Last Updated on 12 months by Namrata
Peas are one of the rewarding crops which you can quickly grow in your garden. They are nature’s gift in the form of fresh candies.
In the market, you can get peas in various forms like frozen, dried, or raw forms. But peas produced from the garden are pretty sweet and have fantastic taste. The seeds of the peas plant are enriched with fiber and protein, which is quite good for your health.
However, you need to plant them at the right time, i.e., in the spring season, to harvest them in the cool winter. But if you stay in the warm region, you can plant in spring and fall.
Peas are good companions for various plants like beans and carrots. You need to consider companion planting while growing peas, especially if your garden is small and attracts a lot of pests and diseases. Choosing the right companion will help the pea plant to grow appropriately and double your harvest.
The article discusses the 10 best companion plants for peas. So, you can keep reading this article to know about some of the best companions you can grow with pea plants and increase production.
What Is Companion Planting?
Companion planting means growing two plants close to each other. The two plants will benefit from each other’s attributes.
At first, it may seem you an odd idea. But think about plants that grow in nature. There are never sections of only one species. There is a mix of various species of plants growing in nature. They grow well and give good harvests at the right time.
The same technique can be applied to plants we grow in the garden. It has various advantages. For example, think about peas growing in your garden.
Peas can grow in trellis and provide a cool space for various plants to grow, like cilantro. In this way, you can utilize your garden space and increase the production of crops.
There are various companion plants for peas. Some companion plants will benefit peas directly, while others will benefit from planting near the pea plant. There are even some companion plants that will mutually benefit each other.
What Are The Advantages Of Companion Planting?
There are various advantages of companion planting. Let’s discuss them below.
1. Pest control
Different pests, like aphids, Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, and cabbage moths, can be planted and destroyed in your garden.
Well, you can do companion planting to deter pests. For example, if you plant peas and eggplants, it’s pretty helpful. The eggplant will keep pests like armyworms and aphids away from the garden.
2. Attract Beneficial Insects
Companion planting can be quite beneficial if you have a vegetable garden. Some plants will attract bees and ladybugs for pollinating crops. Gardeners usually plant borage flowers to attract pollinators in their gardens.
3. Improve The Nutrients In The Soil
Various plants can take up all the nutrients in the soil during growth. Hence, the garden has to do a lot of hard work to add nutrients to the soil.
You have to buy fertilizers to enrich the soil. But you can plant companion plants like bush greens and peas in your garden as they naturally add nitrogen to the soil.
4. Encourage Fast Growth
A few companion plants, like summer savory and chamomile, release certain chemicals in the soil, resulting in the fast growth of various plants in your garden.
5. Add Shelter And Shade
Planting a tall and sturdy plant near a climber can be incredibly beneficial. The tall and sturdy plant will act as a natural support for the climber and also provide shade.
For instance, you can plant corn along with peas. The tall and robust stems of corn will support the peas, and you don’t need to build any different staking or structure.
6. Attract Favorable Insects
You can plant companion plants with peas, attracting favorable insects like bees and butterflies to increase pollination.
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10 Best Companion Plants For Peas
We are listing below the ten best companion plants for peas.
1. Carrots
Carrots and peas both require cool and moist conditions to grow; hence, they are good companion plants.
The rhizobium bacteria live on the roots of pea plants. These bacteria get food from pea plants and, in return, convert the atmospheric nitrogen into a soluble form that roots can easily absorb. This process is called nitrogen fixation.
The process helps the farmers and gardens as they don’t need to add commercial nitrogen fertilizers to the soil.
So, in short, peas release nitrogen naturally in the soil, and carrots require nitrogen-enriched soil to survive. So, in short, it is helping carrot plants to thrive. On the other hand, carrot plants will lose the soil so that the roots of peas can soak the proper amount of water and grow properly.
So here, both carrots and peas are beneficial to each other and are considered the best companion plants. If you plant them together, you can harvest both peas and carrots in high numbers.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes are the next best companion plant you can grow with peas. Potatoes require nitrogen to thrive appropriately, which peas can provide naturally.
Peas require a cool and moist place to survive and grow properly. The foliage of potatoes will act like mulch and provide the right temperature for peas to grow appropriately.
Potatoes even deter pests like Mexican bean beetles, common in pea plants.
So, in short, potatoes and peas benefit each other. It’s best to pair snap peas with potatoes for higher production of both crops.
3. Turnips
Turnips are another best companion of the pea plant. They require nitrogen for proper growth, which the peas plant can provide naturally. On the other hand, turnips can deter aphids, a common pest in gardens. It even loses the soil so pea plants can extract the required moisture.
4. Egg Plant
Eggplants can also be a good companion while planting peas in your garden. But remember, the eggplant requires 6 hours of direct sunlight for proper growth. So don’t plant them in the shade while planting both the plants together.
Simultaneously, eggplants, like armyworms and aphids, keep different pests away from the garden.
Peas provide nitrogen, which eggplants require to thrive. Both plants need loamy and well-drained soil to sustain.
So, both the pea plant and egg plant mutually benefit each other. Hence, planting them can double up both the crops in your garden during harvest season.
5. Radishes
Radish can also be a good companion for peas. The slow growth of peas allows the fast-growing radish to thrive and thrive. Peas even provide nitrogen to radish naturally, which is highly required for growth.
Radish helps in keeping away various pests from the garden. It loses the soil so that pea plants can soak the necessary moisture.
6. Lettuce
Peas and lettuce are cold-weather crops. They both even have shallow roots and will benefit from providing constant watering. So, in short, both plants require almost the same care so that you can plant them together.
Lettuce requires plenty of nitrogen, which the peas can naturally provide. On the other hand, peas give shade to the lettuce, which is essential for a leafy green plant.
7. Corn
Corn is the next best companion plant for peas. The arduous and fibrous stalk of corn can provide shade to the pea plant.
The stalk can also be a support for the pea plant. But if you want a corn stalk to be a support and act like a trellis, plant a corn plant first so that its stems can get bigger and tougher to support a pea plant.
On the other hand, the pea plant infuses nitrogen in the soil naturally, which is highly required for the corn plant to thrive and grow.
8. Mint
You can plant mint along with peas. Its strong fragrance is enough to deter insects like white flies and aphids. But remember, mint is a good spreader and may become invasive.
9. Green Beans
Green beans and peas require the same care and growing conditions to thrive. Both are legumes and convert atmospheric nitrogen into soluble nitrogen and release it into the soil. Planting both trees together can fix nitrogen in the soil and increase the crop yield. Peas grow well with pole beans. You can use the same trellis for growing both plants, saving a lot of space in your garden.
10. Nasturtium
The Nasturtium plant features beautiful and colorful flowers and can be a good companion for the pea plant. The flowers of these plants can deter various pests like aphids, white flies, and Mexican Bean beetles, which usually eat peas.
The fragrant and colorful flowers of these plants even attract pollinators and thus increase pollination.
The Nasturtium plant spreads widely and prevents weed growth and soil erosion. Thus, the pea plant doesn’t have to struggle or compete with any weed for necessary nutrients.
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What Plants do I Need To Avoid While Growing pea Plants?
There are various companion plants for peas that are highly beneficial. But there are even certain plants that, when planted near the pea plant, can stunt its growth.
For example, onions, garlic, and scallions release a chemical substance known as ajoene, which can prevent the pea plant from adding nitrogen naturally in the soil.
Adding nitrogen to the soil is highly required for the pea plant as it helps it grow properly and produce peas.
Insufficient nitrogen in the soil may stunt the growth of pea plants and badly affect the pea’s production.
Conclusion
Companion planting is one of the best planting methods to enrich the soil naturally and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies in the garden.
You can plant companion plants like lettuce, corn, potatoes, and many more near the pea plant and double up the harvest in your garden. But never grow onion or garlic nearer to the pea plant as it will stunt its growth.
Resources:
https://www.thespruce.com/companion-plants-for-garden-peas-2540054
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/peas/pea-plant-companions.htm
https://www.almanac.com/planning-companion-planting-garden
https://www.almanac.com/companion-planting-guide-vegetables
