Radishes are one of my favorite vegetables to grow in both spring and fall gardens In just 4-6 weeks from seeding, you can harvest crunchy, colorful radishes to add a spicy kick to salads, sandwiches and more.
But did you know that planting radishes next to certain other vegetables herbs and flowers can actually help them grow better? It’s called companion planting and it takes advantage of the natural symbiotic relationships between different plants.
In this article, I’ll share my top picks for companion planting with radishes, as well as a few combinations you’ll want to avoid. With the right companions, you can maximize your radish harvests and keep your kitchen supplied with these delightful root veggies!
Why Companion Plant Radishes?
Companion planting simply means strategically planting different crops together so they can help each other grow. There are a few key ways that interplanting radishes with other veggies can lead to better results:
- Pest control – Some plants naturally repel insect pests, protecting more vulnerable crops nearby. Radishes fall into this category.
- Flavor enhancement – Combining complementary flavors and textures leads to tastier harvests.
- Soil improvement – Certain plants help build soil fertility or structure. Radish roots break up compacted soil.
- Efficient use of space – Mixing plants with different heights and growing patterns maximizes production.
With a bit of planning, you can interplant radishes with a mix of herbs, greens, edible flowers and more. Keep reading for my top companion plant picks!
15 Best Companion Plants for Radishes
Here are some of my favorite vegetable companions to grow alongside radishes:
1. Lettuce
Cool weather-loving lettuce is an ideal neighbor for radishes. The shallow radish roots help aerate the soil, while the lettuce leaves provide protective shade that keeps the soil moist. Plus, they make a tasty salad pair when harvested at the same time!
2. Spinach
Much like lettuce, spinach prefers cool temperatures and moist soil, making it an excellent companion for radishes. Their shallow roots don’t compete for space, and the spinach helps repel flea beetles.
3. Peas
Tall climbing pea vines provide dappled shade for radishes without competing for root space. And as a legume, peas help increase soil nitrogen levels to feed your radishes.
4. Beans
Both bush and pole bean varieties are great companion plants for radishes. They enrich the soil, don’t take up ground space, and can be succession planted.
5. Carrots
Plant fast-growing radishes alongside slow-to-sprout carrots to mark rows and help break up crusty soil. By the time the carrots need more room, the radishes are ready to harvest.
6. Beets
Much like with carrots, quick-growing radishes can be used as a marker crop for beets. Their early root growth helps loosen soil for the beets.
7. Cucumbers
Radishes help deter cucumber beetles. And because cucumbers grow vertically on trellises while radishes grow underground, they make efficient use of space.
8. Onions & Garlic
All alliums help deter pests, making them great companions for radishes. Plus, they repel aphids that may attack your radish leaves.
9. Nasturtiums
Both edible and beautiful, nasturtiums help lure aphids away from your radishes. The flowers also attract beneficial pollinators to your garden.
10. Marigolds
Marigolds suppress nematodes and harmful soil fungi through their roots. They also attract pollinators while repelling certain pests.
11. Calendula
Also called pot marigolds, calendula attracts pollinators, helps controls pests like aphids, and complements radishes as an edible flower.
12. Dill
This herb attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and hoverflies to control aphids. Dill’s strong scent also deters tomato hornworms.
13. Chervil
Similar to parsley, this delicate herb improves the flavor of radishes while helping to repel aphids and other pests.
14. Chives
Onions chives provide many of the same pest-fighting benefits as garlic and shallots, making them ideal for planting beside radishes.
15. Mint
Mint makes a great living mulch around radishes, suppressing weeds while repelling pests like flea beetles, aphids and cabbage worms.
This is just a sampling of the many fragrant herbs, edible flowers and insectary plants that combine nicely with radishes. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your companion planting!
What Not to Plant With Radishes
While some plants thrive next to radishes, others should be avoided:
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Other brassicas – Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and other brassicas may stunt radish growth.
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Potatoes – These two vegetables compete for space and have differing soil needs.
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Hyssop – This aromatic herb inhibits radish growth and seed germination.
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Sunflower & corn – Taller plants that can shade out small radish seedlings.
Be mindful of sun requirements, potential competition for soil nutrients, and allelopathic effects that inhibit growth. With a bit of planning, you can still interplant radishes with most common vegetables.
Sample Radish Companion Planting Bed
Here is one example of an interplanted raised bed that incorporates radish companion plants:
Lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets and bush beans fill the center of the bed. Radishes are planted along the edges, interspersed with onions, garlic, calendula and marigolds. Taller crops are kept to the north side to avoid shading.
With a 4 foot x 8 foot bed like this, you can enjoy a continuous harvest of roots, greens and herbs for months!
Tips for Companion Planting Radishes
Here are a few tips to get the most out of interplanting radishes in your vegetable garden:
- Use taller companions like peas or cucumbers on the north side to prevent shading.
- Time plantings so slower-growing plants aren’t overshadowed early on.
- Mix up root depths with shallow and deep crops.
- Include dynamic accumulators like comfrey to build soil nutrients.
- Use radish rows between beds as trap crops for flea beetles & other pests.
- Include flowers to attract pollinators and beneficial insects.
- Use aromatic herbs like dill or chervil to mask the scent of brassicas from pests.
- Plant a diversity of crops with different harvest windows for continuous yields.
With the right companion plant pairings, your radish crop will thrive!
Companion Planting Radish FAQs
If you’re new to interplanting vegetables, here are answers to some common companion planting questions:
Can you plant radishes with tomatoes?
Radishes and tomatoes aren’t ideal companions since they thrive in different conditions. Radishes prefer cool weather and mature quickly, while tomatoes need warm, sunny days and extensive root space.
However, planting radishes in early spring and removing them before transplanting tomatoes can work. Just don’t try to grow them together during peak summer.
What vegetable grows well with radishes?
Some of the best vegetable companions for radishes include other root crops like carrots and beets, leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, peas, beans, onions/garlic and brassica relatives other than broccoli and cabbage.
Do radishes and celery grow well together?
Yes, celery is a good companion for radishes! Both prefer cooler weather and consistent moisture. Radishes emerge quickly to help mark celery rows. Their shallow roots also help break up compacted soil that celery struggles with.
Can radishes be planted near cabbage?
Cabbage and other brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower should not be planted near radishes, since they release chemicals that inhibit growth of close cruciferous relatives.
However, more distant relatives like lettuce and spinach work well as radish companions. Onions and herbs are also great for repelling cabbage pests.
What herbs grow well with radishes?
Some of the best herb companions for radishes include dill, chervil, chives, garlic, onion, mint and basil. These help repel pests, attract pollinators, and improve radish flavor. Cilantro and parsley also make good companions.
Get Creative with Companion Planting!
Well-planned companion planting lets you make the most of every inch of your garden beds. I hope these radish pairing ideas inspire you to get creative with interplanting!
A diverse vegetable garden is a healthy and productive ecosystem. Raising different crops together results in better soil, fewer pests, and tastier harvests.
The next time you’re preparing a radish patch, try companion planting with some of the options suggested above. With the right friendly neighbors, you’ll enjoy better germination, growth and yields from your radishes.
Do Radishes and Beets Grow Well Together?
When you plant radishes, beets, and carrots together, you should think of them as roots that have similar needs. You plant these root crops from seeds. They like lots of phosphorus and potassium in the soil. They also need regular watering at the start of their growth. If they get too much nitrogen, they’ll grow lots of greens instead of nice, juicy roots.
Gardeners have long sworn by planting radishes in the same rows as their beets. The thinking is the radishes will sprout quickly, marking the space for the slower-to-sprout beets. The fast-growing radish roots will then loosen the soil before the beetroots begin to develop. By the time the beets are really swelling into that loosened soil, the radishes will be pulled. The radish greens can also serve as a trap crop to protect your beet seedlings from aphid damage.
I havent really tried growing radishes and beets in the same rows. I’m afraid that the same thing would happen here as it did with my carrots: the radish leaves would block too much sunlight from the beets for them to grow well. Im curious to know what your experience has been if youve tried this!.
My Favorite Types of Plants to Grow with Radishes
The cool season is my favorite growing season in the garden. Radish are one of my favorite foods, but I also love all the herbs and leafy greens that grow well with them.
I typically plant herbs and low-growing plants like radishes along the borders of my raised beds. Radishes thrive in the same temps as cilantro, dill, and parsley. They also do really beside perennial herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, and thyme.
Did you know that radish slices taste great in salad? Well, they also grow really well in a salad garden. I love growing radishes with lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, cabbage, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. Not only do they have similar growing preferences, the radishes can also help protect your greens from pests.
When most vegetables can’t handle the cold, radishes are great to grow with frost-tolerant greens. You could have a radish and spinach bed growing well before your last frost in the spring.
They won’t get in the way of your radish plants getting sunlight because small leafy greens will stay about the same height. Make sure to plant radishes somewhere they wont be in total shade from your taller leafy greens.
The best fruiting plant to grow in the same beds as radishes is peas. Peas, like radishes, can be planted as soon as your soil is workable in the spring. While you wait 6 to 8 weeks for your first pea harvest, you can plant and harvest several rounds of radishes.
Fruiting plants like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers do well with radishes, but you’ll only need to share garden space when you switch from a cool season to a warm season garden and back again.
Alliums are the go-to companion plant group for organic pest control. Plant chives, garlic, onions, leeks, or shallots next to all your radishes and leafy greens.
Flowers are important too. Calendula, chamomile, and pansies are some of my favorite flowers that do well in cool weather. Calendula will actually act as a trap crop and keep aphids off your radish leaves.
You can also add pretty nasturtiums to your radish bed after the last frost date in the spring.
