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Best and Worst Companion Plants for Pumpkins

Increase Crop Yields, Improve Soil Health, Use Garden Space Efficiently and Keep Pests at Bay

Pumpkin, Winter Squash, Cucurbita pepo

A beloved symbol of autumn, Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are plump annuals grown for their fleshy, nutritious fruits. Carved into jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween and cooked into pies for Thanksgiving dessert in the United States and Canada, Pumpkins are easy and fun to grow.

What is Pumpkin?

  • Pumpkin is a winter squash in the Cucurbitaceae plant family, alongside melons, spaghetti squash, and cucumbers.
  • Although often considered a vegetable, Pumpkin is botanically classified as a fruit, as it grows from a flowering plant and contains seeds.
  • Scientists believe that Pumpkins originated in North America about 9000 years ago. Today, they are grown around the world on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Pumpkins are usually round and orange, although the size, shape, and color can vary depending on the variety. Over 45 varieties of pumpkins exist, ranging in color from orange, red, and yellow to green.
  • They have a thick outer rind that is smooth and ribbed, as well as a stem that connects the Pumpkin to its leafy plant.
  • The thick, dense flesh is light orange when ripe and surrounds a large cavity containing stringy pulp and many large, flat, ivory-colored seeds.
  • Leaves, flowers, pulp, and seeds are edible.
  • Although all Pumpkins are technically edible, some are better for decoration and carving, while others are best for cooking.
  • Pumpkins are warm-season crops and can easily be injured by frost.
  • Pumpkin plants generally produce extensive vines, so ample space is needed.
  • The practice of carving Jack-O’-Lanterns was brought to America by Irish immigrants.

What Is Companion Planting?

Companion planting is an organic method of preventing or protecting plants from pests and diseases, attracting the right types of insects for pollination, enhancing nutrient uptake, and increasing crop production simply by growing specific plants near each other. In essence, companion planting helps bring a balanced ecosystem to your landscape, allowing nature to do its job.

Benefits of Companion Planting

1. Organic Pest control
Some plants can emit scents that either repel insects, attract them, or confuse insects or disease organisms in search of their favorite host plants. They make insects less likely to land on your garden vegetables.

2. Attracts beneficial insects
Some plants help attract beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, bees, and butterflies, that pollinate and help control harmful bugs. Beneficial insects feed on common garden pests, like aphids and caterpillars.

3. Provides necessary shade
Tall sun-loving plants offer shade to smaller shade-loving plants. This results in better products and can also potentially provide pest control. A good example is The Three Sisters Garden. Practiced by Native Americans thousands of years ago, this garden includes corn, beans, and squash. The tall corn provides shade for the lower squash but also stops the squash vine borer beetle.

4. Shelters plants
Some plants can provide windbreaks and prevent soil erosion. Strong winds can damage gardens by removing mulch, topsoil, and eroding beds and hillsides. Rain can also cause severe damage by beating down young seedlings. By carefully selecting the right ground cover, you can help prevent soil erosion.

5. Provides natural supports
Some companion plants can physically support each other, reducing the need for staking. The example of planting corn, beans, and squash together applies here again. Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines.

6. Saves space
Interplanting different crops greatly maximizes space and improves productivity in small gardens.

7. Enhances flavors
Some plants can subtly enhance the flavor of other plants. Most herbs have been found to enhance the flavor of fruits and vegetables grown nearby, and Basil grown beside tomatoes is an excellent example. Similarly, chamomile has an aromatic scent that is believed to improve the growth and flavor of cabbages, cucumbers, and onions when grown beside them.

8. Better soil quality and fertility
Some crops help fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and reduce fertilizer needs. Similarly, planting plants with different root structures together can aerate the soil and allow plants to pull nutrients from different parts of the soil.

Not only can companion planting helps your plants to grow better, but it also makes the vegetable garden more attractive thanks to the addition of colorful flowers that help or hinder nearby vegetables. Companion planting combines beauty and purpose to create an enjoyable, healthy environment.

Guide Information

Genus Cucurbita

Excellent companion plants for Pumpkins

Anethum graveolens (Dill)
Borago officinalis (Borage)
Helianthus annuus (Common Sunflower)
Levisticum officinale (Lovage)
Nepeta cataria (Catnip)
Origanum vulgare (Oregano)
Phaseolus vulgaris – Green Beans
Pisum sativum (Pea)
Raphanus sativus (Radish)
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Zea mays (Corn)

Why are they excellent companion plants for pumpkins?

  • Beans fix nitrogen and add nutrients that improve the soil, benefitting the plants that are growing beside them.
  • Borage flowers attract beneficial insects and help deter pests from your plants. Borage also enriches the soil and improves the growth and flavor of squash plants. As a bonus, the flowers are edible.
  • Buckwheat attracts spiders and ground beetles, keeping them away from the squash plants.
  • Catnip is good for deterring ants, weevils, squash bugs, Japanese beetles, flea beetles, and mice.
  • Corn provides shade and stops the squash vine borer beetle.
  • Dill flowers attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies and ladybugs (prey on aphids) and predatory wasps (prey on caterpillars and other insects), which help keep pest levels down.
  • Chamomile attracts hoverflies and wasps, repels Mexican bean beetles, and accumulates calcium, potassium, and sulfur, later returning them to the soil. Growing chamomile is considered a tonic for anything you grow in the garden.
  • Legumes such as peas help your squash plants receive enough nutrients by fixing the nitrogen and increasing the nutrients in the soil.
  • Lemon balm also repels squash bugs, which makes it a good companion plant for squash and pumpkin plants.
  • Lovage improves the flavor and vigor of most plants and offers a good habitat for ground beetles.
  • Marigolds help deter beetles.
  • Marjoram is a friend to all plants and helps improve growth and flavor.
  • Nasturtium is known to deter whiteflies, wooly aphids, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and other pests.
  • Oregano provides general pest protection. It attracts hoverflies and Syrphidae and repels aphids.
  • Radish is thought to protect all squash family members from the squash borers.
  • Spinach: It’s a good use of space because, by the time squash plants start to get big, the spinach is ready to bolt.
  • Sunflowers grow tall and provide helpful shade for squash plants in hot summer areas.
  • Tansy helps concentrate potassium in the soil, benefiting nearby plants. It also repels cutworms, cabbage worms, squash bugs, striped cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, ants, flies, mosquitoes, and fruit moths.

Worst Companion Plants for Pumpkins

Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)
Ipomoea batatas (Sweet Potato)
Solanum tuberosum (Potato)

Why are they bad companion plants for pumpkins?

Avoid planting these vegetables in your home garden nearby your Pumpkin and squash plants.

  • Fennel: Most plants dislike fennel, which has an inhibiting effect on them.
  • Potatoes: These root vegetables can deplete the soil of nutrients and starve your squash plants nearby.
  • Sweet potatoes will compete with squash plants for space: these vigorous growers like to spread out.

Discover These Helpful Guides for Further Reading

Best and Worst Companion Plants for Tomatoes
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Basil
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Lettuce
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Cucumbers
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Carrots
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Peppers
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Thyme
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Rosemary
Best and Worst Companion Plants for Mint
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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Genus Cucurbita
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