Companion Plants for Zucchini and Squash

Learn which are the best companion plants for zucchini and squash for both winter and summer varieties for better harvest and pest control.

If you’re a new gardener, plant zucchini and squash in the garden. Both winter and summer squash varieties are easy to grow and require only fertile soil, full sun, and water.

Companion plants help your zucchini to grow better, taste better, and have fewer pest problems. In this post, I listed some best companion plants that you can grow with zucchini to protect them from pests and problems.

Let’s get started:

Companion Plants For Zucchini and Squash

There are two types of squash that you can grow in the garden. One is a summer squash that is yellow squash or zucchini and the other is a winter squash that is pumpkins, butternut, and candy roster to name a few.

For most of the most part, companion plants are similar to both winter and summer squash. But due to differences in their growth habits, some companion plants are more suitable than others for interplanting.

We’ll first see the best companion plants for winter squash like pumpkins, butternut and candy roster, and others.

Winter squash are long vining plants that take up lots of space. Their long vines and dense foliage make it tough to plant companions with them.

The popular three-sister method is the most efficient way to grow squash. This method was first used by North American tribes and it is still used for the great harvest.

In the three-sister gardening, we plant squash along with corn and beans. Corns and squash have similar soil requirements that make it easier to grow them together.

Beans are planted beside corn which grows with corn support. Actually, beans fix nitrogen in the soil which is beneficial for both zucchini and corn.

The winter squash planted around the corn helps to keep weeds down and helps to reduce pests like raccoons from damaging the corn.

Many experienced gardeners also claimed that planting three sisters together also increases the flavor of all three companions.

Related Post: 10 Vegetables that you can grow easily at home

Companion Plants For Zucchini And Summer Squash

Most summer squash and zucchini varieties have shorter vines and take less space than winter squash. This makes it easier to plant beneficial flowers, herbs, and vegetables around them.

Some of the great companion plants for summer squash and zucchini are:

Beans and Peas

Beans and peas fix nitrogen in the soil, which helps heavy-feeding squash to grow better.

Flowers

Flowers like marigolds, calendula, and nasturtiums are great companion plants to plant around squash vines. These flower plants are used as a trap crop for pests and deter insects. They also attract beneficial insects and pollinators like bees and Tachinid flies.

Herbs

Herbs like oregano, rosemary, and borage attract beneficial insects and pollinators. That helps to grow squash.

Sunflowers

If you live in a hot summer climate. Plant sunflowers along with squash for shade. 

Sunflower seeds should be sown straight into the ground (or outdoor containers) as soon as the threat of spring frost has gone and the soil has warmed to at least 50°F (10°C).

This will occur between April and mid-June across Canada and the northern portion of the United States.

This will most likely take place in the South around the middle or at the beginning of April.
Sunflowers detest having their roots disturbed, thus direct seeding is advised rather than transplanting.

Companion to control pest

When growing zucchini and squash some pests are very hard to control. Companion plants are great tools to protect squash from these pests for a better and long harvest.

Some of the companions to control pests are:

Marigold 

Plants marigolds throughout the garden to keep away pests. Marigolds are used as sacrifice plants that attract pests to attract them rather than your crops.

Young French and Signet marigolds are planted from spring through midsummer, but since they take longer to grow and bloom, tall African marigolds are best planted as soon as in the spring (after any risk of frost has gone).

Sow seeds immediately when the is warm soil in the spring. Seeds can be started inside, but there isn’t much of a benefit since they germinate so quickly outdoors.

African marigolds are an exception, and they are best grown inside or purchased as young plants around 4 to 6 weeks before to your last frost date.

Warm weather speeds up the growth of marigolds, which generally bloom eight weeks after planting.

Nasturtiums

Just like marigolds, nasturtium is also grown to keep away squash bugs from your crop.

These attractive plants thrive in pots or as ground covers around vegetable gardens because of their distinctive greens and brilliant blossoms.

They are really often employed in companion planting as a trap crop to keep aphids and other garden pests away from the more expensive crops.

Bean, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, kale, melon, pumpkin, and radish are all good companion plants for nasturtium.

Nasturtiums draw more than just pests, however. A fantastic option for cut-flower gardens, they are also a favorite of pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. They also have a lovely aroma.

Nasturtiums are often planted as annual plants, however, they may become perennial in locations without freezing temperatures.

White icicle radishes 

Plant white icicle radishes around the squash to keep them away to feed on cucurbits such as squash and cucumbers.

Icicle radishes are long, narrow vegetables that are crisp and tasty. They may be harvested approximately 25 days after sowing.

Icicle radishes are simple to cultivate, just like other radishes, even in a postage-stamp-sized garden with well-drained soil and plenty of direct sunshine.

Icicle radishes are more heat resistant and suited for planting in early summer, while radishes are a cool-season crop often sown in early spring.

Every two weeks, plant a tiny crop to ensure a consistent yield.

Tansy and Parsley

If you encounter any squash bugs, you can plant Tansy or parsley in the garden bed to keep them away. Tansy also deters cucumber beetles. 

Parsley seeds may be put outdoors in the garden or started inside. But, parsley plants’ taproots are sensitive, so use additional caution while transplanting!

Plant seeds in separate pots inside six to eight weeks before the final day of the spring frost to get a head start.

Although parsley is a slow-growing plant, start seeds outside three to four weeks prior to the final spring frost.

Spinach

Spinach and Zucchini are great companions. It provides zucchini shade in hot summer whereas zucchini benefits from spinach from the nutrient to grow green healthy leaves.

Sow seeds straight into the soil as soon as the earth reaches 40°F since spinach needs six weeks of chilly weather from sowing to harvest. (Use black plastic to cover the soil to hasten to warm.)

While it is possible to start seeds inside, it is rarely advised since seedlings are challenging to transfer.

If spinach is planted just before the winter weather hits in the autumn, gardeners in northern regions may harvest it in early April.

Over the winter, cover the young plants with a cold frame or a thick layer of mulch; in the spring, when the soil temperature reaches 40°F in your location, remove the protection.

To pick some spinach, remove the mulch, and then put it back.

Radish seeds should be planted in alternating rows to deter leaf miners. Radish tops with leaf miner damage do not have slower root development.

In the summertime, common spinach cannot grow. (For a summer crop, consider Malabar spinach or New Zealand spinach, two related leafy greens that can withstand higher heat.)

Re-sow in mid-August when the soil is no warmer than 70°F for an autumn harvest.

Plants you should avoid planting next to squash

Zucchini and Summer Squash are heavy feeder plants so it’s important to plant them away from other heavy feeder plants.

Some plants you should never plant with zucchini are:

Potatoes

Never plant potatoes with zucchini. Potatoes can inhibit effects on different crops and it is also a very heavy feeder that will compete with companion plants for soil nutrients. 

Onions, carrots, and other root plants disturb the shallow roots of zucchini that make them less strong and healthy.

Strong aromatic herbs

Herbs like dill, peppermint, oregano, lemon balm, and parsley can affect the taste of your zucchinis and also are heavy feeders.

Growing Tips

When produced under ideal circumstances, both zucchini and summer squash are big producers, thus less is often more.

For a household of four, two or three plants provide adequate fruit or vegetables.

Fewer healthy plants will produce more than five or six packed close together.

Both of these plants are cultivated by only planting a seed in the ground. However, you may find them for sale at your neighborhood garden nursery.

To discover the ideal mix to suit your preferences and growing circumstances, you have to experiment with a variety of companion crops.

All other vining plants, such as cucumbers, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squashes, and melons, should not be planted alongside zucchini and summer squash.

You should examine your plants every day when they start to bear fruit since these summer-type squashes like to hide among the huge leaves and vines of the plant.

They have the potential to swell overnight to an unpleasant size, particularly after rain.

Did I Miss Anything?

Now I’d like to hear from you: which tip from today’s post are you going to try first?

Or maybe, I didn’t mention your favorite plant-growing tip. Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.

Before going if you want to grow beautiful flowers in your garden? Then click on these articles also.

Madhuresh

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.