Steve Yoder
I'm Steve, a 30-something urban gardener fascinated by companion planting research. Growing up surrounded by greenery sparked my passion for gardening early on. I enjoy transforming my small backyard, experimenting with companion planting techniques and eco-friendly practices. Sustainability matters—I advocate for native plants and composting.
Table of Contents
When we hear the word pumpkin we immediately think about Halloween or decorations. The pumpkin patch offers orange, white, tiny, and huge varieties for you to select from. As a gardener, we can see much more under this plant! It is a wonderful feeling to plant it yourself in your garden. Another good news is that pumpkins are friendly plants and do not harm the other plants in your garden. Let’s have a look at the best pumpkin companion plants!
Best Pumpkin Companion Plants
Beans as Pumpkin Companion Plants
The first member of the best pumpkin companion plants on our list is beans1! Regarding soil nutrients, beans and pumpkins have comparable requirements. Both of them are capable of fixing nitrogen, a vital component for plants that require it to become large and robust. Additionally, they shield your garden from sunlight and shield the pumpkin vines from infections.
Beans provide additional weed defense by shading out other plants when they get higher than they are. If you’re searching the area where you planted pumpkins for something else, it’s simple to distinguish the bean leaves from other plants since they are green like a typical weed.
Beans also make great companions to other plants! Check them out: Beans Companion Plants – Which Ones Should be Chosen?
Borage and Pumpkin as Companions
Borage is a fantastic plant to grow with pumpkins if you are cultivating them. Borage can help deter some of the other insects that feed on your pumpkin in addition to helping keep aphids away from it.
Due to its antispasmodic characteristics, borage has been used in European herbal medicine since the time of the Romans to treat bronchitis, asthma, and other respiratory issues.
Corn with Pumpkin
The next member of the best pumpkin companion plants is corn. Corn and pumpkin make excellent companion plants since they both thrive together. It’s also useful to be aware that the pumpkin plant feeds the maize, which in turn promotes the growth of the pumpkin.
By acting as a physical barrier between your pumpkin and illness and pests, corn can help safeguard it. Make sure the plants are not too near to one another if you’re growing both kinds of plants together to avoid competition for resources like water or sunshine.
Cucumber as Pumpkin Companion Plants
Pumpkins make excellent companion plants for cucumbers because they may help keep pests away from plants that may be more vulnerable to infestations. The orange hue of the pumpkin will aid in deterring dangerous insects2 that could otherwise harm your cucumbers. Try growing peas between them if your garden is too small to accommodate both.
For more information about cucumber companion plants: Cucumber Companion Plants – Great Idea?
Eggplants & Pumpkin
Eggplants are also one of the most popular pumpkin companion plants. However, you should know that this combination can be risky for your plants as it may cause them to rot when exposed to each other’s harsh chemical compounds. If you want to grow these vegetables together, make sure that they have enough space between them so that they don’t compete for nutrients or water availability. Also, keep in mind that both fruits need lots of sunlight. If the soil is too dry during the growing season, then your plants may not survive until harvest time!
Eggplants are very friendly plants which makes them a good choice for many gardens. Here is a list of the best eggplant companion plants: 9 Eggplant Companion Plants for Better Growth
Spinach and Pumpkin
Continuing our list of the best pumpkin companion plants we make a stop at spinach! Pumpkin and spinach are excellent companion plants. If you plant them close together regarding the space they need, you will profit very well from this companionship. Like that, they will be able to share nutrients like nitrogen, water, and sun and light more efficiently in your garden bed or plot.
Spinach has many other companion plants too! Here is the article: Spinach Companion Plants – 3 Best Members
Summer Savory in Addition to Pumpkins
Summer savory is a perennial herb that grows to about two feet high, with leaves shaped like parsley and a spicy taste. It can be used as a culinary herb, or even in tea. The plant will grow well in partial shade, but it’s also quite happy in full sun if you give it enough room to spread out.
Watermelon and Pumpkin
A big member of the best pumpkin companion plants is watermelon. Don’t be afraid of the size of both. They make great companionship3! These two plants grow better when planted together. This combination will also help you defeat the pest problem. No more aphids or whiteflies will attack your garden members.
In addition to that, watermelon also has many other companion plants. Just have a look at: 10 Surprising Watermelon Companion Plants (+8 Terrible Neighbors)
Zucchini – Bad Pumpkin Companion Plant
In addition to the members of the best pumpkin companion plants, we have another plant you must avoid when planting pumpkin in your garden. There are many differences between zucchini and pumpkins.
The most noticeable difference is that whereas zucchini grows above ground on a climbing vine, pumpkin grows underground. It is feasible to suffer some shadow from the vines of one or both plants if you are growing these together in the same spot.
If you don’t keep them in check, zucchini may also rapidly take over your garden. So, it’s better to plant them in different places and at different seasons so that there is more room for each sort of food.
On the other hand, you can plant zucchini with many other plants. Check out the list for the best zucchini companion plants: 8 Best Zucchini Companion Plants & Herbs (+ 4 Bad Companions)
References
- Mastropasqua, L., Dipierro, N., & Paciolla, C. (2020). Effects of darkness and light spectra on nutrients and pigments in radish, soybean, mung bean and pumpkin sprouts. Antioxidants, 9(6), 558.
- Miao, L., Li, Q., Sun, T. S., Chai, S., Wang, C., Bai, L., … & Yu, X. (2021). Sugars promote graft union development in the heterograft of cucumber onto pumpkin. Horticulture Research, 8.
- De Moya-Ruiz, C., Rabadán, P., Juárez, M., & Gómez, P. (2021). Assessment of the current status of potyviruses in watermelon and pumpkin crops in spain: Epidemiological impact of cultivated plants and mixed infections. Plants, 10(1), 138.