Melon companion plants are so-called because they provide benefits to melons such as pest control.
These plants can range from beans to cosmos that protect your melon plants while providing beauty and crops.
Let’s take a brief look at how each one works to your melon-growing advantage!
Contents
Choices of Great Melon Companion Plants
There are many good companion plants for melons that you can grow quite easily. Here are 14 of them for you to choose from.
1. Basil
Basil smells great and tastes even better. As a companion plant, it keeps watermelons safe.
– Unique Characteristic
Grow both plants together for your eating pleasure. Basil and watermelons taste good together in salads and smoothies.
– Main Benefit
Basil repels whiteflies that wreak havoc on the watermelon fruit. In fact, you can make an insect-repellant spray from basil leaves, which repel vine borers.
2. Bean
Legumes such as pole beans and bush beans are best grown with melons. Nutritious and delicious, beans are packed with proteins.
– Unique Characteristic
Aside from proteins, beans are full of iron and zinc. Both plants can be easily grown together due to similar growing needs.
– Main Benefit
Plants belonging to the legume family are particularly known to add nitrogen to the soil, which melons need to grow healthier. However, keep legumes away from chives, garlic, and onions.
3. Cabbage
Healthy and beautiful, cabbages are great garden additions. Low in calories, cabbages are some of the best diet-friendly food choices.
– Unique Characteristic
Cabbage improves the soil conditions around melons. Aside from this, cabbages are brimming with vitamins and minerals.
– Main Benefit
Plants in the Brassica family in which the cabbage belongs are known to provide vital nutrients to melon plants. Cabbage is also high in fiber.
4. Carrot
This delicious root crop is a tasty and attractive addition and companion to peas. Known for its vitamin A content, the carrot is a staple for most vegetable gardens.
– Unique Characteristic
The presence of root crops such as carrots helps the root systems of melon plants tremendously. They do this by breaking up the soil and thereby aerating it.
– Main Benefit
Carrot roots gradually loosen up the soil and allow more air and nutrients to penetrate the ground, allowing melon roots to soak them up. This results in bigger and healthier melons.
5. Catnip
Unassuming but easy to grow, catnip is a great companion to any plant, including melons. Cats love this herb as well.
– Unique Characteristic
Catnip is easy to grow, just like its relatives in the mint family. However, some states consider it quite invasive.
– Main Benefit
Flies, roaches, spider mites, and other insects are just some of these pesky bugs that catnip keeps at bay. If you plant them, cats will love visiting your garden too!
6. Chamomile
Known for their charming flowers and soothing scent, chamomile plants are perfect partners for melons.
– Unique Characteristic
The fragrant flowers of this plant are enough to keep away pests such as flies and mosquitoes. Plus, they make attractive ground cover.
– Main Benefit
At the same time, chamomile attracts beneficial insects that eat pests, such as ladybugs, hoverflies, honey bees, and wasps. You can even use dried flowers for tea.
7. Chives
Easy and quick to grow, chives are beloved plants for a reason. They are highly attractive and quite tasty.
– Unique Characteristic
Chives are fragrant additions and garnishes to any dish. They are also full of choline and folate, which boost memory function.
– Main Benefit
Allium plants such as chives are known to keep away pests, making them ideal honeydew melon companion plants. However, keep chives away from peas and beans.
8. Cosmos
Grow cosmos near melons to help beautify your garden even more. They even thrive in poor soil conditions.
– Unique Characteristic
Plants in the aster family, such as cosmos, are favored by melon growers due to their pest-repelling abilities. Plus, they provide a subtle fragrance to any garden.
– Main Benefit
Aside from repelling pests, cosmos also attract beneficial insects. These flowers also require little watering, which allows you to save on water bills.
9. Coneflower
Intriguing and unique, coneflowers are some of the easiest to grow. Echinacea, in particular, is known for its traditional medicine uses.
– Unique Characteristic
Coneflowers attract pollinators such as birds and butterflies. The flowers are sometimes used to treat coughs and colds.
– Main Benefit
Monarchs, fritillaries, and swallowtail butterflies feed on the nectar while bluejays, goldfinches, and cardinals eat the seeds and pests. Preparations from the plant can also be used on wounds and burns.
10. Garlic
Deliciously fragrant, garlic is a favorite pest repellant in many gardens. In the kitchen, it is an indispensable aromatic.
– Unique Characteristic
This herb is so easy to grow plus it keeps away unwanted insects and animals. Additionally, it adds a wonderful taste and aroma to every dish.
– Main Benefit
Another member of the allium family, the deliciously pungent scent of garlic is known to keep pests away, which is why it’s also beneficial to the tomato plant. Simply keep peas and beans away from garlic.
11. Lavender
Lovely and invigorating, lavender is a wonderful protective companion to melons. Simply ensure that it is located in full sun.
– Unique Characteristic
The lovely and fragrant blooms make wonderful flower arrangements, teas, and scented products. The flowers can be used fresh or dried.
– Main Benefit
The sweet scent of lavender flowers repels multiple insects such as fleas, flies, moths, and mosquitoes. At the same time, it attracts beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies.
12. Leek
Leeks are great plant partners for melons in the garden. Filled with antioxidants, leeks may protect against diseases, such as cancer.
– Unique Characteristic
Leeks have high levels of flavonoids, which are anti-inflammatory. Their fragrance is pleasing to humans but repellent to insects. Leeks are also extremely high in fiber content.
– Main Benefit
The pungent sulfur secreted by leeks is enough to deter many pests, making leeks the perfect Kajari melon companion plants. However, leeks are the worst companion plants for peas and beans.
13. Lettuce
Grow this plant as main salad ingredients while protecting your melons. As a little known fact, this vegetable is related to sunflowers.
– Unique Characteristic
These crops can be grown as edible ground covers alongside watermelon plants. Leaves with darker color tend to have more nutrients than the pale ones.
– Main Benefit
These crops reduce the rate of water evaporation from the soil, keeping it moist. At the same time, they lessen the presence of weeds.
14. Marigold
Beautiful and regal, marigolds are striking companions for melons due to their appearance. The flowers can be yellow, orange, white, and even in stripes!
– Unique Characteristic
French marigold, in particular, is known to kill several types of nematodes that include the root knot nematodes. At the same time, it attracts beneficial insects, such as butterflies. The scent also keeps away curious nibblers, such as deer.
– Main Benefit
The pungent fragrance of marigold plants repels many pests. These include cucumber beetles, aphids, and whiteflies.
Conclusion
Companion plants for melons are delightfully varied and many.
Here are some of the things we’ve learned so far:
- You can choose from crops or flowers when it comes to cultivating companions for your melon-bearing plants.
- Some plant companions can’t be planted near each other, such as those in the allium family and those in the legume family.
- There are some plant companions that repel pests while others attract beneficial predators that feast on these pests.
Cultivating plant companions with your melons is a fulfilling gardening experience. Let us know which ones you chose!
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