Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
Asteraceae
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
AmaranthaceaeCan you plant lettuce and spinach together?
Yes. Lettuce and spinach grow well together. Growing them together gave a bigger combined harvest in a greenhouse or pot trial. That rests on a single study, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.
Why lettuce and spinach work together
Bigger combined harvest. In a greenhouse or pot trial, growing them together gave a bigger combined harvest.
Inoculation with extreme endophytes improves performance and nutritional quality in crop species grown under exoplanetary conditions. (Molina-Montenegro MA · 2023 · Frontiers in plant science)
What to plant with lettuce and spinach
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
BeanWith lettuce: 48% more harvestWith spinach: Recommended by garden charts, not tested
CucumberWith lettuce: 35% more harvestWith spinach: Better soil and nutrient uptake
PeaWith lettuce: 19% more harvestWith spinach: Recommended by garden charts, not tested
Swiss chardWith lettuce: Bigger combined harvestWith spinach: Bigger combined harvest
CilantroRecommended by garden charts for both, not tested yet
What to keep away from lettuce and spinach
The evidence in detail
For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.
Tradition, research and yield trials
Research
Good
avoidgood
1 paper found: 1 positive, 0 negative.
yield / land use
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
No intercropping yield trial.
Good neighbours
What happens above and below ground
Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.
Everything at once.
Companion plants for both lettuce and spinach
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With lettuce | With spinach |
|---|---|---|
| Bean | 48% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and beans | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for spinach and beans |
| Cucumber | Fewer pests35% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and cucumbers | Better soil and nutrient uptakeGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for spinach and cucumbers |
| Pea | 19% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and peas | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for spinach and peas |
| Swiss chard | Bigger combined harvestGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and Swiss chard | Bigger combined harvestSame family (Amaranthaceae): shares pests and diseasesGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for spinach and Swiss chard |
Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).
Recommended by garden charts for both, not tested yet
The evidence, with sources
- Goodyield / land usegreenhouse / pot trialauto-classifiedInoculation with extreme endophytes improves performance and nutritional quality in crop species grown under exoplanetary conditions.Inoculation with extreme endophytes improves performance and nutritional quality in crop species grown under exoplanetary conditions. (Molina-Montenegro MA · 2023 · Frontiers in plant science)Relevance 86% · effect confidence 47%
All neighbours of lettuce and of spinach, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown lettuce and spinach together?
Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.