Companion Plants for Melons
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Companion plants for melons are plants that support the growth of melons and deter pests from them. There are so many wonderful growing combinations for companion plants in the garden.
There are so many reasons to think about and plan what to grow together in your garden. Companion planting can draw beneficial insects, grow healthier plants, improve your gardening experience and more. If you want a great tool for pest control and garden success, read on!
For a complete companion planting guide, check this out on Etsy!
Melons are easy to grow and one of the most compatible plants to grow in the garden. And it’s a superfood! Check out how to grow fruit in your garden, including melons, here.
Companion plants for melons
Growing your own food has so many benefits, it’s an important venture to do for yourself, your family, and your community. So give it a try this summer, I promise it will change your life for the better and for good! The garden is a tremendous gift!
Honeydew melons and other melons make good companions with other garden plants. However finding the ideal companions for each plant in the garden is a great way to get the most healthy foods from your garden that you can. Plants that make good neighbors will give you a bountiful harvest with proper care throughout the season. It’s not just a good idea, it’s a great idea!
Watermelon companion plants
Melons are one of the most compatible plants in the garden and do well when planted with most anything including beans, peas, onions, leeks, chives, and garlic. They also flourish with cabbage, broccoli, carrots, kale, okra, cauliflower, spinach, brussel sprouts, and lettuce.
Watermelons require a lot of space, the vines can grow 20 feet or more. Even the small melons grow on giant vines. They have both male and female flowers on the same plant with very sticky pollen. This requires insects to move the pollen. This is mostly done by bees.
If you grow seedless watermelons, you must also grow seeded because this is how the bees pollinate the seedless watermelons. In order to grow a great watermelon crop (and other melons) you must attract bees to your garden.
Marigold, borage, and lavender are great companion plants for melons because they flower for so long and attract pollinators to the garden. You can plant a strip of wildflowers in the garden to attract pollinators too.
Companion plants for canteloupe
Cantaloupe grow similarly and have similar requirements to watermelons, so we are talking about them interchangeably. The biggest pest that attacks them is cucumber beetles and aphids, so we try to avoid planting them with something else that attracts them.
Plants that deter these pests include:
- Garlic
- Catnip
- Dill
- Mint
- Nasturtiums
- Lettuce
Other plants that make a great companion plant to plant next to melons for nutrient sharing include:
- Corn
- Broccoli
- Radishes
- Nasturtiums (make a great trap crop)
- Marigolds
- Tansies
- Pole beans and bush beans
What not to plant with melons in the vegetable garden
Plants that don’t do well with melons include other cucurbits such as pumpkins, squash, summer and winter, and cucumbers. Also, avoid planting potatoes with your melons.
Tomato plants and peppers don’t thrive with melons because melons take up so much space they crowd them out. Also, don’t plant melons next to plants that will shade them, because they need full sun.
Worst Companion Plants
Sunflowers and roses attract the highest number of aphid species so they should not be planted next to cantaloupes and watermelons.
Everything else makes a wonderful companion for melons. Happy gardening this season!
Get ready to have a garden full of vibrant flowers, fragrant herbs, and the best melon patch a person could ask for full of watermelon plants, honeydew plants, and cantaloupe plants that will give you the most food possible in your garden!
Your garden will reach new heights of abundance through the hot days of summer if you make these good choices at garden time for the best companion plants for your melons.
Check out the best fruit to grow in Oklahoma here. And the best vegetables to grow in Oklahoma here.
If you are a beginning gardener, check these tips out. Don’t forget to check out this month by month garden planning guide too!
For more easy vegetables to grow from seed, click here.
