Best companion plants for courgettes in the vegetable garden

Vegetables with an upright growth habit

A courgette plant occupies about 1 m² of ground space. In height, it rarely exceeds 50–60 cm tall. That is to say, we can exploit and make the most of this space by planting nearby the courgette plants that grow vertically. In good companion planting, each will confer benefits on the other. Indeed, courgettes will benefit from the shade offered by these vertically growing plants. While the plants grown beside them will benefit at ground level from the coolness generated by the courgette foliage, which will thus act as a groundcover.

That’s why courgettes will make good companion plants for the maize grown for its sweet ears, but also for the sunflowers whose seeds can be eaten (which can also be left for garden birds). It is also feasible to grow Jerusalem artichokes not far from courgettes. Although often maligned, this root vegetable deserves a place in the kitchen garden. Its slightly sweet flavour recalls that of the artichoke.

Maize, sunflowers and Jerusalem artichokes are excellent companion plants for courgette

Vegetables that shoot quickly

In a vegetable garden, courgette plants sown in warm weather are transplanted into the soil between mid-April and mid-May, depending on the region. For these courgettes to achieve optimal growth, they should be spaced at least 80 cm to 1 m apart. An area that gardeners may regard as “lost” at least until the first courgettes are ready for harvest. That is why it is perfectly sensible to sow or plant, in the empty gaps, vegetables with very rapid growth. Thus, the growth of the courgettes will not be hindered at all if you sow 18-day radishes, rocket or watercress. Similarly, do not hesitate to transplant a few salad leaves that will be eaten before the courgettes. In a medium-sized garden.

And, when the courgette season ends, one can again sow or transplant some vegetable plants that will develop once the courgette plants have been pulled up and put into the compost. Thus, it is possible to transplant some winter lettuces, or to sow black radishes, some lamb’s lettuce, and carrots…

Radishes, rocket, lamb’s lettuce, and salad leaves can be sown alongside the courgette to maximise space.

Dwarf beans or climbing beans

Whether filet, mangetout, shelling, dwarf or climbing, beans are legumes. And legumes are well known for being very beneficial to the vegetable garden. Indeed, they enrich the soil and impart fertility. The roots of beans (but also of peas and broad beans) contain nodosities that have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen thanks to the sym symbiosis they establish with bacteria. This nitrogen is of course used by the beans, but it is also returned to the soil. Thus the soil becomes more fertile in the short term and in the longer term. And plants grown near these legumes also benefit from this welcome nitrogen boost.

Thus, by planting beans not far from your courgettes, the courgettes should benefit from this nitrogen. Granted, the soil must first be enriched with well-rotted compost or manure, but this neighbourly pairing is always an asset. Especially if you grow climbing beans which, in addition to the nitrogen input, will provide a little shade for the courgettes.

In the same vein, it is also possible to sow broad beans near the courgettes up to mid-April. Besides their ability to enrich the soil, broad beans attract aphids, which will leave your courgette plants alone.

Courgette and beans pair very well

Alliaceae

Garlic, shallot, but especially onion, turn out to be good neighbours for courgettes. Simply because these vegetable and bulbous plants in the Alliaceae family emit strong odours that deter a number of pests. Alliums thus act as repellents and deter unwanted insects. They are therefore excellent companion plants for courgettes and many other vegetables in the vegetable garden.

Flowering melliferous plants

The courgette is a strictly monoecious plant, meaning that on the same plant it produces female flowers, recognisable by the ovary, which resemble a miniature courgette, located at their base, and male flowers, often more numerous. Pollination occurs naturally thanks to pollinating insects such as bees and bumblebees, which move from flower to flower and transfer pollen. Sometimes pollination does not occur and the fruits do not set. This is often linked to the absence or insufficient numbers of pollinating insects. That is why it is important to attract them.

That’s why it can be wise to sow or plant near courgette plants with melliferous flowers. These flowers are very attractive to insects and will be very beneficial for courgettes. Not to mention that your vegetable garden will look more attractive.

Therefore, to achieve a profusion of beautiful courgettes, don’t hesitate to sow or plant plants with melliferous flowers such as borage, Agastache, phacelia, scabious, centaurea, the cosmos, boneset, Echinops, the sages, yarrow, the creeping bugle (Ajuga reptans)…

The companionship of melliferous plants promotes pollination of courgettes

Nasturtium

Nasturtium is known to be an “aphid magnet”. And it is not uncommon to see aphids proliferating on the young courgette shoots. So why not sow a few plants of annual nasturtium in the middle of your courgettes? This climbing plant with slender stems will spread freely in the kitchen garden, without hindering the crops. And it will offer you pretty funnel-shaped flowers in red, yellow or orange, right through to the first frosts. Fast-growing, this nasturtium, particularly attractive to aphids, has a rightful place in the kitchen garden, as flowers and young leaves are edible. They bring a colourful, vitamin-packed and peppery touch to summer salads.

Some gardeners acknowledge that this nasturtium may also have a repellent effect on the courgette bug (Anasa tristis). Nothing is proven, but in gardening, experience often takes precedence.

Nasturtiums divert aphids from courgettes

Nasturtium is therefore an excellent trap crop to grow near courgettes, in the heart of the kitchen garden, but also in borders and at the base of roses. It can be sown in warmth from February–March, or directly outdoors from March to May, depending on the region. And, in areas with mild winters, it can reseed from year to year.

Aromatic herbs

Planting aromatic herbs in your garden is a good idea. Not only do you enjoy their leaves to flavour your cooked dishes or brew a few infusions, but these aromatic herbs have the ability to deter many pests with the strong aromas they emit. Growing them alongside courgettes will always be beneficial. So don’t hesitate to sow or plant basil, wormwood, dill, chives, tansy, Artemisia…

Herbs help deter pests from courgettes