5 companion plants for tomatoes

In this video I will show you 5 of my favorite evidence based companion planting strategies for your organic garden tomatoes. Plus two plants that should never be planted near tomatoes.
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DIGITAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
01:18 - Grow Marigolds with tomatoes for root knot nematodes
02:10 - Grow alliums with tomatoes for red spider mites
03:26 - Grow cowpeas with tomatoes for stinkbugs
04:07 - Grow parsley with tomatoes for many benefits
04:52 - Grow basil with tomatoes for tomato hornworms
06:35 - Don't grow potatoes near tomatoes
07:07 - Don't grow black walnut trees near tomatoes
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[@arubaguy2733]

THE best gardening channel on KZbin. No "cute" music or condescension or jargon. Just plain talk and informative tips to help even beginners do well. I've been gardening for 55 years and still glean good information from these videos. Quick and to the point. Never any useless "clickbait" titles. Thank you for your time and effort in making these gems, Brian. -Container gardener from Mid-Michigan.

[@orange2sweet673]

Hi I’m South of Ann Arbor and I container garden too!

[@arubaguy2733]

@@orange2sweet673 Hi "neighbor"! I had to learn gardening all over again when we moved from our beloved farm, where I planted 7,200 sq ft (80x90) with enough vegetables for the year ahead . Moved to a condo in Howell due to advancing age and now grow a dozen tomatoes, 30 hot peppers, basil, dill, cucumbers in bags on 12x12 deck. HOA won't permit a "dirt" garden here. Brian's videos helped me make the transition.

[@venidamcdaniel1913]

@@arubaguy2733HOA’s suck

[@arubaguy2733]

@@venidamcdaniel1913 They claim our entire front and back yards are "common areas". I would like to know what legal authority they have to declare property that I pay property taxes on "off limits" to do with as I please. A beautifully-maintained vegetable garden is not an "eyesore". The developer put all of the ugly electrical and utility boxes right out in plain sight, visible from anywhere on the street, so I contend that a nice garden in the back and invisible from the street does not detract from the "look" of the subdivision. We have a far corner lot and the only residents able to see our backyard are our duplex neighbors and I always share some of my produce with them, so...

[@venidamcdaniel1913]

@@arubaguy2733 ♥️

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

I accidentally ended up with parsley EVERYWHERE by putting a parsley I had allowed to go to seed into the compost, and it's been so brilliant that I now do it on purpose. It goes into everything I cook and I love having way too much. 💚

[@helnyson4694]

Most definitely a *good* thing! 😊🌸🦋🐝✌🏾

[@buckaroobonsaitree7488]

Awesome, I plant marigold on each side of my tomato rows and a basil plant in between each tomato plant. Gonna have to add some scallions next time around

[@pameladippre4386]

My tomatoes are doing great this year. I've followed what you said and it's working. So exciting! You've inspired me so much that I love gardening more than ever, Thank you Brian for sharing your knowledge. You truly have a God given gift.

[@Ken-h5d]

I have a love/hate reaction to your posts, Brian. I am extremely proud of how my garden is doing. Then I see yours and I'm brought back to Earth. I quickly arrive at the correct feeling of 'I'm doing OK'. (better than ever before!). Thanks so much for the info, tips, and encouragement.

[@Princess-Um]

It's like anything in life. We are where we are, hopefully better than yesterday and not as well as tomorrow. Seeing others that are better off than us keeps us from getting comfortable in our successes.

[@debbomar2184]

I am not a very "happy" person, but I try to not make demands on myself in regards to my yard. It is there for me to enjoy. I think of the feo flat yard that only had grass before. Then I look at the colors and stuff I have now. My garden may not be great -but it is beautiful to me. Enjoy your yard and the passion you have put into it🎉

[@jobond3317]

Totally agree with you I been gardening most of my life over60 years. Marigolds are pretty but for control of carrot worms I haven't had success

[@donhorak9417]

I solarized my entire garden last summer to try erraticat the root knot nematodes. I don't think it worked. One patch(where I had grown carrots 2 yrs ago), seeds won't germinate or plants are stunted.

[@BaloosCluesOriginal]

Basil is my favorite companion plant, too. I always let some basil flower because bees in my area, seem to enjoy basil and pepper flowers. I use marigolds as well. I also like to plant bush green beans between my tomatoes, for the nitrogen boost.

[@donhorak9417]

Basil and cilantro! I'm gonna use them together in the kitchen. They might as well grow together.

[@gardenfreshtotable]

Great information to grow tomatoes, I have been using companion plantings like these for several years with great success.

[@jerrybutler5233]

.no no. Lol o n o no no no n no h o I .9 b no hi no .9. .h I Hi. Ui 9 9 I Hi. H ilo. Up io b I I I j o I i . 😮no. Lp m 😮😅😮😅😮😅😮😊😅😮😮😮no m o . M. . m n. O k.

[@jerrybutler5233]

Ok Oo il

[@gwendolyne5115]

You are so smart and easy to understand. Wish you had a class

[@donhorak9417]

He does have a class... and a book about companion planting!

[@oldschooljack3479]

Brian, I ordered your companion planting book and eagerly await its arrival. I have gardened in years past. But decided to buckle down this year and make a serious go at it. I live in the extreme NE corner of Oklahoma. Zone 7a. This year has been a challenge. My soil is high in clay, no hardpan, but still dense, sticky, and clumpy. So while I am growing this year's garden I am adding and amending the soil as much as I can. We have had a pretty severe storm season this spring. The clay soil coupled with the heavy rains has been a real challenge. But we are seeing some success. So... It has been a challenge. But we are making progress. I look forward to getting your book and adding it to my arsenal.

[@marthakratz7877]

I've heard mixing gypsum in with the clay soil helps loosen it and keep it looser.

[@oldschooljack3479]

@@marthakratz7877 for sodic soils, yes. But I am reasonably sure I don't have sodic soil here.

[@PennyFarmer-w8g]

I have started some flowers, I put wild onions in tomato bed for now, but will sow chives and green onions in the morning! My first ever tomatoes from seed have flowers!!! I am super excited!!! For now there is tulle over them, tented.

[@fk319fk]

I live in the country, and we have deer and rabbits in our front yard. We started growing marigolds in front of the tomatoes, and we have never had an issue. I do not have any fencing.

[@christinemcdaniel1647]

The rabbit in my yard eats my marigolds, pure.cone flowers, all my green beans (on my third planting), strawberries, zinnias......and more. I really don't like rabbits anymore 😡

[@Lizzy_333]

Thank you for the tips!

[@judymckerrow6720]

Thank you Brian, I really like that your suggestions are backed by science. 💐💚🙃

[@debbomar2184]

Thank You so much for your sharing your work. I grew a garden when I was 12, then during Covid, and now -this summer. I am 65. I am in a rental duplex so have containers everywhere. Cost of potting soil-oye vey!! Couldn't say what I really wanted to say online. But, I could've bought kayaks instead. Yard had nothing but grass when I moved on. I have watched to your videos so many times! The marigolds and basil I put by my tomatoes -actually are doing much better there. I couldn't build a tomato trellis this year, so I used dead sunflower stalks that I pulled up @ February. I have sunflowers in different areas as companions and for shade. So, thanks to you I have a colorful yard with tomatoes, peppers, corn, strawberries and flowers. (After the squash bug wars of 2020 I decided to skip the plants they love. Maybe next year). Anyhow, thank you SO MUCH for your diligence and advice. You inspire me! (FYI, I have MH issues too. When I am having a bad day I try to chill and take it easy. And, I repeatedly tell myself: Tomorrow Will Be Better!) Thanks!

[@davidmclaughlin2796]

Very good Bryan, thanks for your video.

[@Princess-Um]

I love me a little science!!!!

[@JS-jl1yj]

Great video. I just wish it came earlier. This Spring, I started a gardening journal. I will write down your tips so I would not forget to follow them next year. This year for the first time, I germinated the tomato seeds on a heating pad and grew them under the grow lights. I fertilized the young seedlings with 20-20-20 in Solo cups and up-potted them into large 750g yogurt containers, a few weeks before planting them outdoors. I put a handful of pelleted organic chicken manure, that contains calcium, in the planting hole. My heirloom tomatoes are loving it. They are incredibly strong and healthy looking. Just like you, I remove the bottom leaves and I prune them to keep just the lead stem, which is already 6 feet tall and 1 inch thick. Even the leaves, at their base where they grow out of the stem, are 1/2 inch thick. My dill seeds itself out year after year. It surrounds the raised bed of tomatoes. I usually grow my herbs in pots, but this year I planted half of them in the ground where I grow strawberries. While the Italian parsley is doing great in the ground, the marjoram and basil got eaten to the grown by something. I assume that it was the slugs. I learned my lesson. I have changed the location of my existing oregano. Now I have it at the end of one of my tomato beds, where I will never disturb it. It is doing great in that sunny spot between the tomatoes and rhubarb.

[@allangoodger969]

Fell jealous how good they look. This weekend is the start of the official snow season here in Australia.

[@TheLordofBacon]

That’s insane

[@allangoodger969]

@@TheLordofBacon How so?

[@donhorak9417]

Hey, mate, one of us is living on the wrong end of the world...or the right end. Cheers, from USA!

[@allangoodger969]

@@donhorak9417 Nothing better than a fresh salad with BBQ seafood on the beach for Christmas day lunch. To top the day off a massive Pavlova with fresh fruit and berries is nothing better.

[@lucretiasulimay1968]

Wow great information thank you, have a beautiful day 😊😊

[@marymccormick7806]

Used basil & marigolds- try again this year. Green onions! I’ll give that a go. Thx

[@AngelaM-y4e]

Good morning, thank you that was very helpful! I love how fun you make gardening even in a small space. Have a lovely day!

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Wow Lovely Planting Thank you for good sharing 😊 LIKE it My friend, have a good relationship 😊

[@KFrost-fx7dt]

Grandma's garden has a walnut tree next to it. I wonder if that's why our tomatoes haven't been making it? We didn't even bother planting any this year. Maybe I will get a few plants and try them in pots.

[@Wizofawes]

The pictures were great for visualization. Thank you.

[@oliverdeegbe]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING. From Ghana

[@CreativeMoments92]

Great information. Thank you.

[@theresapelican9621]

A homerun! Thank you.

[@thanhvancooking3632]

Hi,I plant mint in pots and put around my tomato plants last year and I have none of worms or any diseases as the year before.

[@doncook3584]

Always timely beneficial information

[@timgallagher6370]

This is brilliant stuff mate 🎉 Thank you for your time.

[@kevinfestner6126]

Despite the basil border, I still got a horn worm yesterday. Saved the plant before the hungry monster devoured the poor plant.

[@farm-168m2]

very good

[@Wizofawes]

Have you grown African blue basil. A perennial that flowering doesn't affect it as much for the taste. It's covered in flowers and we use it as a pollinator crop as well as an herb

[@MudderGirl13]

So far, so good keeping the nasty bugs away, but it's the bigger critters giving me trouble.

[@petanisukses_garden]

Very good plant growth

[@jeffkoski2125]

Thanks for great videos as I've taken your ideas and suggestion to improve my garden this year. I do have a question that hasn't been addressed in your videos, or at least I haven't view it yet. I planted Beef Stake tomatoes in April. It's now June and I have lots and lots of tomatoes. About Jun 15th there were two tomatoes that turned red and were harvested. My question is this: Why did only two tomatoes turn red and 10 days later the rest all still green? Also, I have groups of tomatoes growing together on a vine 3 are medium size and two are small, Should I remove the two small ones? Will the eventually grow larger? I figured they would ripen around the end of July Aug time frame and was surprised to find two that ripened early. Jeff in CA.

[@rkm91695]

Brian - We planted sweet potatoes next to our determinant cherry tomatoes. Will this harm the tomatoes? The sweet potatoes are only 3 feet from the rest of our tomato plants! Please advise.

[@KimberlyGrant-fy9fi]

What about nasturtium? I had a monster vine thar dropped a few thousand seeds. Even though I cleaned out 90% (sneaky seeds), covered with cardboard and.mulch over winter, I'm still getting seedlings in the tomato bed. I've left a few and transplanted some.

[@leslieeriksen3847]

I have a question... Can you please tell me what that light mulch is? I want to put mulch down soon. I saw an earlier video where you briefly mentioned pine shavings, which is pet bedding. I live in the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver) . I'm curious if the pine or cedar shavings is OK for the soil. Do you remove it in winter? Thanks very much . I really enjoy your videos!

[@DarkSolidity]

I discovered something recently, I had a polk salad weed grow close to my tomato bed and out of pure procrastination it lived to get pretty big however it attracted the cut worm to it instead of my tomatoes

[@BonnyAnderson-d5n]

I unwittingly moved next to a black walnut tree a couple years ago and have come to believe they should be banned from being planted in cities and towns where they might affect neighbouring properties. Tomatoes are really why I garden. I grow a bunch of other things, but really, it's the tomatoes that tug on my heart strings. Last year (first time growing at the new house) they grew to 4' tall, put on fruit and then shriveled and died. I thought we might be a safe enough distance away, at about 15 - 20 feet. But I have also read that 50 to 100 feet is a more likely estimate (or two to four times the canopy's diameter, some suggest). So I thing massive raised beds are the way to go next year. I hear the only way to do it is to put concrete between the ground and the raised beds. I'm very much open to suggestions.

[@bradleach4947]

Black walnut is bad for morel mushroom as well.

[@cheryldalton8094]

This question has nothing to do with this video but, are you going to stock fish in the new pond when it is finished?

[@markhaynes9442]

Going to take the challenge and plant a couple of pots of basil by my potted and bagged tomatoes. Thanks so much! Off subject - Squirrels love to dig into my pots to bury their nuts and so forth. Outside of a layer of chicken wire, any thoughts on keeping the little rascals away? Does mulching discourage them at all? As always, thanks, Brian, for the sage advice!

[@TexMarque]

Try placing rocks or stones, not gravel, around the plant. It is the only thing that I've found to keep squirrels out of my potted plants.

[@rogergladding7943]

We’ve tried that but they still manage to nudge them out of the way. This year they pruned our lilac tree and are just eating away at the buds on our poppies.

[@venidamcdaniel1913]

Marigolds are golden for voles. Only thing that keeps them away but have to have them everywhere.

[@jayneparrish1693]

Does planting tomatoes in grow bags 15 ft from the drip line of a black walnut apply the them also

[@DebRoo11]

Where ya been?

[@sheribaker6393]

What do you use in your tomato beds? It looks like wood shavings.

[@darleneprice6467]

I wonder what to do to avoid tomato rot?

[@joannam369]

Don’t know how else to reach out. Hope you check comments. Hope you are ok! Noticed you are not posting on either channel. Please provide an update soon, worried about you and your family!❤

[@vickieboley9452]

UH-OH! I forgot about the tomato/potato rule! I have a big job ahead of me moving my container tomatoes farther away from my container potatoes which are too heavy to move! UGH! thanks for the reminder!

[@marthakratz7877]

You are not alone in that. I goofed up and made that same mistake this year.

[@MichaelRei99]

I am pretty sure the chitin found in crab and lobster fertilizer is good for keeping root knot nematodes away from your plants. I keep my potatoes and tomatoes far apart!

[@adriankap2978]

That's great news! I didn't know about that and added some to this morning newly planted flower bed. Can I add the Neptunes Harvest Crab and Lobster to fabric pot planted tomatoes?

[@MichaelRei99]

@@adriankap2978I do.

[@주명화-w3c]

True or not I don't know but they'd say that marigold has power to chase away snakes by emitting strong scent. If so, I would love to grow up marigold in my garden cause in my country they strictly prohibit hunting snakes so there are too many snakes out there in the mountains, valleys, hills, paddies... threatening country folks.

[@davidthedeaf]

6:11 But Amazil Basil actually does NOT go bitter! Go ahead and try that one!

[@susanhenley8240]

Every time I plant Marigolds, the slugs eat them all,... right down to a stub.

[@deniseferguson9608]

Does society garlic work like the other alums?

[@donhorak9417]

The scent is strong! But, this plant cam become invasive.

[@user-23188]

Plant green onion tops that will speed up the growing process faster than seeds.

[@BNM-b7t]

Don't forget to remove the sucker branches. And once the plant reaches a height that works best for you, prune off the top of the plant. Instead of growing up, which could be hard to reach, it will stimulate it to produce more fruit. shalom

[@neodynamite]

Bro…I’m getting worried about you. I hope all is well.

[@fadibahoura7012]

Is this a repeat?

[@camerica7400]

Yes I actually just watch the other video last night 😅

[@davidgeorge4784]

Tomatoes and Epsom salts go great together 😂

[@Mithranos]

Dang, I used Marigolds.

[@hell2danawnawnaw921]

why am i still growing leaves rather that tomatoes my plants are indeterminate. they have been growing since March

[@shake_shells11]

The tiny red spider looking mites are not spider mites. They are Anystidae, who are the predators of spider mites.

[@Thathandytiger17]

Hmm, I have a problem. I don’t have 15 feet to separate the tomato and potato plants 😱

[@donhorak9417]

I plant potatoes weeks before my last frost and harvest while my tomatoes are still young and healthy. Never had disease cross over.

[@beverlyzientara4502]

All marigolds do for my garden are attract Japanese Beatles in droves. I do everything else though😊

[@samlove933]

WHATM HAPPEND?

[@urbugnmetoday3183]

Modern science, hahahahahaha…

[@donhorak9417]

I like it when ancient wisdom and modern science are in agreement.

[@veronicastephens8501]

Wonderful information! Thank you