Discovering a good companion for the vegetables in your garden is a lot like finding a close pal.
Not everyone knows what to plant with beets and finding the crops that accommodate these veggies takes some people multiple cases of trial-and-error. Companion planting beets is useful in many ways.
There are good plants for beets, but there are also bad companion plants as well. This gardening article explains everything you would like to know about beet companion planting as well as bad companion plants for beets and those not sure if beets are nightshade crops this article provide clarity.
Beet companion plants
Broccoli is gotten from the Brassicaceae family, together with cabbage and other similar vegetables . These plants help your beet plants because they add much needed minerals to the soil that help the beets grow and develop into strong and mature plants.
1# BRUSSELS SPROUTS
They are alot similar to the broccoli plant. Like broccoli, planting Brussels plants near your beet plants helps them grow larger. As a result, you’ll find yourself with much more bigger and healthier plants.
2# Bush Beans
There should not be confusion between bush beans and pole beans; these are different. Pole beans inhibit the growth of your beet plants, while bush beans,
soybeans, butter beans aid the growth of beet plant . These plants input nitrogen and other essential nutrients to the soil, enhancing growth.
3# CABBAGE
Another member of the Brassicas family that are good beets companion plants are cabbage.
Like broccoli and brussels sprouts, cabbage nourishes the soil around your beets and improves the general quality of your plants.
4# CATNIP
This is one of the best herbs to plant near beets. It is widely known as a strong pest repellent that fends off insects like aphids, flea beetles, squash bugs, Japanese beetles, and Colorado potato beetles.
Further more, catnip helps protect your beet plants against mice and voles, two particularly damaging pests.
5# CAULIFLOWER
This is another member of the cabbage family that you should often plant with your beets. They will improve the standard of your plants while also serving as a shade throughout the scorching sunshine.
6# RADISHES
Many think that planting two root crops in close proximity cause great harm to both crops , but radishes are exceptions.
They work great when you plant fast growing varieties of radish . Some varieties mature in less than 25 days thereby loosening the soil to ease beets growth.
7# ONIONS
Onions, as well as leeks and shallots , are great beet companion plants. They help to naturally repel different garden pests, like aphids and sugar beet-flea beetles, and animals like rabbits and deer usually avoid this family.
8# MARIGOLDS
One pest that attacks beet plants is slugs, and marigolds attract slugs. So, if you grow marigolds near your beet plants, they become a trap crop, attracting slugs to them and faraway from your beets.
The major pest that cause damage to the beet plant are slugs and marigolds are known to attract slugs . When grown alongside beets they serve as trap crops for slugs and it’s kind , which will in turn keep them far away form the beet plant.
9# MINT
Mint makes a fit companion plant for beets because it fend off so many pests. Pests hate the strong scent that these plants produce , but the issue is that mint is an invasive species and spreads vastly. So it’s best to grow mint in pots near your beets instead of planting them in the ground.
10# LETTUCE
Beets are crops that need plenty of room underground to grow and space out . Contrastingly , lettuce has very shallow roots that do not spread out.
That makes them befiting companion plant, because lettuce will fill the free spaces in your garden without affecting the space of your beets .
11# GARLIC
Gardeners grow garlic alongside beets a few reasons. First, garlic helps to repel certain pests that may try to eat your beets. Another reason is that growing garlic with beets is said to enhance the beet flavor.
Every gardener would love to harvest healthy vegetables simply by growing something close to it . Lastly, garlic puts sulfur into the soil, which has certain antifungal properties.
Many believe that cultivating garlic near beets and other plants will help prevent diverse kinds of diseases that might live in the ground and infect your plants.
Bad companion plant for beets
Most pumpkin varieties tend to have shallow root system. If they are planted near a root crop as beets , while Harvesting the beets you might cause damage to the pumpkins.
Swiss chard is a bad companion plant for beets as they belong to the same family . Whenever two crops from the same family are planted together it may lead to issues
that include attracting too many dangerous pest and both crops will be vunelrable to same diseases. They will also compete for nutrients which lead to a low or unproductive harvest.
Are beets and carrots companion plants?
Carrots and beets are widely regarded as root crops. But there’s just that question of whether they can be grown alongside or in close proximity.
Yes they can be grown together but how best they grow solely depends on the method of cultivation .
Being root crops beets and carrots are basically grown underneath the soil. Carrots are known to have deeper roots than beets, which allows them break up tough soil that permit beets to grow.
Carrots are good companion plants and are heat resistant that’s why they grow well alongside beets as they offer shade to the beet plant . Carrots help aerate the soil of beets plant that allows more air and water to get to the roots of the beets plant.
Can you plant beans and beets together?
Pole beans and bush beans have similar companion plants except for beets . Pole beans will not grow when planted alongside beets as both plants will restrict and stunt each other’s growth.
Bush beans, soya beans, and butter beans on the other hand will thrive next to beets as it enriches the soil with nitrogen and necessary nutrients that will benefit the plant (beets).
Bush beans gains a lot from the amount of magnesium beets put in the soil.
Beans and legumes are commonly know to refine the soil through a process called nitrogen fixation.
Beans will absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere and transform it into nitrate and ammonia in the soil , which beets will take in as it will be helpful to their growth.
Is beet a nightshade vegetable?
The term nightshade is misunderstood by many and has left alot of people questioning if beet is a nightshade vegetable.
No it is not a nightshade vegetable, infact it is a root vegetable . Research says that nightshade vegetables are likely to cause inflammation , meanwhile , beets are known to prevent it .
Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers and spices sourced from peppers are all samples of nightshade vegetables.
And beets do not have similar diseases and pest as the aforementioned crops.
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Conclusion
Who knew that there have been so many excellent beet companion plants? You have plenty of choices, so once you plant your veggie garden, think about using several companion plants to see what helps your beets grow the best.
After practicing companion planting for your beets, harvest is even better. Beets will last long within the fridge if you don’t wash them before storage. Only wash right before eating them or cooking.
Beets won’t be the first vegetable choice for your garden beds, but these fall crops are hardy and convey even more life to your property. Companion planting with them may be a wise choice that you won’t regret .
