Lettuce Companion Plants: Full List of Pairings

Lettuce Companion Plants: Full List of Pairings

Along with being fairly easy to grow and care for, lettuce has another benefit: it can be planted with just about anything! Some pairings offer extra help by providing shade, improving soil health, repelling pests, and much more. Here’s a full list, along with three plants that shouldn’t be planted near lettuce for reference.

Full List of Lettuce Companion Plants

While many fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs can be grown with lettuce, a few make particularly good companions. Common reasons for planting lettuce and the following plants together are to provide shade for the lettuce, repel pests, and improve soil quality.

If you’re new to companion planting, check out the beginner’s guide. Otherwise, here’s the list:

Fruits and Vegetables to Plant with Lettuce

• Asparagus – Because asparagus grows so large in the summer, it can be a great companion plant for lettuce. The feathery leaves of asparagus plants provide much-needed shade and pest control.

• Beans, Peas, and Other Legumes – Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil for lettuce, which can help it grow. Pole beans and bush beans are both great companions in a lettuce bed.

• Beets, Carrots, and Parsnips – While lettuce takes up space above ground and has shallow roots, root crops like beets, carrots, and parsnips need space below-ground for their deep roots with only some space above. This means they can be planted together without problems.

• Corn – Tall corn is a great option for around lettuce, since it can keep your lettuce cool and shaded.

• Cucumbers – When grown on a trellis, cucumbers offer shade for lettuce, making them great neighbors.

• Eggplants and Tomatoes – These tall nightshades are good companion plants that provide much-needed shade.

• Garlic, Onions, Shallots, and Other Alliums – All members of the onion family have strong scents that help keep your lettuce crop pest-free, making them beneficial companion plants.

• Melons and Squashes – Melons and squashes (both summer and winter varieties) can make excellent companion plants for lettuce early in the year. Since the large plants take a while to grow, the lettuce can keep weeds down and make use of the extra space. Once the squash or melon increases in size, it will give shade.

• Radishes – Like other root vegetables, radishes take up space below ground rather than above, which makes them great for lettuce. They also attract aphids and act as an excellent trap crop when planted a slight distance away. Some suggest that planting lettuce nearby can also prevent radishes from getting tough as quickly.

• Spinach and Other Lettuce Varieties – Spinach and other varieties of lettuce (romaine lettuce, iceberg, etc.) can be planted together to make a salad garden, since they all love cool weather and have similar watering and soil needs.

• Strawberries – Lettuce can help with weed control and may hide ripening berries from larger pests. (Here are some other great companions for strawberry plants.)

• Turnips – Turnips can repel pests like aphids, which harm lettuce.

Flowers to Plant Near Lettuce

• Calendula – Plant calendula near your lettuce to create a slug trap crop, which may help keep the slugs (and their many germs) off your lettuce.

• Marigolds – Marigolds can repel unwanted pests from your lettuce. Their strong scent and beautiful flowers make them top-notch companion plants.

• Nasturtiums – Nasturtiums can be an excellent aphid trap crop when planted nearby.

• Sunflowers – Tall sunflowers will offer shade to your lettuce.

Herbs to Plant Near Lettuce

The following aromatic herbs can keep away pests, attract beneficial insects, improve soil quality, and offer ground cover.

• Basil

• Borage

• Catnip

• Chamomile

• Chervil 

• Chives

• Cilantro

• Dill

• Hyssop

• Lavender

• Marjoram

• Mints

• Oregano

• Sage

• Summer Savory

• Tansy

• Thyme

What NOT to Plant Next to Lettuce

• Fennel – Like most fruits and vegetables, lettuce should not be planted with fennel. Fennel can harm lettuce growth when planted in the same garden space.

• Foxglove – Foxglove can attract lettuce pests, making it one of the worst companion plants for lettuce.

• Parsley – Planting parsley too close to lettuce may cause it to bolt sooner and can overcrowd it, affecting nutrient uptake.

Possible Lettuce Companion Plants: Brassicas Family Members

While cabbage family members like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale plants, and cauliflower may harm the sprouting rate of your lettuce seeds, they can also benefit your lettuce plants by offering shade. It’s a mixed bag, so consider your options carefully before trying it for yourself. They can be good neighbors if managed properly.

Happy Lettuce Growing

You now have a variety of the best lettuce companion plants to try in your vegetable garden. Consider your garden needs and see what works best! Companion planting is a beneficial gardening method that can enhance soil fertility, control garden pests, and improve crop yield, leading to a successful crop of blemish-free lettuce leaves.

Want to learn more? Check out the best companion plants for spinach.