Growing sweet potatoes is a rewarding garden project. To get the best harvest, it helps to know about sweet potato companion plants – ideal garden partners for your vines. These partners can help with pests, soil health, and even save space. This guide will show you the best and worst plants to grow alongside your sweet potato slips.
Sweet Potato Companion Plants – Ideal Garden Partners For
Companion planting is like creating a supportive neighborhood in your garden. Certain plants help each other out when grown close together. For sweet potatoes, good companions can deter pests, improve the soil, and make the most of your garden space. Let’s look at the plants that make the best neighbors.
Why Companion Planting Works for Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are vigorous, spreading vines. They cover the ground with dense foliage. This growth habit creates a unique garden environment. Some plants thrive in that environment, while others struggle.
Good companions can offer several benefits:
- Pest Control: Some plants repel insects that bother sweet potatoes.
- Weed Suppression: Low-growing plants fill gaps and block weeds.
- Soil Improvement: Partners can add nutrients back into the soil.
- Space Efficiency: You can grow more food in the same area.
Top Companion Plants for Sweet Potatoes
Here are the best plants to grow with your sweet potato vines. These choices are based on pest interactions, growth patterns, and soil needs.
1. Aromatic Herbs
Strong-smelling herbs are excellent at confusing and repelling pests. They mask the scent of your sweet potatoes.
- Oregano: Spreads nicely and deters many insects.
- Dill: Attracts beneficial wasps that prey on pests.
- Thyme: A low-growing herb that enjoys similar conditions.
2. Root Vegetables
Some root crops occupy different soil space. They don’t compete directly with sweet potatoes.
- Radishes: They mature very quickly. You can harvest them long before the sweet potatoes need the room.
- Parsnips: They grow deeper in the soil, so there’s no competition for nutrients in the top layer.
3. Legumes (Beans and Peas)
Beans and peas have a special superpower. They take nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil. Sweet potatoes are heavy feeders that appreciate this extra nutrient.
Bush beans are a better choice than pole beans. Pole beans might get tangled in the sweet potato vines and create to much shade.
4. Pest-Repelling Flowers
Don’t forget to add beauty to your utility! Certain flowers work hard to protect your crops.
- Nasturtiums: These act as a trap crop, luring aphids away from your sweet potatoes.
- Marigolds: Their roots release a substance that suppresses nematodes, a common soil pest for root crops.
Plants to Avoid Near Sweet Potatoes
Just as some plants help, others can cause problems. Avoid planting these near your sweet potato hill.
1. Other Spreading Squashes and Pumpkins
Plants like squash, pumpkins, and melons are also aggressive spreaders. They will compete fiercely for light, water, and space. Your garden will become a tangled mess, and both crops will suffer.
2. Sun-Hungry Plants
Sweet potato vines create dense, shady ground cover. Any plant that needs full, direct sun on its lower leaves will struggle.
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
These tall plants might seem compatible, but the shade from the vines can stunt there growth.
3. Root Crops That Compete Directly
Some root vegetables need the same shallow, loose soil as sweet potatoes. Planting them together leads to competition and smaller yields.
- Regular Potatoes
- Carrots
- Beets
How to Plant Your Sweet Potato Companion Garden
Follow these steps to set up a successful polyculture bed. Planning ahead is key to avoiding overcrowding.
- Prepare the Soil: Sweet potatoes prefer loose, well-drained soil. Work in plenty of compost a few weeks before planting.
- Plant Your Slips First: Establish your sweet potato slips in mounds or rows as you normally would. Give them the recommended spacing (usually 12-18 inches apart).
- Add Companions: Plant your chosen companion plants in the spaces between. For herbs, you can plant them around the border of the bed.
- Water Thoroughly: Keep the soil consistently moist for the first few weeks while all the plants get established.
- Monitor Growth: As the sweet potato vines spread, gently guide them so they don’t smother smaller companions. A little management goes a long way.
Managing a Companion Planted Sweet Potato Patch
Once everything is growing, your main jobs are observation and light maintenance. The goal is to let the plants work together with minimal interference from you.
Check your garden regularly for signs of stress. If a companion plant looks stunted or yellow, it might be getting to much shade from the sweet potato vines. You can sometimes prune a few sweet potato leaves to let in more light.
Water at the base of plants to keep foliage dry. This helps prevent fungal diseases that can spred in the dense canopy. The ground cover from the vines actually helps reduce water evaporation from the soil.
Harvesting with Companions
Your harvest will happen in stages. You’ll pick radishes, herbs, and beans long before the sweet potatoes are ready in the fall.
When it’s time to dig up your sweet potatoes, be careful. Use a garden fork and start digging from the outside of the hill, working inward. This helps you avoid accidentally spearing your main crop. After harvest, you can turn the remaining companion plants into the soil as green manure.
Common Questions About Sweet Potato Companions
Can I plant onions or garlic with sweet potatoes?
Yes, this is generally a good combination. Alliums like onions and garlic have strong scents that deter some pests. They also have a compact growth habit that fits well between vines.
What about planting lettuce or spinach nearby?
This can work as a spring planting strategy. You can grow cool-season lettuce in the bed before planting your sweet potato slips. Harvest the lettuce before the sweet potato vines expand and shade them out completely.
Do sweet potatoes make good companion plants for other crops?
Absolutely. Their dense, weed-suppressing vines can be beneficial. They work well as a living mulch under tall plants like okra or fruit trees, as long as those plants don’t mind the competition for water.
Should I avoid all squash family plants?
It’s best to avoid the vining types. Bush summer squash might be attempted at the very edge of the patch, but watch for crowding. They have similar pest issues, so seperation is often safer.
Choosing the right sweet potato companion plants – ideal garden partners for your space can make your gardening experience more productive and enjoyable. Start with one or two compatible partners, like some bush beans and marigolds. Observe what works best in your specific garden’s microclimate. With a little planning, you’ll create a thriving ecosystem that leads to a bountiful harvest of sweet, healthy tubers.