Many gardeners and cooks alike love garlic because of its pungent aroma, delicious flavor, and how it adds zest to cooking. But do you know what companionship plants grow well with garlic? There are many including vegetables, fruit, herbs, and even flowers.

Learning how to grow mutually beneficial plants together enhances the growth of all crops. Companionship planting also helps with soil conditions and deters pests. Here are nine plants that will grow wonderfully alongside garlic.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers in a Basket

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Here is a great companion plant for garlic -- cucumbers! Both plants prefer full sun to thrive, plus garlic increases the nutrient levels in cucumbers including calcium, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and manganese found in the soil. The aromatic plant also deters cabbage loopers.

Pro Tip: Take it a step further and make a garlic oil spray for your plants! Mix 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, and add some garlic cloves. Then, strain the concentrate. Add two teaspoons of concentrate for every 2 cups of water and you're good to go!

Beets

A Bunch of Beets

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Planting beets near garlic adds essential nutrients to the soil. The leaves of beets have 25 percent magnesium and planted garlic helps beets grow and become more flavorful and colorful when harvested. Beets also release iron into the soil and beet cuttings are great for compost.

You can plant both crops in full sun from early spring until midsummer. Garlic is also a repellent against aphids, blackspots, and cutworms which coincidentally, beets suffer from. Garlic also helps keep deer at bay as they like to nibble on the leafy tops of beets.

Carrots

A Bunch of Carrots

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Carrots are great companions to garlic as they share a symbiotic relationship. Garlic helps carrot crops by acting as a natural repellent to aphids and carrot flies.

Both carrots and garlic grow nicely in a raised garden bed because they will have ample room to grow and proper drainage. Above ground, when harvested, the two vegetables combine to make a healthy drink that boosts your immune system. Add them to any meal for nutritional benefit!

Roses

Rose Bush

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Not only does a rose bush add splendor to your garden, but it also thrives when surrounded by garlic. The powerful cloves deter aphids which love to hide amongst rose petals. Garlic is also not a friend to cabbage white butterflies, Japanese beetles, and snails. Garlic contains a fungicide that comes from the sulfur inside the bulb, so liberally plant garlic around rose beds to help in disease prevention.

Peach Tree

Peach Tree in the Sun

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Both garlic and peach trees love to grow in bright light. If you plant garlic around this fruit tree, it helps get rid of peach tree borers. Garlic also attracts beneficial pollinators in fruit orchards such as bees.

Tomatoes

Vine Tomatoes

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Juicy tomatoes are great companions to garlic. They both prefer slightly acidic soil with a similar pH balance -- For tomatoes aim between a 6.2 to 6.8 pH while for garlic, it's 6.0 to 7.0. This pair will also keep spider mites at bay.

Like tomatoes, garlic can be grown in containers if you have limited outdoor space. Fruit worms also tend to attack the leaves of tomato plants, so planting garlic near this crop is beneficial for deterring them.

Chamomile

Chamomile Flowers

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Not to be mistaken for feverfew or daisies, chamomile is a fantastic companion to garlic. Chamomile like garlic has a distinct scent that wards off many pests looking for food. Both chamomile and garlic have a symbiotic relationship because they work together in repelling aphids, mosquitoes, and cabbage worms.

Better yet, they have antibacterial and antifungal properties which help protect against plant diseases such as mildew or rust. Chamomile does beneficial work as well. In their active growth, chamomile flowers attract great pollinators such as bees.

The flowers are also a nice contrast to the garlic bulbs when planted side by side.

Potatoes

Hearty Potatoes

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Like garlic, potatoes are root vegetables and both grow in full sun conditions. Potatoes like garlic prefer slightly acidic soil for healthy growth. Garlic releases sulfur through its roots which protects the surrounding soil from disease and helps keep aphids, cutworms, and the Colorado potato beetles away. These two vegetables also pair nicely when roasted in your oven!

Lettuce

A Head of Lettuce

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Lettuce is a great companion to garlic. Although it's a shade-loving plant, planting garlic around patches will help deter aphids and fungus from destroying your lettuce. Because of garlic's antifungal properties, it also helps get rid of mildew from the leaves or foliage. It's a win win!

Note: Legumes such as peas and beans are not good companions as garlic can stunt the growth of these vegetables.

Garlic's Best Friends

It's no wonder that many prize garlic for its nutritional and cooking properties. Companions to garlic are not limited to simply plants. They also range from flowers, fruits, and herbs. By growing certain plants together, they benefit each other by controlling pests, attracting pollinators, improving growth, and finally, enhancing the flavor once cultivated and placed on your dinner table. Will you try some of these companionship plants for your garlic?

If you have any tips or tricks, please leave them in the comment field.