Potato
Solanum tuberosum
SolanaceaeCompanion plants for potatoes
The best companion plants for potatoes are fava beans, broccoli, watermelon, garlic and thyme. Carrots, cucumbers and squash are best kept away. Of the 16 plants we have data on, 5 are good neighbours, 4 are bad ones and 5 are contested. 8 of these verdicts rest on field trials or research papers; the rest come from traditional companion-planting charts.
- 5 good
- 4 to avoid
- 5 contested
- 8 tested in trials or papers
Neighbours of potatoes at a glance
Inner rings are backed by trials or papers, outer rings by charts only. Pick a plant to see its sources.
The interactive map needs JavaScript. Every plant on it is listed below with its evidence.
Good companion plants for potatoes
Biggest harvest gain first, then the plants tested without a yield count. Each row links to the full evidence for the pair.
| Plant | What trials found with potatoes | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Fava bean |
Less disease | Field trial3 studies | Not listed |
 Broccoli |
Bigger combined harvest | Field trial2 studies | Not listed |
 Watermelon |
Bigger combined harvest | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
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, not tested yet
We found no trial or paper on these pairs with potatoes. They may still work; nobody has measured it.
What not to plant with potatoes
| Plant | What trials found with potatoes | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Carrot |
No trial found | Not tested | Advise against |
 Cucumber |
No trial found | Not tested | Advise against |
 Squash & pumpkin |
No trial found | Not tested | Advise against |
| Asparagus | No trial found | Not tested | Advise against |
Relatives that share pests and diseases
| Plant | What trials found with potatoes | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Pepper |
No trial foundSame family (Solanaceae): shares pests and diseases | Not tested | Not listed |
 Eggplant |
No trial foundSame family (Solanaceae): shares pests and diseases | Not tested | Not listed |
Contested pairings
The sources disagree, or the charts say one thing and the trials another. Open a pair before you plant it.
| Plant | What trials found with potatoes | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tomato |
112% more harvest from the same spaceSame family (Solanaceae): shares pests and diseases | Field trial1 study | Advise against |
 Sweet corn |
Less disease, a positive effect and better soil and nutrient uptake39% more harvest from the same spaceMixed results on disease | Field trial11 studies | Recommend |
 Bean |
36% more harvest from the same spaceMixed results on soil and nutrients | Field trial4 studies | Recommend |
 Pea |
Mixed results on soil and nutrients | Field trial1 study | Recommend |
 Onion |
Fewer pestsMixed results on pests | Field trial2 studies | Recommend |
Sources
28 sources behind the verdicts on this page. 13 chart entries cite no source and are marked as tradition only.
Show all 28 sources
Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
Quantifying the relative importance of disease-suppressive mechanisms in species mixtures: a case study of late blight in strip-intercropped potato. (Brandon M · 2026 · Journal of experimental botany)
Disease-suppressive mechanisms in contrasting potato-based strip-cropping systems. (Homulle Z · 2025 · Eur J Plant Pathol.)
Intercropping enhances stable soil organic carbon pool through macroaggregate protection and biochemical recalcitrance interactions (Wang D · 2025 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)
Intercropping enhances soil multifunctionality by restructuring microbial community and biogeochemical cycles. (Chen L · 2025 · The Science of the total environment)
Maize/potato intercropping improvs aggregate stability and AMF community diversity in red soil of southern China (Lu M · 2025 · Research Square)
The potential of strip cropping to suppress potato late blight (Homulle Z · 2024 · Field Crops Research.)
Revisiting intercropping indices with respect to potato-legume intercropping systems (Gitari · 2020)
Phosphite alters the behavioral response of potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) to field-grown potato (Mulugeta · 2019)
Nitrogen and phosphorous uptake by potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and their use efficiency under potato-legume intercropping systems (Gitari HI · 2018 · Field Crops Research.)
Maize and potato intercropping: A technology to increase productivity and profitability in tigray (Kidane · 2017)
Volatile exchange between undamaged plants - a new mechanism affecting insect orientation in intercropping. (Ninkovic V · 2013 · PloS one)
Effect of planting method on production potential of potato + pea intercropping system (Singh · 2012 · Potato Journal)
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)
Effect of Intercropping of Zea Maize with Potato Solanum tuberosum, L. on Potato Growth and on the Productivity and Land Equivalent Ratio of Potato and Zea Maize (Al-Dalain · 2009)
Yield-density relationship for potato (Solarium tuberosum) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in intercropping (Raey · 2009 · New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science)
Host location and oviposition of lepidopteran herbivores in diversified broccoli cropping systems (Broad ST · 2008 · Agricultural and Forest Entomology)
Effect of Intercropping on Potato Late Blight, Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary Development and Potato Tuber Yield in Ethiopia (Kassa · 2006 · Kasetsart Journal: Natural Science)
[Ecological effects of intercrops in comprehensive management patterns of hilly area plum orchard]. (Zhang T · 2005 · Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology)
Crop interactions in broccoli intercropping (Santos RHS · 2002 · Biological agriculture & horticulture)
Effect of intercropping on the population density of pests in some vegetables (Mateeva · 2002 · Acta Horticulturae)
Garden bugs: Insect pest management in the home vegetable garden (ANR-1045) (Zehnder · 1997 · Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
The influence of intercropping with Allium on some insect populations in potato (Solanum tuberosum) (Potts · 1991 · [[Annals of Applied Biology]])
Microenvironmental effects on potato and bean yields grown under intercropping system (Sharaiha · Lucrări ştiinţifice)
What grows well with your potatoes?
Share what worked next to your potatoes and what did not, or ask other growers a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.