13 Raspberry Companion Plants That Are Useful to Your Garden

Raspberry companion plants will not just repel pests from your garden, but they will also give your raspberries a lot of nutrients and improve the taste of their fruits.

You can try adding clover, lavender, onions, marigold and other plants to protect your raspberries and enrich your garden.

Read this article to see some of our best picks for your garden.

13 Raspberry Companion Plants To Grow in Your Garden

Here are the best plants to grow with your raspberry plants:

1. Clover

Clovers are awesome crops that you surely want near your raspberry plants. Clovers can help them to grow quickly, as they are legumes and can fix nitrogen into the soil through the help of some microbes. Clovers also attract some insects that can help pollinate your raspberry flowers so that they can produce even more fruits. 

Clovers are very low-maintenance, so you can grow them without using more energy. However, they can outgrow your raspberries if you do not prune them regularly. This means that you should always put their growth in check.

Also, note that you need to fertilize the soil with nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, as clovers can only help with nitrogen.

2. Buckwheat

Buckwheat plants are pseudocereals, as they produce grain-like seeds even though they are not grains (their leaves are broad and they are not related to wheat and other grains). They give you a lot of sweet seeds for your consumption.

Buckwheat plants make awesome companions for raspberries because they can prevent weeds from growing in your garden. 

Also, you can use them as cover crops after completing the growing season of other plants in the garden. Buckwheat plants do not require a lot of attention so long as their basic care requirements are met. However, ensure that they get a lot of light, as they can only flower and produce seeds in full sun.

3. Lavender

Looking for another plant that can repel pests from your garden? If insect pests regularly attack your raspberry plants, you may want to consider growing lavenders, as they can repel quite a few bugs. Lavenders are also very brightly colored and will give your raspberry garden a dazzling view. 

While you can grow raspberries and lavenders together, the best approach is to plant the latter as an edge or border for the raspberry plants. Note that lavenders need nutritious soil to continually produce the essential oils that insects avoid.

Also, the soil should be well-drained so that fungi and other harmful microbes do not attack the lavender and raspberry plants.

4. Beans

Clovers enrich the soil with nitrogen but beans provide both nitrogen for your raspberries and seeds for you to consume. Beans are leguminous plants, as they are very easy to grow yet add a lot of value to your garden.

You can place beans very close to raspberries without any problems, as bean roots do not usually compete with the roots of other plants for nutrients.

For the microbes in the roots of beans to thrive, you need to grow them in the ideal soil. While beans can grow in any type of substrate so long as it is well-drained, grow them in humid-rich soil and one that can retain moisture to some extent. Also, ensure that the raspberries do not cover the beans from sunlight.

5. Peas

Peas are popular legumes that people grow because of their sweet seeds. Peas are also preferred to other types of legumes because they are easier to take care of. You can easily grow peas very close to raspberries without the fear of access to enough sunlight for them.

This does not mean that you should abandon the peas. You need to make sure that the soil is well-drained, nutritious and that it retains some moisture. Also, do not wait until the soil gets dry before you water your peas so that the plants do not die. 

6. Onion

If you love onions, you should grow them in your raspberry garden. Onions will help repel some pests from your raspberry shrubs as well as give you sweet onion bulbs that can enrich your dishes.

Onions are root vegetables, so you cannot grow them too close to your raspberry plants, as they will need a lot of space to develop them.

Note that onions need airy soil so that their bulbs do not get infected with fungi, bacteria and other microbes. Also, check for cutworms and maggots in the soil as they often attack onion plants. If you see more onion plants that are dying, check their access to sunlight as well as the amount of moisture in the soil.

7. Chives

Here’s another plant that can help keep your raspberries from some pests. Chives are also sweet herbs that you can use for your meals. While chives prefer full sun, they can grow in partial shade, so you can easily grow them very close to your raspberry trees. They also make great border plants for your garden so that they can prevent pests from entering.

Like some other herbs, chives need well-drained and nutritious soil. Both chives and raspberries are heavy feeders, so you need to make sure that you properly feed them with nitrogen-rich fertilizers. Also, ensure that the soil is never completely dry.

8. Yarrows

Here’s one raspberry companion that you do not want to joke about. If you are experiencing low yield because your raspberries do not produce as many fruits as you’d expect, you can plant yarrows very close to them. Yarrows help to attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees, so your flowering raspberries will benefit a lot. 

When planting raspberries, ensure that there is enough space. Yarrow plants grow quickly, so you always want to put their growth in check by pruning them. Also, yarrows need potassium and phosphorus-rich fertilizer so that they can continue producing flowers to attract pollinators for your raspberries.

9. Marigold

Marigolds make great plants for companion planting with raspberries, as they are both beautiful and help to repel harmful insects away from the garden. This means that your raspberries can grow healthy fruits without bite marks, as pests such as mosquitoes and nematodes will be chased away by the marigolds. You may grow the marigolds around or very close to the raspberries if you wish.

Keep in mind that marigolds can get attacked by snails and slugs, so you need to get repellents to keep those pests away. Also, remember to prune the marigolds regularly so that they do not overgrow the raspberry plants.

10. Alfalfa

Alfalfas are super plants that you will appreciate in your garden. While they are popular cover crops in the cold months after harvesting your other crops, you can also grow alfalfa as companions for your raspberry bushes. Alfalfas are legumes, so they can enrich the soil with nitrogen for your raspberries and other plants. Alfalfas will also prevent weeds from growing too close to the raspberries.

Alfalfas are hardy plants, so they do not need a lot of care. However, just make sure that the soil is well-drained so that the alfalfas do not suffocate or die due to root rot. Also, note that you will need to occasionally prune the plants.

11. Nasturtium

Here’s a special type of companion for your raspberries. The nasturtium plant acts as a trap for aphids and other pests, as it attracts a lot of insects. This means that, instead of attacking your raspberries, the pests will attack the nasturtium instead. Nasturtium plants also attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your garden so that your raspberries can be more productive.

Nasturtiums are very beautiful, yet they are super easy to care for. Some people even treat them as weeds. All you need to do is to plant their seeds or cuttings and always put their growth in check by always pruning them. When pruning them, start with leaves and stems that have a lot of pests on them.

12. Summer Savory

Here is a popular herb that makes a good raspberry companion plant. Growing raspberries near summer savories can improve the taste of the fruits. Summer savories can help to repel some pests from attacking your raspberries and keep them safe. You also get to enjoy sweet herbs, as summer savories give your meals just the taste you’re looking for.

Summer savories need full sun if you want them to effectively repel pests from your garden and improve the taste of your raspberries. Also, ensure that the soil drains water quickly so that the raspberries do not get attacked by harmful microbes.

13. Oats

Oats are popular grains that you can grow as companions for your raspberries. Oats will help to put weeds in check as well as give you sweet grains that you’d enjoy. After harvesting your raspberries, you can leave the oats and turn them into the soil so that they can release the nutrients in their stems and leaves back.

Oats need a lot of sunlight, so make sure that your raspberries and other plants in your garden do not prevent them from getting as much sunlight as they need. Also, oats will not grow well in waterlogged soil, so make sure that it drains water quickly.

Conclusion

There are a lot of awesome companion plants for raspberries that can beautify your garden and bring many other benefits.

Here are some reminders for you:

• Plant raspberries close to legumes such as beans, clovers and alfalfas if you want to spend less money on fertilizers.
• Grow your raspberries with herbs, nasturtium and other plants to help them grow free from pests.
• To improve the taste of your raspberry fruits, plant summer savories and other herbs near them.
• Always put the light and soil requirements of your raspberry companion plants into consideration so that you can grow them successfully.
• After harvesting products from your garden, you can turn alfalfas, buckwheat and other cover crops into the soil to help retain a lot of nutrients.

Which plant would you like to grow your raspberries with? Remember to use the tips in this article this season. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment with other companions and combinations, such as potato, dill, cabbage, or even pine trees for borders.

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