The Veggies You Should Never Be Planting Near Your Peppers

If you have a garden with multiple varieties of vegetables, then you probably already naturally try to put plants that grow well together next to each other. This concept of planting mutually beneficial plants near each other is often called companion planting – and, while some plants are great companions (like roses and marigolds), others don't work together so well. In fact, some plants are basically the opposite of companion plants and can actually stunt each other's growth. This is true of many popular vegetables, including peppers.

Because peppers are versatile in the kitchen and easy to grow, they are popular garden plants. Unfortunately, when it comes to peppers (of all kinds including bell peppers and spicy peppers) there are lots of popular veggies that shouldn't be grown near them. For starters, peppers are a plant in the nightshade family and shouldn't be grown near other nightshades including tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants (this is also the reason why you should never grow tomatoes and potatoes together). This is important because vegetables in the nightshade family can spread diseases and pests between each other. Plus, plants from the same family typically require the same nutrients, so planting them too close together can create a situation where the soil doesn't have enough of a particular nutrient to support both plants.

When it comes to growing healthy and tasty peppers, other nightshades aren't the only veggies you should avoid planting near them. In fact, peppers also shouldn't be planted near fennel, because fennel releases a chemical into the soil that actually stunts the growth of other plants, and is especially harmful to nightshades. On top of this, peppers tend to love their sunlight. They shouldn't be grown near plants that are tall and aggressive growers that may block the light from reaching the peppers or crowd them out — like corn and pole beans.

Lastly, another group of veggies that shouldn't be planted near your peppers are brassicas. Brassicas are a type of leafy green plant that includes veggies like kale, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. The problem with these leafy greens is that they release a compound into the soil that can negatively impact the growth of peppers. On top of this, brassicas, with their juicy and delicious leaves, tend to attract lots of pests like cabbage worms and beetles that may also move to your pepper plants if they are nearby.

So, that being said, what should you grow near your peppers? Luckily, just as there are plenty of not-suitable companions for peppers, there are plenty of suitable ones, too, including common herbs and veggies like basil, cilantro, carrots, onions, and spinach.