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
What eggplant companion plants benefit from each other? Eggplant is a high-maintenance plant. Firstly, it needs tons of sun. Furthermore, eggplants need supplemental nutrition that goes above ground and water. Also, they are vulnerable to insect attacks. Yet, there are companion plants for eggplants that will make the prospect a little less complicated. In this article, we’re going to look at the best 9 eggplant companion plants.
What Are the Benefits of Eggplant Companion Plants?
Eggplants need to take up a significant amount of nitrogen. That’s why you should use a supplemental fertilizer. Planting eggplant companions like annual legumes (like peas and beans) will help eggplants. These vegetables release extra nitrogen into the surrounding soil. If you’re growing espalier beans or peas, make sure your eggplant is in the foreground so it doesn’t get shaded. Finally, alternate rows of legumes with rows of eggplant.
Growing bush green beans as a companion planting with eggplant serves a dual purpose. Bush beans also repel the Colorado potato beetle, a great connoisseur of eggplant. Herbs are also eggplant companions useful for insect repellents. French tarragon, for example, will repel plenty of pesky insects, while thyme deters garden moths.
Field studies in eggplant crops have shown that cover cropping with marigold plants helps control insect pests by increasing the density of natural enemies in the canopy of the plant.1
What to Pay Attention to When Starting with Eggplant Companion Planting
Planting Eggplants: The Right Location
To grow high-yielding eggplants, the space must first be right. The optimal location for the eggplant plant is generally on permeable, medium-heavy, and nutrient-rich soil. Also, don’t forget good water supply in full sun. In the following, you will find out what you should pay special attention to when planting in greenhouses, outdoors, pots, and raised beds.
Planting Eggplants Outdoors or in a Greenhouse?
In principle, you can cultivate eggplants in a greenhouse and outdoors. The choice of variety and the weather are decisive for success.
For outdoor use, only select varieties that are tolerant to cooler weather, precipitation, and certain pathogens. For growing eggplants outdoors, it is advisable to use a black mulch film at the beginning. This way, the plant has a warmer environment.
Varieties that need heat and are more sensitive grow better in a greenhouse. In the greenhouse, you will get a satisfactory yield and healthy plants.
Eggplants in Pots
Eggplant plants are also suitable for cultivation in pots, on the balcony, or terrace. A sufficiently large bucket with good water drainage and at least 10 liters of soil volume are important for successful rearing. For sprawling, tall varieties, the planter should be about 20 liters. A larger pot not only makes watering easier in summer, since more moisture is stored in the soil, but also the supply of nutrients, which is essential for the eggplants, which consume a lot.
A sheltered, sunny location on a south-facing wall is ideal for the plant to benefit from thermal radiation.
Growing Eggplants in the Raised Bed
To grow eggplants in raised beds, you should use rather small varieties that also feel comfortable outdoors. You should support the plants on the raised bed because a summer storm can easily knock over the eggplants or cause shoots to break off with the storm.
What are the Best Eggplant Companion Plants?
Examples of good neighbors for eggplants are:
What not to Plant with Eggplants?
Do not combine the eggplant with rampant vegetables, as they grow slowly in the initial phase and are weak in competition. You should therefore neither plant eggplants next to zucchini nor combine the eggplant with pumpkins. In a mixed culture with eggplants, also avoid close relatives in the immediate vicinity in order not to spread diseases and pests. You should also not plant eggplant and tomatoes together.
References
- Lopez, L., & Liburd, O. E. (2022). Can the introduction of companion plants increase biological control services of key pests in organic squash?. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 170(5), 402-418.