Look at the best Arugula Companion Plants for healthy growth and successful harvest of this leafy green for your salads.
Arugula grows quickly in cool weather and is a hardy plant, but the main problem for arugula is flea beetles. These beetles enjoy eating the soft leaves of arugula, leaving tiny holes. To protect it, try Arugula Companion Plants and make it challenging for flea beetles to find it.
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Arugula Companion Plants
Companion Herbs For Arugula
Certain companion plants, like the fragrant rosemary, can help keep pests away from arugula. Herbs not only discourage pests but may also confuse them, making it harder for them to find your arugula.
Consider planting arugula with herbs such as;
Anything in the mint family works well as a deterrent for garden pests. Moreover, dill is an excellent companion for brassicas and is often used for pest control.
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Root Crop Companions for Arugula
Root crops like;
- Carrots
- Beets
- Onions and garlic do well in cooler weather
These companions grow mostly underground, making the most of your garden space. The leafy parts of carrots and beets can offer shade for arugula plants. Moreover, the strong smells from onions and garlic help keep away garden pests, making them great companions for arugula and other brassicas.
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Companion Vegetable Plants For Arugula
You can also plant arugula alongside other cool-weather crops like;
- Spinach
- Lettuce and Swiss chard
Together, they create a ready-made garden bed for salads. Instead of carefully spacing them, some gardeners scatter the seeds of these leafy greens. This results in a thick crop of salad greens, allowing you to thin them out and enjoy the young baby leaves.
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Companion Flowers For Arugula
For a vibrant touch in your garden, try pairing arugula with colorful flowers like;
- Chamomile,
- Nasturtium, and petunias
Chamomile not only attracts pollinating insects, but its strong fragrance can also hide arugula from garden pests. Nasturtium serves as a ground cover, and other options like borage and cucumbers can do the same. These plants provide shade for the ground around arugula, reducing soil evaporation. Borage is not only attractive to pollinators but also deters curious wildlife like deer and keeps cabbage moth caterpillars at bay.
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Nitrogen-Fixing Companion Plants for Arugula
Certain companion plants act as nitrogen-fixers, restoring nitrogen in the soil and boosting the health and flavor of arugula plants.
- Tall plants like bush beans not only fix nitrogen but also provide shade due to their height.
- Consider including other tall companions like corn and peas.
- Another suitable vegetable companion is celery, as it shares similar sunlight and water requirements with arugula. Some recipes even combine celery and arugula, showcasing how these companion plants can complement each other in various dishes as you grow them together.
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Points to Consider
- Start your companion planting journey on a small scale by pairing arugula with just one other plant, like carrots.
- Alternatively, you can take a more adventurous approach and experiment with multiple companions such as beans, arugula, spinach, onions, and rosemary.
- The beauty of companion planting lies in its flexibility—it’s not an exact science, and there are numerous possibilities.
- When you companion plant with arugula, you’re making the most of your garden space and enhancing its vitality, all while reducing weed competition and reliance on pesticides.
Read: Companion Plants for Pest Control
What Not to Plant with Arugula
- While strawberries make a lively ground cover, they aren’t ideal companions for arugula and can hinder its growth—this applies to all brassicas. If you’re planting strawberries, it’s advisable to keep them a row or two away from arugula.
- Plants in the nightshade or solanum family don’t get along well with arugula due to differing soil pH preferences. Nightshades prefer more acidic soil (pH 5.5-6.5), while arugula thrives in a more neutral soil (pH 6.5-7). It’s not recommended to grow arugula next to eggplant, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes.
- When growing brassicas together, be cautious, as it may attract shared pests and make them more susceptible to infestation, especially if they’re planted in an area recently occupied by another brassica. For instance, it’s best to avoid planting arugula in a space that recently grew cabbage.
- Additionally, consider the compatibility of arugula companion plants with each other. While dill and carrots are great companions for arugula individually, they don’t make good neighbors when planted together.