swap out the squash and grow pumpkins withpole or bush beansinstead . When cultivated together , large pumpkin leaves pretend as a natural , smoke - suppressing mulch , while beans and pea plant enrich the ground with their nitrogen - fixing ancestor .
Train pole bean upward on atrellisor string to lay aside soil space and improve airflow in mixed plantings .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Chives
Like oregano , chive plantsemit a strong scent that canrepel a variety of garden pest , including slug , snails , and aphids . When planning your garden , consider adding pumpkin companion plants that boost pollination . If you provide chive to bloom , their edible flowers attract pollinators , such as bees and butterflies . arise cive near pumpkin plants can boost your crop by ensuring the pumpkin blossom are pollinated .
Avoid using pesticide , especially during bloom time . They ’re unsafe for pollinators , which are crucial for pumpkin development .
Corn
Bob Stefko
Cornis also traditionally used in the Three Sisters planting method acting , and it grows well with pumpkins as long as you give the plants enough space to propagate out . As with beans and peas , pumpkin leaves suppress weeds around the base of cornstalk , while Cucurbita pepo gain from the sheltering shade cast by tall corn plants . These two crop are heavy feeders , soenrich the soil with compostand organic fertilizer if you grow them together .
The pumpkin ’s splenetic vine may help deter raccoons from raid your corn whiskey harvest .
Credit:Kindra Clineff
Sunflowers
pumpkin are vigorous growers that can outcompete many other vegetable plants , so pick out pumpkin companion plants sagely . marvellous sunflowerscan usually hold their own with pumpkin vine as long as you comply right spacing tips when planting . As with corn , helianthus provide some light tincture to pumpkin vine during the heat of summer , but their ambrosia and pollen - rich blooms also attract pollinator that will pollinate pumpkin flowers .
For successful companion planting , grow sunflowersaround the edges of your garden to keep them from competing with pumpkins for nutrients and blank space .
Radishes
Blaine Moats
Flea beetlesare troublesome insects that nibble tiny trap in plant leaf . They can direct pumpkins if you ’re not careful . However , flea beetles ordinarily prefer genus Brassica to most other veg , and they ’re in particular fond ofradishes . Growing radishes near your pumpkins can lure flea beetles away from the pumpkin plants , and you canharvest fast - growing radisheslong before your pumpkins are quick to pick .
Marjoram
Squash bugsare another pest that loves to consume pumpkin plants , but marjoram can help keep these voracious insects at Laurus nobilis . Marjoram can also improve the smack of nearby vegetable , and if you allow it to bloom , the tiny bloom attract pollinators . However , marjoram only grows perennially inhardiness zones9 and 10 , so you may call for to plant it every year to get the full benefits of this fragrant herb .
Borage
David Speer
Borage is n’t raise as frequently as some of the other pumpkin companion plants on this listing , butborage plantscan bundle a lick in the organic garden . Choosing the right pumpkin familiar plants can have the dual essence of deterring pestis while bringing in the pollinator . Not only are borage flower extremely attractive to bees , but Borago officinalis also lures in wasps that feed on pumpkin pest . Beyond that , borage plants are pretty , and theiredible leaves and flowershave a refreshing flavor remindful of cucumbers .
Chamomile
Chamomileis turn chiefly for herbal teatime , but it ’s another fantastic pollinator plant life that can increase pumpkin pollenation rates and boost harvest output . On top of that , Chamaemelum nobilis flowers are irresistible to predatory WASP and hoverflies that feed on pumpkins .
If you glean chamomile bloom for Camellia sinensis making , leave a few flowers on the plant to enticebeneficial insectsthat can help oneself protect your pumpkins .
Marigold
Peter Krumhardt
Red , orange , and yellowmarigold flowersdeter an classification of gadfly , including squash rackets bugs , aphids , and nematodes , and they have plenty of autumnal good luck charm when rise near pumpkins . Mexican marigolds are know to repel the greatest variety of garden pests , whileFrench marigoldsare particularly good at killing nematode .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit:Bob Stefko
Credit:Bob Stefko
Credit:Blaine Moats
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Credit:David Speer
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
