If you’re growing in containers or square foot garden raised beds, pick a carrot variety that doesn’t produce super long roots, such as ‘Danvers.’
‘Danvers’ Carrot Seeds
Grab packets of ‘Danvers’ carrot seeds in a variety of sizes from Burpee.
And read our guide to growing carrots to learn more.
7. Cilantro
Love it or hate it, cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) isn’t just a cool season herb that is perfect for garnishing beans and rice.
Right about the time your tomato transplants are getting comfortable in the garden, cilantro will bolt, producing flower heads that attract multitudes of beneficial insects.
‘Leisure’ is a cilantro variety that is slow to bolt, giving you more delicious foliage before plants turn into pollinator magnets!
‘Leisure’ Cilantro Seeds
‘Leisure’ Cilantro seeds are available in a variety of packet sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Our guide to growing cilantro has more information.
8. Cosmos
Cosmos (Cosmos spp.) is an annual flower that is as beautiful as it is useful.
The flowers attract bees to the garden and bees will help produce a bumper crop by pollinating your tomato plants!
When choosing from the many different types of cosmos flowers, try to pick those that have simple rather than double flowers, to make them as helpful and attractive to pollinators as possible.
One of my favorite types of cosmos for attracting pollinators is Sensation Blend, which comes in a mix of white, pink, lavender, and magenta blooms.
Sensation Blend Cosmos Seeds
Nab packets of organic Sensation Blend seeds in a variety of sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Learn more about growing cosmos here.
9. Garlic
Tomatoes and garlic are another perfect pairing in a pan – and also in the garden!
With its pungent aroma, garlic (Allium sativum) helps ward off several pests, including flea beetles.
‘Silver Rose’ is a softneck garlic variety with a mild flavor and a beautiful silvery pink skin.
‘Silver Rose’ Garlic Bulbs
Pick up half pound packs of ‘Silver Rose’ garlic bulbs from Burpee.
Learn how to grow garlic here.
10. Garlic Chives
In general, herbs make excellent plant partners, offering the benefit of pest defense thanks to the fragrant compounds in their foliage.
So it’s not surprising that research indicates better yields for tomato crops when they are interplanted with alliums such as chives (Allium schoenoprasum).
In particular, there is an abundance of data on using garlic chives (A. tuberosum) to ward off pests – no doubt because of the pungent volatile organic compounds the plants produce!
Garlic Chive Seeds
You can purchase organic garlic chive seeds in a variety of pack sizes from True Leaf Market.
Learn more about garlic chives here.
11. Hairy Vetch
Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) is a cover crop that provides multiple benefits as a companion plant for tomatoes.
This legume fixes nitrogen in the soil, it can be used as a green mulch when grown underneath other plants, and it also helps protect crops from diseases!
With so many benefits, hairy vetch is simply one of the best cover crops to grow in your vegetable garden.
Hairy Vetch Seeds
You can purchase organic hairy vetch seeds in a selection of pack sizes from True Leaf Market.
12. Marigolds
You may have heard that marigolds (Tagetes spp.) make excellent companion plants in the garden – and truly they are!
Marigolds repel root knot-nematodes, pests that will attack pretty much all other garden plants, including tomatoes.
Our guide to the benefits of growing marigolds with tomatoes goes into more detail.
Looking for a type of marigold that will help with pest control in the garden?
Why not try the lovely French marigold (T. patula) cultivar ‘Red Metamorph?’ It has dark red petals and gold centers.
‘Red Metamorph’ Marigold Seeds
You’ll find ‘Red Metamorph’ marigolds in packs of 36 seeds available at Botanical Interests.
Read our guide to growing marigolds here.
13. Okra
If you enjoy cooking with okra, you’ll be thrilled to know that this crop makes a great plant pal for your tomatoes.
Interplanting okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and tomatoes purportedly increases the overall yield of the garden plot.
There are many fabulous types of okra and my favorite is ‘Burgundy,’ with its deep purple pods.
‘Burgundy’ Okra Seeds
You can find ‘Burgundy’ okra seeds available in a variety of packet sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Learn how to grow okra here.
14. Onions
Onion plants (Allium cepa) have a pungent odor that can confuse and deter pests, which is one reason why they are ideal for growing with tomatoes.
These alliums can also protect your crops from diseases such as Verticillium wilt by lending immune-boosting sulfur compounds.
‘Evergreen Long White’ is a cold hardy heirloom bunching onion variety.
‘Evergreen Long White’ Bunching Onions
You can find ‘Evergreen Long White’ bunching onion seeds in a choice of packet sizes from Burpee.
Check out our guide to growing onions here.
15. Oregano
Are you a fan of Mediterranean herbs? Well, so are tomatoes, especially when it comes to oregano (Origanum vulgare)!
Oregano contains volatile oils that repel pests such as whiteflies.
Since this herb can be grown as a perennial, you may want to cultivate it in a container and place the pot near your tomato plants.
There are many different types of oregano, but Greek oregano is certainly my favorite!
Greek Oregano Seeds
Find Greek oregano seeds in a variety of packet sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Read our guide to growing oregano next.
16. Parsley
If you love the idea of using herbs as companion plants, here’s another one for your list: parsley (Petroselinum crispum).
Parsley attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs, spiders, and hoverflies, all of which predate on pests that trouble plants in the nightshade family like tomatoes.
To provide the beneficial insects with forage, you’ll need to allow this biennial plant to bloom.
Italian flat leaf parsley is easier to clean than the curly kind, making it a breeze to transform into pesto or tabouleh.
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Seeds
Organic Italian flat leaf parsley seed is available in an array of packet sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Learn more about growing parsley here.
17. Peas
Like beans, peas (Pisum sativum) are nitrogen fixers, and as a result of this, one study showed that growing peas with tomatoes increased tomato yield by 20 percent!
And since peas are cool season crops, right about the time you’re harvesting the delicious pods, it’ll be time to transplant your tomato starts.
Not everyone loves the distinctive taste of garden peas, so if you’re looking for something a bit milder, consider snow peas, which are just as easy to grow.
‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’ snow peas grow on short vines and are disease resistant.
‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’ Snow Pea Seeds
Purchase ‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’ snow pea seeds from Botanical Interests.
Learn more about growing peas here.
18. Rue
Rue (Ruta graveolens), a member of the citrus family, is a short-lived perennial herb you can add to your raised beds, rows, or container herb garden.
When interplanted with rue as part of an integrated pest management strategy, tomato harvest increased compared to the same crop grown in a monoculture.
Rue Seeds
You can find rue seeds in a choice of packet sizes from True Leaf Market.
19. Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is an annual that grows as a ground cover that can act as a living mulch under tall veggie plants like tomatoes or peppers.
Sweet alyssum also attracts beneficial insects such as wasps that can help protect your plants from herbivorous insects.
This companion plant blooms in shades of white, or purple – or pink, like the pretty cultivar, ‘Rosie O’Day.’
‘Rosie O’Day’ Sweet Alyssum Seeds
You can find ‘Rosie O’Day’ sweet alyssum seeds available from Botanical Interests.
Read our guide to growing sweet alyssum for more information.
20. Thyme
Like sweet alyssum, thyme (Thymus spp.) can act as a living mulch and it also produces pest-repelling volatile organic compounds.
In one study, it was concluded that thyme helped with root development, flowering, and fruiting of tomato plants.
Common Thyme Seeds
Pick up packs of organic common thyme seeds in an assortment of sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Check out our guide to growing thyme to learn more.
21. Zinnias
Along with cosmos, annual zinnia flowers (Zinnia spp.) always take a top spot in my vegetable garden – but I don’t just grow them for their good looks!
Zinnias increase the presence of predatory insects and spiders in the garden – which means they’ll help control populations of garden pests that affect tomatoes!
For best results helping out beneficial insects, choose a type of zinnia that has single rather than double blooms as these are better suppliers of nectar and pollen.
County Fair Blend is a mixture of single-flowered blooms in pink, orange, red, purple, and gold.
County Fair Blend Zinnia Seeds
You can find County Fair Blend zinnia seeds available in a variety of packet sizes from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Our guide to growing zinnias has more information.
Plants to Avoid
In addition to these 21 beneficial companion plants, you’ll also want to know which types of garden plants to avoid growing next to your tomatoes.
