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The Best Companion Plants For Asparagus Beds

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Asparagus makes a beautiful addition to any vegetable garden. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that will grow back year after year. Growing asparagus is pretty straightforward, but there are a few companion plants for asparagus that you can add to help with water retention, pests, and aesthetics!

So what are the best asparagus companion plants?

The best companion plants for asparagus are plants that do not compete for moisture or nutrition and do not stunt growth or advertise for pests that may damage your asparagus. With this in mind, your best companions are strawberries, rhubarb, nightshades like eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers, and plants that can act like living mulch around the plants like lettuce, beets, and parsley. 

Read on to find out why these particular plants make such great companions for asparagus and head to the bottom of the post to find out what plants should never be planted side by side with your asparagus.

Bunch of green aspargus, in a vertical position, isolated.

Table of contents

What is companion planting?

Plants that assist each other to grow healthy and heartily, repel pests or attract beneficial insects are companion plants. 

Much of the information around companion planting is anecdotal, with a few exceptions. 

However, many books are dedicated to the topic, and you may find contradictory information if you read two back-to-back. 

Every growing zone is different, every garden layout is different, and pest pressure varies throughout the season, so to figure out what works in your garden, you will need to test, test, test. 

From experience in 3 different growing zones, I will always grow strawberries with my asparagus because I end up with such great crops every season! (see, that’s anecdotal).  

One of the best sources of gardening information is anecdotal! Find any seasoned gardener in your area and ask them; they will have all kinds of exciting finds regarding companion planting and planting in general. 

Asparagus growing in dark black soil with companion plants off to the side.

Benefits of Companion Planting

Companion planting can bring several positive benefits to the homegrown garden. Fruits, flowers, vegetables, and herbs have many beneficial partners that can help improve taste, growth, and yield and help manage pests and diseases. Companions can also help:

Attract pollinators:

Brightly colored flowers with solid and pungent scents and food sources attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. Pollinators are beneficial for increasing yields – and who doesn’t want a higher-yielding garden?

Attracting beneficial insects: 

 Marigolds and nasturtiums, for instance, can help attract helpful bugs like hoverflies, lacewings, and ladybugs. 

Deter garden pests:

Many plants like Marigolds and nasturtiums can work very well to deter common insect pests. In addition, you can use companion planting to prevent problems such as Japanese beetles, flea beetles, squash bugs, spider mites, asparagus beetles, and tomato hornworms. Or the plants can be used as a trap crop to lure away harmful pests like leaf miners, fungus gnats, and corn earworms from the primary crop.

Can help improve the soil:

Marigolds can help destroy root-knot nematodes. Other leafy plants, like basil and lettuce, can provide a ground cover to control moisture evaporation. 

Other plants with large taproots, like carrots and beets, can help break up heavy soils.

It can help control weeds and moisture.

Densely planted leafy greens or flowers can prevent weeds and help the soil stay cool and retain moisture during hot growing periods. 

Companion planting can help with disease issues: 

Adding a variety of plants in the garden can help break up groupings and can help slow the spread of diseases such as downy and powdery mildew as well as early and light blight. 

Companion planting is an excellent addition to any organic garden planning. 

An infographic showing all the benefits listed above in the blog post. The image shows a woman container gardening with benefit insects like butterflies and hover flies.

Asparagus Companion Planting

There are many beautiful plants that you can grow side by side in your asparagus beds:

Strawberry Plant

Asparagus is one of the best strawberry companion plants you can grow. Plant asparagus at the back of the bed and add the strawberries to the southern side of your garden beds, and both plants will thrive.

Strawberry plants do not grow deep and can be very shallow-rooted plants. Shallow-rooted plants generally do not compete in the same soil level for nutrients or moisture. The strawberries will cover and protect the soil from excess moisture loss with their lush green leaf growth.

Strawberries growing inside an asparagus bed is one of the prettiest combinations so if you’re going for aesthetics, give those strawberry plants a try.

If you find your strawberry patch getting overgrown, you can move a few of them over to your asparagus patch.

Closeup of fresh organic strawberries growing on the vine. Strawberry image is used as an example of what plants can be used as asparagus companion plants.

Eggplants, Peppers, and Tomatoes

Nightshades like eggplants, peppers, and tomato plants are good companion plants for asparagus.

Nightshades are rich in solanine, which is known to repel the pesky asparagus beetles that feast on asparagus shoots. Asparagus, in turn, will deter root-knot nematodes, which attack the root systems of nightshades.

Tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants will not compete for space as the plants will be pretty small when the asparagus is harvested. The plants will also not compete for water or nutrients during the growing season.

Important Note:  Although potatoes are considered nightshades, they are the exception and do not make good companions for asparagus. See notes under the heading for potatoes.

Lush red heavy fruit tomato vines in a garden.

Beets

Beets also make good companions for asparagus, as they take up very little space and have a shorter growing season. In addition, beets will not compete for water or nutrients with asparagus.

It’s said that beets grown with asparagus will grow larger.

Beautiful deep purple beets recently Harvested from a garden.

Bush Beans

Bush beans will improve the soil where they are grown by adding nitrogen. Asparagus will use that nitrogen to produce healthy, robust spears the following year.

Bush beans will not compete with asparagus during the growing season as the spears for this year’s harvest have already been cut from the garden bed.

  • Related: Once you grow your bumper crop of beans, you will need to preserve them for the winter. See our guide on properly prepping your beans for the freezer for the best texture and flavor!
Growing green beans in the open field. Growing organic vegetables on the farm.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb and asparagus can grow side by side in a garden bed without issue.

The asparagus will help absorb any excess moisture away from the rhubarb plants, which helps prevent root rot. The rhubarb, in turn, will help deter whiteflies and blackfly aphids from the asparagus spears.

Rhubarb plant in the garden. Close up.

Horseradish

Horseradish takes minimal nutrients away from the soil and requires a growing spot that is not consistently wet.

Asparagus plants will help absorb any excess moisture, and much like rhubarb, it will help the horseradish avoid rotting roots.

Green leaves of horseradish plant. Horseradish image is used to illustrate how it can be utilized as a companion plant for asparagus.

Lettuce

Lettuce makes a great companion plant for asparagus in early spring. You can plant the lettuce between asparagus rows to create a living mulch that will help trap moisture and keep the soil cool.

Asparagus will help provide shade for the lettuce and keep it from bolting as the season warms up.

Green lettuce plants growing in the field.

Parsley

Parsley is said to add vigor and help asparagus grow. Much like lettuce, You can plant parsley between the rows to help keep the soil cool and moist.

If allowed to flower, parsley will attract beneficial insects like parasitic wasps.

But parsley’s number one claim to fame is its ability to repel asparagus beetle.

Fresh parsley grows from the ground in the garden.

Basil 

Basil is an excellent companion plant for asparagus. Like lettuce and parsley, it can act as a living mulch under your asparagus plants.

Basil’s pungent smell also helps confuse and deter asparagus beetles from setting up shop on your asparagus plants.

Raw Green Organic Basil Plant Ready to Cook With.

Dill

Dill planted between rows will grow tall along with the asparagus spears. In addition, dill will attract beneficial insects like lacewings and ladybugs, which will prey on aphids.

Yellow flowers of dill (Anethum graveolens). Close up.

Flowers such as Marigolds, Nasturtiums, and Asters

Marigolds, nasturtiums, and asters are welcome additions to most garden beds and make great asparagus companion plants.

Nasturtiums will help with aphids, while marigolds and asters will attract beneficial insects like hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and spined soldier bugs, which will help decimate any pest pressure on the asparagus.

Learn More:

Beautiful light pink aster on blurred garden flowers bed background, close up

Worst companion plants for asparagus

You will want to keep deep-rooted plants away from your asparagus. Deep-rooted plants will compete for both water and nutrients and stunt the growth of both.

Alliums

Alliums make excellent companion plants for many garden fruits and vegetables, but not asparagus. Therefore, you will want to avoid planting alliums anywhere near your asparagus beds.

Alliums will compete for water and soil nutrients, and both plants will be stunted.

An onion (allium) bulb poking out of the soil with green shoots.

Potatoes

Potatoes grow deep and cannot collect enough moisture or nutrients to grow if they compete with asparagus. So if you plant potatoes near your asparagus, the potatoes will not grow well. 

Potato plant with tubers digging up from the ground.

Do you need more companion planting information or want to expand your gardening know-how?

We have many companion planting guides you may find helpful as you plan your garden beds for the growing season. Check out these guides before you grow!

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