Gardening Edible Gardening Vegetable Gardening 10 Best Asparagus Companion Plants to Grow Together Keep your asparagus beds productive and pest-free all season long with these easy-care companion plants. By Lauren Landers Lauren Landers Lauren Landers is a freelance writer who focuses on gardening, homesteading, and DIY. Learning from both hands-on experience and a Master Gardener training course, Lauren loves sharing her knowledge about gardening, conscious living, homesteading, backyard food growing, and much more. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on April 5, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Marty Baldwin Asparagus plants can grow quite large and their harvest season is relatively short. That can makes garden beds planted with only asparagus somewhat limited in terms of productiveness. However, choosing the right asparagus companion plants can boost the productivity of your growing space and maintain an impressive harvest of veggies and herbs all season long. The best companion plants can also keep pests away and encourage a more prolific harvest of asparagus spears too. Below you’ll find some top asparagus companions, as well as a few simple companion planting tips to get you started. 01 of 10 Basil Bob Stefko Basil provides food and shelter to an assortment of beneficial insects, including predatory wasps. As an asparagus companion plant, basil will help reduce pest populations. And basil's small size ensures it won’t compete with your asparagus for sunlight or soil space. Basil will benefit from being grown near taller asparagus because the added shade will protect basil’s delicate leaves from too much bright sun. 02 of 10 Cilantro Peter Krumhardt With a shallow root system and a low growth habit, cilantro won’t compete with asparagus for growing space. The flowers of this herb are also a hit with beneficial insects, which naturally help keep garden pests in check. Plus, as the unharvested asparagus stems unfurl and reach full size, they'll help shield cilantro from the most intense sun rays. 03 of 10 Comfrey Marty Baldwin Comfrey is a lovely plant that produces bell-shaped, pink and purple flowers that pollinators love. In addition to boosting pollinator activity in the garden, comfrey can also enrich the soil around your asparagus and when mixed into home compost, it can become a source of organic nitrogen. That said, comfrey is a vigorous grower and it can be invasive in some locations, so it’s important to keep these plants in check with frequent pruning or by growing them in containers. The 10 Best Compost Bins for Outdoor, Indoor, and Kitchen Countertop Use 04 of 10 Dill Peter Krumhardt When it comes to companion planting, dill is one of the most useful and versatile plants you can grow. Dill flowers are highly attractive to beneficial insects that will prey on asparagus pests. Dill also thrives in cooler conditions, so it often grows better when kept in the shade of taller plants. Plant These Herbs to Grow Together a Flavorful Container Garden 05 of 10 Grapes Brie Williams Mature asparagus plants can get quite tall, which can make them a challenge to keep in garden beds since they may overshadow shorter plants. Grapes, however, grow vertically up trellising systems, so they won’t compete with your asparagus for growing space. Additionally, because both of these plants are perennial crops, they can be planted together in more permanent beds where they will grow productively for many years. 06 of 10 Nasturtium Peter Krumhardt Like other members of the aster family, nasturtiums are wonderful for pest protection and they serve as an efficient trap crop, luring pests away from your asparagus and other vegetables. Nasturtium is also a fast-growing plant that can make an excellent groundcover for weed suppression. When planted near your asparagus, nasturtium can keep weeds down and add a bit of color to your garden beds too. 07 of 10 Nightshades Jamie Hadley Plants in the nightshade family, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, form a symbiotic relationship with asparagus that benefits both plants. Nightshades emit solanine, which repels one of the most destructive asparagus pests: the asparagus beetle. In turn, asparagus helps protect nightshade plants by releasing a chemical into the soil that keeps nematodes away. 08 of 10 Parsley Robert Cardillo Parsley is a strongly scented herb that provides a food source for beneficial insects throughout their lifecycles. Parsley also can be harvested throughout the growing season, which will keep your garden beds productive even after you’ve harvested your asparagus. However, parsley is a biennial herb that should be replanted at least every two years for an ongoing harvest. 09 of 10 Petunias Marty Baldwin Petunias are members of the nightshade family and, like other nightshades, they may help repel asparagus beetles. Petunias are also smaller annual plants that are easy to grow from seed among your asparagus or potted up in small containers near your veggie beds. Easy going and resilient, petunias offer a splash of color with their prolific flowers. 10 of 10 Strawberries Brie Williams Strawberries and asparagus may seem like an odd plant pairing, but it works. Both plants are harvested early in the season and, since they are both perennials, a bed planted with asparagus and strawberries will come back year after year with minimal fuss. What’s more, asparagus and strawberries have different root zones, which keeps their root systems from competing with each other in the soil. The 10 Best Companion Plants for Strawberries Some of these asparagus companion plants excel at pest prevention, while others can keep down weeds. When you choose these companion plants to grow near your asparagus, it will help simplify your gardening chores and boost your harvest. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit