This guide covers everything you need to know about cucumber companion plants, including which plants to use, which ones to avoid, and how to give your plants the best chance of producing a good crop.
If you grow your own cucumbers – or are planning to start doing so – you will naturally want to maximise your harvest. Whether you have lots of space to grow vegetables, or are limited to growing in pots, it makes sense to do everything you can to keep your plants happy and productive.
This is where companion planting can make all the difference.
What is companion planting?
Companion planting, or companion gardening, is all about growing different varieties of plants alongside each other to provide mutual benefits. Some combinations of plants can work together to keep each other healthy.
The benefits plants can offer each other include:
- Controlling pests. A plant with a strong scent can keep pests away from their usual host plants, or one plant can attract the pests that would usually attack the other plant.
- Helping with pollination. One type of plant can attract the beneficial pollinating insects that another type of plant needs.
- Encouraging growth. Some plants release chemicals that help other plants grow well.
- Improving soil quality. Some plants can replace the nutrients that other plants take from the soil.
- Providing shade. Tall, leafy plants can provide shade for smaller plants that don’t like full sun.
- Preventing disease. Some plants have anti-fungal or antibacterial properties.
As well as helping your plants to thrive, companion planting vegetables is a very natural way to keep your garden healthy. It can reduce or even eliminate the need for chemical products, so it’s ideal for organic gardening and sustainable gardening. And of course, companion planting is also pretty low-effort, because it reduces the amount of maintenance your plants need.
What plants can benefit from companion planting?
The list of plants that are suitable for companion plantings is pretty long. The focus is usually on fruit and vegetable plants, but the concept is just as relevant for other plants too.
In this post we’re going to concentrate on cucumber companion plants.
Why grow your own cucumbers?
Cucumbers are an easy crop to grow, which makes them ideal for beginner gardeners. You can grow them in a greenhouse, or choose an outdoor variety such as *Bush Champion or *Marketmore.
Another key bonus of growing your own cucumbers is that they taste fantastic! Harvesting them regularly encourages the plant to produce more cucumbers, so you can enjoy a bumper crop from just one plant.
Cucumbers are usually grown as a climbing plant, so they don’t take up much space. You do need to provide the plants with support as they grow, this could be simple *garden canes or an *obelisk.
The best cucumber companion plants
Ready to give your plants some helpful friends, but not sure what grows well with cucumbers? Here’s a guide to the best companion plants for cucumbers.
Cucumber companion plants to deter pests
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums attract aphids, which means they can help to keep these pests off your cucumber plants. They work well as a companion plant for other vegetable crops too. As an added bonus, the flowers are lovely, and also edible.
To get the benefits from companion planting cucumbers with *nasturtiums, plant them close to your cucumber plants.
Marigolds
When it comes to plant companions for vegetables, marigolds are often close to the top of the list and are used alongside many edible crops. Marigolds repel aphids and lots of other pests.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums repel a range of pests, including cucumber beetles. As well as being good plant companions for cucumbers, their impressive blooms will fill your garden with colour.
Oregano
Oregano is another option for repelling pests. Planting cucumbers alongside *oregano will help to attract predatory insects that will eat the pests.
Cucumber companion plants to aid pollination
Dill
*Dill is an aromatic herb that will attract pollinating insects. Grow it near your cucumber plants and you will increase the chances of pollination, which in turn can produce a bigger crop.
It’s also thought that growing dill alongside cucumbers can improve their flavour.
Calendula
*Calendula will attract a wide range of pollinating insects. These plants prefer partial shade, so they’ll be happy growing near the base of cucumber vines.
This flowering herb will also attract beneficial insects that prey on pests, helping to keep them under control.
Cucumber companion plants to provide support
Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn stalks make perfect supports for cucumber plants. If you’re tight on space, you can grow two crops in the same amount of soil. Go for a variety that produces smaller cucumbers (such as Lebanese cucumbers) to ensure the sweetcorn stalks can cope with the weight.
Sweetcorn plants also add nitrogen to the soil, which is beneficial to your cucumber plants.
When you grow cucumbers alongside sweetcorn, they will help to keep weeds down and retain moisture at the base of the stalk, so your sweetcorn will benefit too.
Sunflowers
Similar to sweetcorn, sunflowers make great supports for cucumber plants and can help you save on space. Again, go for a smaller variety to make sure the stalks aren’t overwhelmed.
Cucumber companion plants to maximise use of space
Root vegetables
This is another companion plantings combo that helps you maximise the use of space in the garden.
Root vegetables (such as carrots, parsnips, beetroot and onions) work well with cucumber plants because their roots don’t interfere with each other. Cucumber plants have one large taproot and the rest of their roots stay small and shallow, so root vegetables can easily grow alongside them.
Radishes
*Radishes are a root vegetable, so they will provide the same benefits in terms of not competing with cucumber roots. But they can also help to deter cucumber beetles, which are one of the main pests for this crop.
Peppers
If you’re growing your cucumbers in a greenhouse, you can make the most use of your space by planting them between your pepper plants. As cucumber plants grow upwards and take up little room at their base, they won’t interfere with your pepper plants.
Tomatoes
Another good greenhouse companion is tomatoes. While the two plants don’t really provide any benefits to each other, they enjoy similar growing conditions and certainly won’t upset their neighbour.
Cucumber companion plants to improve soil quality
Legumes
Legumes add nitrogen to the soil, which is needed by all plants for growth. Peas, mange tout, sugar snaps, green beans and runner beans are all great companion plants for cucumbers.
What not to plant with cucumbers
There are some plants that you should definitely avoid when looking at cucumber plant companions.
All of the following are bad companion plants for cucumbers and should be grown in a different location.
Potatoes
Potatoes will compete with cucumbers for water and nutrients, causing both plants to struggle. Cucumber plants can also increase the risk of potato blight affecting your crop.
Brassicas
As with potatoes, brassicas such as cabbage, kale, cauliflower and brussels sprouts will compete with cucumber plants for water. The result is poor growth for all plants.
Fennel
Fennel isn’t the friendliest of neighbours for most plants. It can limit growth, and can even kill other plants.
Melons
Melon plants are susceptible to lots of the same pests as cucumbers. Growing them together basically provides a lovely attractive target for those pests, resulting in a problematic infestation.
Courgettes and squashes
Like melons, courgettes (or zucchini) and squashes belong to the same plant family (circubit) as cucumbers. This means they are vulnerable to the same diseases and pests. Keep them away from each other to limit the risk.
Mint
Mint is an aggressive plant that will quickly take over a patch of soil if you let it. As such, it can limit the amount of space and nutrients available to cucumbers.
Sage
Sage is another aromatic herb that should be kept away from cucumber plants, because it can inhibit growth.
Tips for growing cucumber plants
Getting the companion planting right is one way to keep your cucumber plants happy. Here are some other tips to give them the best chance of thriving.
- Grow cucumbers at the right time of year, so they’re not struggling in less-than-ideal temperatures and light levels.
- Choose the right location for your plants. Cucumbers like plenty of natural light.
- Allow room between your cucumber plants and the companion plants to prevent competition for light, water and nutrients. And remember that every plant will get bigger!
- Cucumbers benefit from good airflow around the plants, so space them out accordingly.
- Water and feed your plants regularly to limit stress.
- Harvest your cucumbers regularly too; this will encourage more fruit to grow.
Hopefully you’ve found this guide to cucumber companion planting useful, and are ready to give your plants the best start. Have you got any tried and tested cucumber companion planting tips to add to this list?
More grow your own resources
We’ve got lots of other grow your own resources to help you get the most out of your edible garden.
If you’re new to growing your own, these 10 easy to grow vegetables will get you started.
Our list of easy vegetables to grow in pots is perfect if you’re limited on space. You might like our guide to growing potatoes in bags and pots too.
If windowsill grow your own is your thing, check out our guides to growing a windowsill herb garden and growing microgreens.
There’s also a bumper list of 55 easy grow your own tips to explore.
And finally, the what to plant now series has lists of edible crops to get started for every month of the year.
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