Companion planting is just about the easiest and lowest impact boost you can give to your garden. By simply placing certain plants next to others, you can naturally repel pests, attract beneficial insects, and improve the flavor and vigor of your crops. Hot peppers are a popular and easy to grow variety of vegetable that can really benefit from having certain other plants nearby. Keep reading to learn more about chili pepper companions and what to grow with hot pepper plants.
Chili Pepper Companion Planting
Some of the best companion plants for hot peppers are those that repel certain insects and also attract their natural predators. The European corn borer is one bug that can be especially harmful to pepper plants. Plant your peppers near buckwheat to attract beneficial insects that eat the borers. Basil is a good neighbor because it repels fruit flies and some varieties of beetles that feed on peppers. Alliums are great companion plants for hot peppers because they deter aphids and beetles. Plants in the allium genus include:
As an added bonus, alliums are popular chili pepper companions in cooking as well. Companion planting with chili peppers doesn’t stop with pest control. Hot peppers thrive in the sun, but their roots actually prefer shaded, moist soil. It is because of this, good companion plants for hot peppers are those that provide a lot of shade relatively low to the ground. Dense, low growing herbs like marjoram and oregano will help keep the soil around your hot peppers moist. Other hot pepper plants are also a good choice. Planting hot peppers close together shields the soil from quick evaporation and protects the fruits, which actually grow better out of direct full sun.
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