If you wonder if there are bad companion plants for garlic, you have come to the right place! You’d be surprised to hear that a friendly neighborhood garlic plant has a few enemies of its’ own, but this is the case. And, you may be growing a few of them next to it as we speak!
In this blog, we will discuss the worst companion plants for garlic and the benefits of planting companions in your garden. So let’s get started!
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Bad Garlic Companion Plants List
Companion planting is a method of planting two or more different types of plants together to benefit each other. This is done to promote healthy growth and maximize the use of the available space. It also helps to protect plants from pests, diseases, and other environmental stresses.
In addition, this method can also help to improve soil structure and fertility.
The concept of companion planting has been around for centuries. Even the ancient Egyptians used it to increase yields and reduce pest infestations. It is still widely used today in both commercial and home gardens.
There are many different types of companion plants, but the most common are vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Each type of plant has its own unique set of benefits and drawbacks when planted next to each other. Knowing which plants don’t and do work best together is essential for a successful growing season.
Let’s see some of the worst options for your garlic crops.
1. Asparagus
| Growing season | Early Spring |
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Asparagus is a very much known plant, appreciated for its juicy and delicious young shoots known as spears which are best enjoyed paired with eggs. It is a long-lived perennial plant that has highly ornamental tall, and feathery foliage.
It’s widely grown in gardens, and it is one of the first vegetables that are crop ready every year — asparagus produces the majority of the growth in the early spring! Only young Asparagus spears are picked and eaten. If not picked in due time, the shoots will turn woody and won’t be as nutritious.
Asparagus grow up to five feet tall and three feet wide and enjoy neutral to slightly acidic soils. They are very fond of the coastal areas and will be tolerant to salty winds. Newly planted asparagus plants may take up to two years to take and produce their beautiful spears, so you should be patient with them!
– Why Are Asparagus Not Good for Garlic
Any allium plant is a very poor companion planting option for asparagus. Leeks, garlic, and onion can stunt the growth of your asparagus plants, so you should look to plant these as far as possible from each other.
In turn, asparagus can invite a whole range of beetles into the garden which may feed on your garlic plants. These include beetles, aphids, and fusarium. Along with pests, Asparagus is very prone to fungi and diseases — wilt, and rust, along with plenty of viruses can all negatively influence the growth of your garlic.
2. Beans
| Growing season | Spring to early Summer |
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Beans are staple vegetable that is grown in plenty of vegetable gardens! They’re producing high quantities of fleshy bean pods and are easy to grow! You can classify these vining plants into two main categories — bush and pole ones.
Pole beans grow as vines and are prolific climbers. These can grow up to 15 feet tall and take up a lot of space — this makes them problematic for other crops as they can easily block up the sun. They also require support for their growth and compared to other beans they generally yield the greatest amount of pods.
Bush beans are a smaller variety of the two and grow on bushy and compact vining plants. These grow up to three feet tall and do not take up as much space, which makes them ideal companions when compared to the pole variety. These plants will in general produce a much lower yield, but they are overall much easier to grow and require less maintenance!
– Why Are Beans Not Good for Garlic
Garlic is a poor companion to beans as much as beans are to garlic! Garlic has the potential to inhibit the growth of all bean plants because it releases a substance that reduces the beneficial bacteria population essential for bean nutrition.
In such a state, bean plants cannot release enough nitrogen into the soil which will affect the whole bunch of plants you grow in their vicinity. As mentioned, beans are vining plants and they will seclude your garlic plants and prevent the sun from reaching them. Beans are also prone to powdery mildew, mosaic virus, and white mold all of which can infect garlic. Planting garlic next to these is a big mistake!
3. Sage
| Growing season | Spring And Summer |
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Sage is grown for its beautiful silver and white foliage. It is a fast-growing and spreading perennial adding light and adorable contrast to the landscape and grows perfectly well with almost anything, except garlic as we’ll soon see.
Sage is growing in bushy clumps and its foliage is dashingly aromatic when scratched or bruised. The leaves are wooly on the underside and glabrous at the top.
Sage grows up to three feet tall and thrives in moderately fertile and poor soils and full sun. In some climates, this plant will self-spread rather aggressively by both rhizome activity and seeds. Sage is a beautiful addition to beds and borders, and is a great companion in your veggie garden — as long as you don’t plant it next to onions or garlic!
– Why Is Sage Not Good for Garlic
Garlic plants aren’t good companions for sage, as they will require a lot more water than the sage plant which loves dry conditions.
Growing garlic demands wet soil, and sage won’t have any of it! It will attract slugs, bugs, root rot, and wilt which will all affect and damage your garlic crops in turn. You should also watch out for powdery mildews in all planting scenarios.
4. Parsley
| Growing season | Spring To Fall |
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Parsley is a well-known herb, native to the Mediterranean. It is a bushy perennial with a dense rosette of aromatic leaves finely divided into flat leaflets. The parsley plant will bloom in the second year of growth by sending up stalks of small yellow flowers.
Usually, parsley leaves become more coarse in their second year of growth and lose much of their original strong flavor. In general, parsley leaves are full of vitamins and minerals. This herb is cultivated worldwide for its aromatic leaves and is one of the most popular herbs out there.
Parsley plants grow up to 12 inches tall and around the same width. They perform best in fertile and moist areas under full sun or partial shade. They can be toxic to animals, and can cause your onions and garlic not to grow as expected!
– Why Is Parsley Not Good for Garlic
Parsley is a nutrient-hungry plant and will fight for nutrients with garlic. If you have garlic planted on the same patch of land as parsley, it will set the two for disaster. On top of that, parsley can attract diseases and pests such as leaf spots, stem rot, weevils, and flea beetles, which definitely won’t be shy about skipping onto garlic plants.
5. Other Alliums
| Growing season | Spring to Summer |
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Alliums are considered a staple food in kitchens across the globe. They make up a broad family that includes plants like onions, garlic, shallot, and leeks!
Garlic and onion plants have been cultivated for at least 5000 years and provide an awesome fragrance and flavor to any meal. These plants are easy to grow from either seed or propagated from bulbs which are the latest stages of their growth. They perform best in moist and well-drained soils under full sun, with an ideal pH of between 6.0 and 7.0.
– Why Other Alliums Are Bad for Garlic
Onions and other alliums are in general considered a very good neighboring family to most vegetable garden plants.
However, you shouldn’t plant different allium species together as they can attract onion maggots to each other and decimate their population in turn. Not to mention several diseases commonly found with these plants — blisters, stem rusts, downy mildew, and purple blotch can all spread quickly amongst your alliums.
Conclusion
Garlic is a great addition to any veggie garden. However, it is important to know which companion plants are best for garlic and which ones should be avoided.
- The worst companion plants for garlic are asparagus, beans, fruit trees, sage, and parsley.
- The best garlic companion plants for garlic include summer savory, carrots, cabbage family, and aromatic herbs which can deter pests and attract beneficial insects. Plant garlic next to these!
- If you want to grow garlic healthy, it is important to choose a sunny spot, prepare the soil, and water regularly. It is also important to practice crop rotation to reduce the risk of pests and diseases.
So, now that you know the worst companion plants for garlic, it’s time to get planting! Follow the tips in this blog and you’ll have a successful and bountiful garlic crop in no time.
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