It’s said that vegetables are like people, they thrive on companionship. It is believed that vegetables will yield up to twice as much when they are surrounded with companion plants. So in this article we will discuss the top 12 vegetables and their best friends.

If you’re getting ready to plant your vegetable garden you may want to try placing the various vegetable crops so you can take advantage of their natural friends. If you have already planted your vegetable garden you may want to make some changes in subsequent plantings later this summer.

The following are a list of the top 12 vegetables and their ideal planting companions.

Vegetable	Friends	Enemies
Beans	Celery, Cucumbers	Onions, Fennel
Beets	Bush beans, Lettuce, Onions, Kohlrabi, Cabbage family plants	Pole beans, Mustard
Cabbage	Celery, Dill, Onions, Potatoes	Strawberries, Tomatoes, Pole beans
Carrots	Leaf Lettuces, Radish, Onions, Tomatoes	Dill
Corn	Pumpkins, Peas, Beans, Cucumbers, Potatoes	Tomatoes
Cucumbers	Corn, Peas, Radishes, Beans, Sunflowers	Herbs, Potatoes
Lettuce	Onions, Strawberries, Radishes, Cucumbers	Cabbage, Celery, Parsley
Onions	Lettuce, Beets, Strawberries, Tomatoes	Peas, Beans
Peas	Carrots, Cucumbers, Corn, Turnips, Radishes, Beans, Potatoes, Herbs	Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Shallots
Radishes	Beets, Carrots, Spinach, Parsnips, Cucumbers, Beans, Leaf Lettuce	Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Turnips
Squash	Icicle radishes, Cucumbers, Corn	Beets, Melons
Tomatoes	Carrots, Onions, Parsley	Cabbage, Cauliflower

Sometimes plant friendships are one-sided. Carrots are said to help beans, but beans don’t reciprocate, though beans will help nearby cucumbers.

Other plants have bad companions and you’ll be doing them a favor to keep them apart. Beans and onions are natural enemies so keep them at opposite sides of the garden.

If you have a patio you might try mint to repel ants, and basil to keep the flies and mosquitoes away. Both herbs have pretty flowers and are fragrant too. Besides, they’re nice to harvest and use in the kitchen. In her book, Carrots Love Tomatoes Louise Riotte says getting to know good and bad companions can double the bounty of your garden. The only required work is to plan your garden planting properly.