Cucumber is an easy-to-grow plant. You can grow a cucumbers at your home even if you are a total beginner.

Having said that there are several conditions that will help you grow cucumber. One of such conditions is planting cucumbers along with other plants that will help cucumber plants grow efficiently. These plants are also known as companion plants.

Companion plants are plants that when grown together can provide some benefits to each plant. Just like friends, these plants will provide help to one another and also get benefited from living in close proximity.

Why Your Cucumbers Need Companion Plants:

Cucumber plants are really easy to grow. You would hardly fail if you give your cucumber plants the basic growing requirements. However, when you add companion plants with your cucumbers this task of growing cucumber become far easier. So planting companion plants is not an essential part of growing cucumbers but it definitely helps your cause.

Companion plants help in many ways. Either by giving physical support, nutrient boost or providing shade in the hot summer.

Following are some of the main benefits of companion plants in growing cucumbers:

• They help increase the fertility of the soil and thus increase yield.
• Companion plants naturally deter pests that will otherwise hurt your cucumber plant.
• They will also attract beneficial insects and pollinators to help your cucumber plant.
• You will save a lot of space when you grow plants closely.
• They will also give the cucumber plant physical support to climb up.

Best Companion Plants For Cucumbers

1. Beans -They act as a nitrogen fixer. It helps to fertilize the soil organically. So if you plant cucumber along with beans, the cucumbers will get the benefit of added fertilization which will help them thrive.
2. Peas work just like beans. Being a member of the legume family they can fix nitrogen in the soil and thus increase the overall fertility of the soil. In initial growing years look wise peas also complement cucumber plants.
3. Beets keep weeds at bay. Also, they don’t create any problems for your cucumber plants if you plant them in close proximity. So if you are planning to grow beets, planting them around your cucumber plants can be a good choice.
4. Radishes – The root system of cucumber and radish complement each other very well. So if you grow them together the growth of the plants will not be disturbed by each other. Radish also deters cucumber beetles. So your cucumber plants will have an added layer of protection against beetles.
5. Oregano repels pests quite well. As a companion plant when they are planted near your cucumber plants oregano will repel pests from the cucumber plant as well.
6. Celery – Although there are no special benefits for growing celery and cucumber together, they don’t create any problems for each other. It will save you a lot of space if you club cucumber and celery together. The strong scent of celery sometimes deters off many pests.
7. Lettuce is a great cover crop for cucumber plants. Other than cucumbers lettuce also works great with strawberries, radishes, carrots etc.
8. Dills are excellent at attracting beneficial insects to the garden. So if you plant them near your cucumber plants, the beneficial insects will protect your cucumber plants from many pest attacks.
9. Marigold is a useful plant to have in your garden. They prevent nematodes from growing in the soil. The flowers are good at keeping harmful insects and beetles at bay. Planting marigold with your cucumber plants will only benefit the plant.
10. Sunflowers attract many pollinators that can help you cucumber plant pollinate. Besides if your cucumber likes to climb up, the sunflower plant will work as a natural trellis to the cucumber plant. It will save you a lot of space in your garden.
11. Nasturtiums – Just like Marigold and Sunflower, Nasturtiumsis an amazing plant to have in your garden. It improves the growth rate and the flavor of your cucumber fruit. They both have a similar low-growing and sprawling habit which looks symmetrical in the garden. Besides Nasturtiums can effectively repel aphids, beetles and many insects that can harm your cucumber plant.

Plants You Should Never Grow With Your Cucumbers

Here are some plants that can actually hurt the growth of your cucumber plants if you plant them nearby. So to avoid any problems in growing cucumbers always avoid planting near by the following plants.

1. Basil – Never plant basil along with cucumbers. It will hurt both the plants.
2. Sage – Sage plants can really shunt the growth of your cucumber plants. So avoid them growing nearby.
3. Peppermint – Peppermint or mint, in general, are invasive plants. So growing them near your cucumber plants will result in a lack of space for the cucumbers to expand themselves. If you want to plant mint plant them in pots instead.
4. Potatoes – Growing potatoes near cucumbers is not a wise choice because if the conditions favor the cukes can encourage potato blight disease. Also, potatoes are very heavy feeders. So you will see a decrease in the size of your cucumber harvest if they are planted very closely.
5. Melons – The main reason why you should avoid growing melons near your cucumber plant is that both plants have some common pests. So insects that like to feast on melons will also attack your cucumbers if they are nearby. It will create a monoculture that can be very harmful in case of pest attacks.