13 Best Strawberry Companion Plants For A Juicy Summer Harvest

Plus, plants to avoid pairing with strawberries.

Strawberries are one of summer's unofficial ambassadors. From strawberry pie to strawberry salad to a perfectly ripe, still-warm-from-the-sun strawberry plucked straight from the garden, these deliciously sweet berries are easy to grow in any outdoor space. You can grow them in a garden bed or in a container—they'll thrive as long as they have sun, water, and the right companions by their side.

Companion planting with strawberries is one of the best ways to guarantee an abundant summer harvest with healthy, juicy berries. Here are strawberry companion plants to help start your garden planning, as well as which plants to avoid.

What Are Companion Plants?

When you plant two flowers, vegetables, or fruits together and they two help each other grow and thrive, that's called companion planting. Depending on the pairing, the two companion plants will offer different benefits. Some plants will help ward off or distract insects that could attack the other while, in other cases, the two plants may simply require different nutrients from the soil. Other companion plants encourage pollination of the other or provide necessary shade to help the plant thrive.

Why Companion Plants Are Helpful for Strawberries

Whether it's providing shelter for summer berries from curious animals, aiding in pollination, or boosting soil quality, companion planting is one of the best ways to increase your strawberry harvest. There are plants that will help repel pesky insects and others that will add much-needed nutrients.

Particularly with those companion plants that boost pollination, your strawberry plants will produce more flowers, and flowers lead to a higher fruit yield (and what could be better than more strawberries?).

Best Companion Plants for Strawberries

As you're planning your summer garden, here are thirteen of the best companion plants to ensure you'll have a juicy strawberry harvest.

Spinach

• Botanical Name: Spinacia oleracea

• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
  

• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline

Not only do strawberries and spinach go together beautifully in a spring salad, but they also are friendly in the garden. Both do well in small spaces, and the generous spinach leaves can help hide the vibrant strawberries from hungry squirrels and other animals.

Lettuce

• Botanical Name: Lactuca sativa

• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, rich, well-drained 
  

• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Lettuce has the same companion plant advantages as spinach. It grows well in a small space next to strawberries, and its leaves will help keep nature's strawberry fans away from your fruit before you've had time to harvest it.

Dill

• Botanical Name: Anethum graveolens

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Rich, well-drained

• Soil pH: Slightly acidic

Dill's strong scent may be a favorite of humans, but insects and predators tend to stay away at the first whiff. When dill flowers, it's typically reached the end of its life as an edible herb, but those flowers attract hoverflies. Hoverflies feed on aphids, which love to attack strawberries. It's a beneficial cycle made possible by companion planting.

Marigolds

• Botanical Name: Tagetes spp.

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained

• Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral

Marigolds are one of the best friends any garden could have thanks to their strong smell which is almost universally unappealing to pests. They also repel the root-knot nematode, which is known to prey on strawberries.

Sage

• Botanical Name: Salvia officinalis

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, sandy, well-drained
  

• Soil pH: Acidic to neutral

Sage not only attracts pollinators with its purple flowers, but it has a strong scent that can throw off predators looking for a summer berry snack.

Catnip

• Botanical Name: Nepeta cataria

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, sandy, well-drained
  

• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline

If aphids or spider mites have taken a liking to your strawberries, then consider planting catnip nearby. Catnip produces iridoids, which are known to keep these pests away.

Related: How To Get Rid Of Aphids, According To Experts

Asparagus

• Botanical Name: Asparagus officinalis
  

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Sandy, loamy

• Soil pH: Acidic to neutral

When you're considering companion plants that help enrich the soil for strawberries, then asparagus should be at the top of your list. Asparagus puts nitrogen into the soil, which is a key nutrient for strawberries.

Basil

• Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
  

• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun

• Soil Type: Moist, rich

• Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline

Basil smells wonderful to humans, but it has a chemical called methyl eugenol which is known to repel some of strawberry's biggest enemies, including whiteflies, thrips, and aphids.

Thyme

• Botanical Name: Thymus vulgaris

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, sandy

• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline
  

Earworm, hornworm, and whiteflies will stay away when there's thyme nearby. Yet pollinators are drawn to the flowers of thyme, helping to pollinate strawberries and boost their blooms.

Rhubarb

• Botanical Name: Rheum rhabarbarum or Rheum × hybridum

• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun

• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained

• Soil pH: Acidic to neutral

If you're planning on baking a strawberry-rhubarb pie, then you're in luck! Thanks to similar growing requirements, these two summer fruits are excellent companions both in baked goods and in the garden.

Nasturtium

• Botanical Name: Tropaeolum spp.

• Sun Exposure: Full sun

• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained

• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline
  

The vibrant blossoms of nasturtium will attract bees and other pollinators to your strawberries, while their strong fragrance keeps away whiteflies, aphids, and beetles.

Cilantro

• Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum

• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
  

• Soil pH: Acidic

Cilantro and strawberries do well in the same growing conditions, making them excellent garden companions. Both thrive in warm, but not hot, temperatures.

Mint

• Botanical Name: Mentha spp.

• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun

• Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
  

• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Mint and strawberries get along, provided you plant them in pots or containers next to each other rather than in the ground together. Mint has a reputation for taking over a garden, and it'll have no respect for the boundaries of your strawberry patch.

Don't Grow These Three Plants With Strawberries

While strawberries have lots of friendly companion in the garden, there are also a handful of plants that you should avoid sowing near them. Some of these plants will compete for nutrients, while others can fall victim to diseases that will spread to strawberries if given the opportunity.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are often afflicted by verticillium wilt, which can easily spread to strawberries. Planting both in the same garden could make an outbreak more likely. Eggplants, potatoes, and peppers have the same issue.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers may be one of summer's most joyful plants, but they tend to block sun to any low-growing companions, including strawberries.

Broccoli

Broccoli and strawberries compete for the same nutrients, which means they'll stunt each other's growth and neither will thrive. Cauliflower and kale also fall into this category.

Related: 10 Best Companion Plants For Sunflowers (Plus, 3 To Avoid!)

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