Beets are delicious vegetables, and they’re easy to grow in home gardens. But you may want to try beet companion plants when pests invade your garden or if you’ve struggled to grow them in the past. The right companion plants can keep pests away from your beets and boost your beet harvest in even a tiny garden space. Use this guide to choose the best beet companion plants and how to grow them.
Alliums
Alliums, like garlic, onions, and chives, are strongly scented plants that are excellent for organic pest control. When used as beet companion plants, interplanted among your beets, alliums appear to repel aphids, slugs, and some beetles. Deer also seem to dislike the scent of alliums, so planting a row of onions or garlic on the exterior of your garden can keep deer from browsing in your beet greens.
Brassicas
Brassicas, including broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, have growing requirements similar to beets. These plants all love plenty of moisture, and they grow best in cooler weather, which makes them obvious choices for beet companion plants. Because beets are smaller plants, they can be sown beneath taller brassicas to conserve garden space and allow for more intensive planting.
Bush Beans
Not all beans are created equal and it’s recommended to avoid growing pole beans near beets as they can stunt your beet roots and produce an overabundance of greens. Bush beans, however, make ideal beet companion plants and provide just the right amount of nitrogen to the soil for proper beet development. Bush beans are also smaller plants and are less likely to block the sun from reaching lower-growing beets.
Carrots
Both root vegetables, carrots and beets don’t take up much space and can grow together in in-ground gardens and containers. Because these plants have similar growing requirements, planting them in the same area can reduce your gardening chores, and as long as you follow proper spacing recommendations, they won’t compete for soil space. If you happen to have voles in your yard, you can protect both your carrots and beets by sowing them in containers or grow bags.
Catnip
Catnip isn’t just for cats; it also makes an impressive companion for beets and other root vegetables. The scent of catnip can deter a wide variety of pests, including mice, flea beetles, and aphids, and its flowers will draw pollinators into your garden. If you want to get more use out of your catnip plants, brew the leaves into a mildly flavored herbal tea.
Hyssop
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is an attractive flowering perennial herb that grows to about 18 inches tall. Once grown primarily for its medicinal properties, hyssop is mostly kept as an ornamental today. It's a top choice for pollinator gardens because insects can't resist its fragrant, purple flowers. When added as a beet companion plant, hyssop helps repel several different pests, including flea beetles and cabbage moths.
Lettuce
As a cool-season crop, lettuce tends to bolt in the summer heat, but it grows well in the spring and autumn. Additionally, because lettuce plants have shallow root systems, they won’t compete with beets or other root vegetables for growing space. Both beets and lettuce are compact plants that will grow together in small containers or other limited growing spaces.
Marigolds
Marigolds grow well with most vegetables and are some of the best companion plants for natural pest control. When grown beside beets, marigolds help repel a variety of pests, and they also attract lacewings, which feed on aphids and other insects. If you’re gardening in a small space or container, opt for dwarf marigolds, which max out at around 10 inches tall.
Mint
Another exceptional herb for pest control, mint is often overlooked as a companion plant, but it offers a lot of garden perks. When allowed to bloom, mint flowers are very attractive to beneficial insects that prey on pests. Part of the problem is that mint is a notoriously fast grower; however, if you keep it in pots near your beet plants, it won’t spread nearly as much.
Radishes
Radishes and beets are both root vegetables that grow best in cooler weather, which makes them good choices for both spring and autumn gardens. In addition to having similar growing requirements, radishes can also break up tough soil, which helps your beets grow better. Finally, because radishes are so small and fast-growing, they're ideal as beet companion plants to boost your garden harvest.
Tips for Harvesting Beets
Since beets grow underground, it may be hard to tell when they're ready to be harvested. Here are some ways you can determine that your beets are ready for picking:
- Check your seed packet for days to maturity and count back to when you planted them.
- Leaves should be green and lush when beets are ready for harvesting.
- Move soil away from the top third of the beet plants to expose the top of the root. If the roots are the size of a golf ball or larger, the beets are fully grown. If not, cover up the roots and let them continue to grow.
Do not let your beets grow for too long; they will become tough, fibrous, and inedible.