Squash Companion Plants: 7 Plants to Pair With Squash

Squash refers to five domesticated species within the greater *Cucurbita genus*. Summer squash varieties—like zucchini—are grown in the spring and summer and harvested while young when their soft rinds are completely edible. Winter squash varieties—like pumpkins—are harvested in the early months of autumn and feature firm exterior skins that extend their shelf life throughout the winter. [Companion planting](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/parsley-companion-planting-guide) is a time-tested gardening method that enriches and protects vulnerable crops. Farmers and gardeners plant specific crops near each other in order to deter pests, attract beneficial insects, and stimulate growth. Companion plants will either help a specific crop grow or will grow better beside a specific crop, and can do many support jobs in the garden: 1. __Repel insect pests__: Cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, Mexican bean beetles, carrot flies, cabbage moths—all kinds of pests can plague vegetable gardens. Many companion plants repel specific pests and should be planted near certain crops to help with pest control. 2. __Attract beneficial insects__: Pollinators like bees and ladybugs can use a little encouragement to visit vegetable gardens and pollinate the crops. Gardeners often plant attractive plants to encourage pollinators to visit. 3. __Improve soil nutrients__: When crops grow, they take up valuable nutrients from the soil—leaving the gardener to do a lot of work at the end of the season to renew the soil’s nutrients. However, there are many companion plants (like bush beans and pole beans) that add nutrients like nitrogen back into the soil, helping keep other plants healthy. 4. __Encourage faster growth and better taste__: Many companion plants (like marjoram, chamomile, and summer savory) release specific chemicals that encourage faster growth or better taste in the plants around them. 5. __Provide ground cover__: Plants that spread low across the ground (like oregano) serve as a blanket over the soil, protecting it from the sun and keeping it cooler for plants that benefit from lower temperatures. 6. __Provide necessary shade__: Plants that grow tall and leafy (like zucchini and asparagus) can provide welcome shade for sun-sensitive plants beneath them. 7. __Serve as markers__: When tending slow-growing plants, it can be difficult to tell where the rows will be while you’re waiting for the seeds to sprout. Gardeners often use fast-growing plants (like radishes) interspersed with the slow growers in their rows to serve as markers. Learn about some of the best companion plants for squash. 1. __Nasturtiums__: Nasturtiums (*Tropaeolum spp.*) are flowering plants that act as a trap crop, attracting bugs like aphids, whiteflies, and flea beetles away from squash plants. Plant nasturtiums a safe distance away from your squash to reap the plants’ benefits. 2. __Radishes__: Radishes are a good companion plant for summer squash varieties like zucchini plants as they deter squash vine borers. 3. __Dill__: This aromatic herb attracts beneficial insects like lacewings and ladybugs that eat squash bugs. 4. __Sunflowers__: Sunflowers grow tall and provide helpful shade for squash plants in hot climates. 5. __Legumes__: Legumes like peas and beans can fix nitrogen levels in your garden bed and improve soil conditions for your squash plants. 6. __Marigolds__: Over time, marigold flowers can reduce the number of nematodes in your soil bed. Marigolds can also attract helpful bugs like parasitic wasps that eat harmful pests. 7. __Borage__: This herb repels pests while eventually becoming a natural mulch that transfers calcium back into the soil for your squash plants. Avoid planting these species in your home garden along with your squash plants. 1. __Melons__: Melons are heavy feeders that can take nutrients away from your squash plants. 2. __Beets__: Fast-growing root crops like beets can disrupt the sensitive roots of squash. 3. __Fennel__: Fennel is a hardy flowering plant with a fast growth rate that can stunt the growth of neighboring squash plants. 4. __Potatoes__: These root vegetables can monopolize the nutrients in your garden soil and starve squash plants nearby. Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com/) and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community - and the world - a better place. Squash companion plants are flowers, herbs, and other vegetables that repel pests, improve soil conditions, and encourage a faster growth rate for your squash plants.