Boost Your Watermelon Harvest with These 10 Companion Plants (Plus 3 to Avoid)

These watermelon familiar plants aid deter pests and increase your fruit harvest .

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Watermelons thrive in rich soil and full sun , producing harvestable melon vine just 70 to 100 days after planting . Whilewatermelons are comparatively sluttish to develop , their straggle vines and high alimental pauperism make them tricky to keep with other crops . luckily , several industrial plant can keep up with the vigorous growth of watermelons . This list control 10 of the best watermelon comrade plants , plus a few plants that should never be grown near watermelons .

Watermelon growing with marigolds in the garden

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Sunflowers

Bob Stefko

With their libertine growth charge per unit and tall stems , you do n’t demand to worry about sunflower being submerge out by watermelons . That ’s not the only reason togrow sunflowersand Citrullus vulgaris together . Sunflowers are also highly attractive to pollinators and otherbeneficial insectsthat pollinate watermelon flowers and feed on melon pests .

Culinary Herbs

As long as you follow proper space guidelines , most herbs grow well beside watermelon vine , and they ’re some of the best companion plant for natural pest control . Basil , dill , catnip , sage , andoreganomake especially good Citrullus vulgaris comrade plants , either because they attract predatory insects or repel watermelon pestis , likecucumber beetles . If you allow herb to flower , they tempt pollinator to visit watermelons and potentially increase the size of melon harvests .

Corn

One of the oldest examples of companion planting is the Three Sisters planting method acting , in which winter squash is grown withcornandbeans . In this planting design , the tumid squash racquets leave of absence act as a live on mulch that keeps weed from sprouting beneath the corn plants . However , watermelons can be substituted for the wintertime squeeze to put a new spin on an old planting classic . Keep in head that clavus and watermelon are both heavy feeders , so it ’s doubly authoritative tobuild your land with compostand fecundate your plants on a regular basis during the growing season if you keep these plant together .

Borage

David Speer

Borageis often overlook as a fellow plant , but it ’s one of the best works to produce if you want to appeal pollinators and other beneficial hemipterous insect . There is even some grounds that borage can make neighboring plant , include watermelon vine , more resistant to pests and disease . Plus , tailwort leaves and peak are edibleand can be used to dress plates of slice up Citrullus vulgaris or bowl of watermelon salad at summer picnics .

Beans and Peas

Marty Baldwin

Like corn , legumes such aslentils , peas , beans , chickpeasare include in the Three Sisters planting method because of their ability to fix nitrogen into the soil . This quality means that if you grow watermelons near legume plant , leguminous plant chip in nutrient to the dirt that facilitate watermelon vines grow well . To nullify plant competition , choose pole - eccentric leguminous plant , like purple podded perch dome , andgrow them on a trellisso they wo n’t need to vie with watermelons for soil distance .

Radishes

watermelon are heat - loving crops that ca n’t be planted outdoors until the danger of frost has pass by . However , you’re able to get more use out of your garden and grow more edibles in a humble space by planting some cold - tolerant springradishesin your bed when temperatures are still too parky for watermelons . When warm conditions arrives , you could harvest the radishes and discharge up your ground space for Citrullus vulgaris seeds at the same time .

Plant radishes in full sun inwell - drained soil — they waste in soggy , poorly drain soil .

Mint

Jason Donnelly

Mintis a notoriously aggressive industrial plant that crowds out most other crops , but sturdy watermelon vine vine should n’t be bothered by vigorously growing mint as long as you give both industrial plant enough space to spread out . beneficial of all , the olfactory property of mint repels an assortment of Citrullus vulgaris pests , includingflea beetlesand aphids , and plenty and watermelon couple beautifully together in recipes , like watermelon vine , feta , and tidy sum salad .

Marigolds

Doug Hetherington

Another pest - repelling peak , marigolds discourage a all-encompassing variety of insectsand attract predatory bugs that feed on Citrullus vulgaris blighter . Marigold flowers also tempt in bee and other pollinator that visit watermelon flowers , increase melon plant yields . If you want to get more marigold efflorescence , deadhead the old flowerswhen they fade and considerstarting marigold seeds indoorsso they flower sooner and longer .

Alliums

Garlic , onions , leek , Allium schoenoprasum , and other alliumsexude a strong fragrance that repels most pest , admit aphids and slugs that may damage watermelon crop . genus Allium also take up minimal space and are well-fixed to slip in between watermelon vines . If you require to try your hand at DIY pesterer control , you could also brew genus Allium leave in water and make a natural fungicide for cover the powdery mildewthat sometimes affect Citrullus vulgaris leaves .

Nasturtiums

Nasturtium flowersattract pollinators and beneficial insects that feed on Citrullus vulgaris cuss , but nasturtium can also be used as a bunker crop to soak up aphids and other pestilence away from watermelon works . For best results , choose trailing genus Nasturtium smorgasbord , which tend to get along better with watermelons than mounding - character nasturtiums .

Watermelon Companion Plants to Avoid

Although plentifulness of companion plants can be grown with watermelons , some plants do n’t get along with melons . Here are three character of industrial plant to keep far away from watermelon if you need respectable plants and liberal harvests .

Companion Planting . Washington State University

sunflowers growing in garden