Beets are root vegetables that thrive in the cool seasons and have been consumed by humans ever since ancient times. They are an excellent addition to any vegetable garden since they are simple to cultivate and need little attention. Even if the members of your family do not like the flavor of beets, the nutritional value of these vegetables will still be beneficial to your family pet.
The concept of planting beets beside other plants that might mutually benefit one another is referred to as companion planting. Doing so will help your beets grow and flourish.
Companion planting may be beneficial to almost every plant in some manner, and growing beets with other crops is not an exception to this rule. Companion planting has a number of potential benefits, some of which include the addition of nutrients to the soil, the provision of support for vining plants, the shading of roots in order to keep them cool and wet, the repulsion of pests, and the provision of shelter for beneficial insects.
Most significantly, using companion plants helps the garden become more diverse in the way that nature intended. A garden that is rich in variety eliminates the need for the gardener to do ongoing care and makes it possible to practice organic gardening.
Find out which plants are the ideal companions for growing beets, as well as which ones you should not plant in close to beets.
Good Companion Plants for Beets
Below is the list of good companion plants for beets. It cannot describe every plant individually. But, they all share the same growing condition as beets.
- Brassica family
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Nasturtium
- Marigold
- Radish
- Onions
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Basil
- Bok choy
Brassica family
When it comes to companion planting beets, some of the best options are vegetables belonging to the Brassica family such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, rutabagas, and turnips. Not only can brassicas be of assistance to your beets, but beets may also be of significant assistance to your brassicas.
The leaves of beets are rich in manganese and iron; thus, any beet leaves that fall to the ground or are replanted back into the soil will provide a boost to the brassica plants.
Planting beets, cabbage, and mint together will result in increased growth of all three vegetables. Both the beets and the cabbage will benefit from one another, and the mint will help improve the flavor of the cabbage while also discouraging insects and animals from eating it.
Garlic
Garlic acts as an effective deterrent against a variety of insects and other vermin that may attempt to devour your beets.
Growing garlic alongside beets would boost the taste of the beets. Who wouldn’t want their vegetables to have a better flavor just by growing other things in the area?
Garlic also adds antifungal characteristics to the soil by adding sulfur, which is a component of sulfur. It is widely held that growing garlic next to other plants, such as beets, may help protect those plants against a variety of illnesses that can be carried by soil organisms and transmitted to plants. Read Good and Bad companion plants for Ginger.
Lettuce
Even while lettuce won’t help your beets grow better, planting them in the same garden at the same time will help your garden in general. Because lettuce has a fairly shallow root structure, it may grow right next to your beets without causing any problems.
The lettuce will make use of the nutrients that are close to the earth’s surface, while the beet will utilize the nutrients that are found deeper in the soil thanks to its taproot. This will help reduce the risk of crop failure, and it will allow you to harvest two harvests from a more limited area.
By planting lettuce in the gaps between your rows of beets, you will not only cover any bare soil but also eliminate any dead area, which will assist to prevent moisture loss caused by evaporation.
In warmer weather, the lettuce will also be helpful since it will prevent the soil from being overheated by the sun and it will provide shade for your beets. Read companion plants for Asparagus.
Nasturtium
The addition of nasturtiums to a garden is highly recommended in order to increase the number of helpful insects present. Beet greens are a favorite snack of flea beetles and aphids, two types of insects that may be caught and captured using these crops. Nasturtium attracts beneficial insects that will predate pests that feed on beet.
A living mulch may be created using plants like nasturtiums that spread out throughout the ground. This will help prevent weeds from growing and will also prevent moisture from escaping.
Marigold
Slugs are a pest that may be a problem for beet plants, and marigolds are known to attract slugs. If you plant marigolds in close proximity to your beet plants, the marigolds will work as a trap crop, drawing slugs to themselves rather than your beet plants. You can catch these slugs and throw in the trash to save your beets.
Radish
In the garden, cool-season crops like radish are a wonderful complement to beets. Radish is a root crop that grows quickly, and you can utilize these characteristics to your advantage while cultivating beets.
Radishes mature quite rapidly, which means that you will be able to harvest them before anything else. This will not only result in a second harvest for you, but it will also provide the beets with more room to expand and may assist in aerating the soil in preparation for the growth of the beetroots.
Onions
Beets thrive greatly when grown with onions, shallots, and leeks, which are all excellent companion plants. They are an effective natural deterrent against a variety of garden pests, like sugar beet-flea beetles, aphids, and other animals, including rabbits and deer.
Mint
Mint is an excellent companion plant for beets since it repels several pests. These plants give out a strong odor that repels pests, but the issue is that mint is an invasive species that can grow quickly and may be found almost everywhere. Therefore, it is recommended that you put mint in containers next to your beets rather than planting them in the ground nearby.
Bad Companion Plants for Beets
Fennel
Since fennel does not make an ideal companion plant for the majority of garden vegetables and herbs, it is best to cultivate it in a bed or plot that is entirely isolated from the others. In point of fact, it has the potential to stunt or even kill other plants that are planted in the same area.
Pole beans
Even though beets are helped by the majority of bean varieties, pole beans are an exception. Both pole beans and beets will inhibit the development of the other, and the excess nitrogen produced by the pole beans will cause the beets to develop a huge top with very little beetroot below it.
Field mustard
Field mustard and beets, when planted together, may cause field mustard to develop more slowly, hence it is important to maintain these two plants at a distance from each other. However, this one shouldn’t be too much of an issue since field mustard is more often seen growing as a weed than as a crop that was deliberately planted.
Bush beans
Bush beans are excellent companion plants for beets, yet growing pole beans beside beets are one of the worst things you can do. This is due to the fact that pole beans and beets have the ability to stunt each other’s development. In addition, although a little amount of nitrogen might be beneficial, an excessive amount can lead beets to grow an abundance of lush, green foliage at the cost of the roots, and pole beans are better at fixing nitrogen in the soil than bush beans are.
Grow your crop of beets with partner plants in your garden for an increased harvest. Whether you love beetroots, beet greens, or the entire plant, you will get a better yield by growing beets alongside companion plants.
Chard
Although chard will not immediately harm your beets, the two plants are quite similar and should not be grown together. Because of this, the same insects and diseases that are attracted to chard will also enjoy feeding on your beets. Planting these two things in close proximity to one another might produce an excellent home for pests.
Hey! I’m Madhuresh, a passionate content creator, and a Plant lover. I created Shiny Plant to explore and learn about new plants. The purpose is to provide simple and effective Gardening Tips. Hope you’ll find this informative.