Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family. Watermelon contains a variety of health benefits and nutrients, including Vitamins A and C, potassium, and magnesium, among others. As a result of its low calories and other benefits, it is widely cultivated globally in varieties.
Growing Watermelon through Companion Planting
Companion planting involves the combination of two or more plants that complement each other in the same garden or farm space. You could think of many plants to mix in the same space, but there’s a technique and strategy to companion planting. In the following lines of this write-up, we’ll dig into the 20 plants that combine very well with watermelon.
1. Lettuce
One exciting thing about lettuce is its ability to spread and cover its planting grounds quickly. This ability of lettuce serves well with watermelon as the lettuce prevents the growth of weeds in the planting space, thereby reducing the threat of competition in the watermelon planting space. Aside from preventing the growth of weeds in a garden, lettuce also provides shade to the watermelon when the sun is scorching. Another exciting thing about lettuce is that it grows fast, which also means a quick harvest. The lettuce would have been harvested long before the watermelon spread to cover the whole farm space, giving you, the farmer, a bountiful harvest for the same land area.
2. Bush Beans
Nitrogen is one nutrient that watermelon depends upon greatly for fertilization, and bush beans are just the right plug for the continuous supply of nitrogen into the soil. When both plants are planted as companions, the bush beans are a natural fertilizer for the watermelon without any detrimental effect on itself. The stature of bush beans also contributes to why they are great watermelon companions; since they are short, they don’t block the watermelon’s sunlight exposure.
3. Marigolds
Marigolds have a pungent smell; guess what that does for watermelons; it serves as a pest deterrent. Many watermelon pests are kept away from the planting space when marigolds exhume their smell onto the farm space. This makes Marigolds the perfect companions for watermelons, but there are other things about Marigolds being combined with watermelons. With their bright colors, Marigolds also add an aesthetic fragrance to the farm space.
4. Garlic
Aphids are one of watermelon’s voracious natural pests. As a farmer, you should do all you can to keep these prime pests out of your watermelon plantation. Why get a pesticide when you could use a natural solution: garlic? Garlic repels aphids and some other natural pests of watermelon.
5. Onions
Onions are a part of the Allium plant family, which is known to deter watermelon pests. Planting onions and watermelon in the same planting space helps make the best use of the land space because onions don’t take up a lot of land space. Onions can also deter rodents from the land space.
6. Nasturtiums
Trap crops are those that serve the pleasure of other plants. They attract other plants’ pests to themselves, ensuring the other plant’s safety. This is what nasturtiums do when planted as watermelon companions; they attract aphids, one of the most voracious garden pests, to themselves, keeping the watermelon planting space safe.
7. Basil
Basil is a culinary herbal plant of the mint family, cultivated for its flavourful leafy green leaves. Aside from aphids, white flies are another disastrous pests of watermelon, but not to worry, basil is the natural solution to such pests.
8. Radish
The ability of radishes to grow fast and mature on time is the property that benefits watermelons when both plants are planted as companions. This radish property creates a watermelon ground cover, thereby suppressing weeds from growing within the farm space. This will also reduce the competition for the same nutrients within the soil.
9. Chives
Chives are another Allium plant family member that works well with watermelon. The strong odor from the chives will deter many watermelon pests, thereby ensuring the safety of the watermelon farm. Chives also have antifungal properties that can further help the watermelon.
10. Lavender
With its strong scented stance, lavender repels natural pests of watermelon. Much more than just pest repulsion, lavender can help the watermelon with pollination. That is because lavender attracts pollinators such as bees. The flowers of watermelon don’t usually last for more than a day, therefore, having lavender which attracts a consistent presence of pollinators, serves watermelon well whenever its flowers bloom.
11. Dill
Dill is a celery herbal plant that is a great companion plant for watermelon. This plant will do well with a watermelon because of its pest-deterrent qualities.
12. Mint
Mint is another watermelon-compatible herb. It is a strong deterrent to many pests, including watermelon pests. That’s why watermelon and mint are compatible within the same garden space.
13. Cotton
Cotton and watermelon don’t hinder each other’s growth. Combining both plants in the same planting space, therefore, is a way of increasing soil yield.
14. Cilantro
Cilantro attracts pests that feed on the pests of watermelon, thereby keeping the watermelon’s farm safe. The relationship between celery and watermelon can be likened to a scenario of an enemy to my enemy is my friend, after all.
15. Catnip
Catnip is a potent pest-repellent plant; it can steer your watermelon farm clear of aphids. Aphids are pests that are extremely dangerous to the growth of watermelons, so having catnips around serves the watermelon farm well.
16. Corn
Cucumber beetles are named after cucumbers, but they are voracious pests of watermelons. Corns are the natural repellants of these nasty pests. Planting corn and watermelons together serve a very beneficial purpose for the watermelon.
17. Tansy
Tansy has a toxin that repels certain pests of watermelon. Tansy is an excellent repellant of pests such as ants, flea beetles, and squash beetles which could severely deter the watermelon plantation.
18. Oregano
Oregano is a flowering plant that attracts beneficial insects (particularly pollinators) to the watermelon plantation. The consistent presence of pollinators will ensure the watermelon is adequately pollinated when its flowers bloom.
19. Borage
If you think of it, Borage is like a loyal servant of watermelon when planted near it. Borage serves as a pest repellant for natural pests of watermelon, and it also attracts pollinators of watermelon. Finally, Borage has a good supply of watermelon nutrients to boom in the soil.
20. Lamb Quarters
Lamb Quarters is a green vegetable that is often regarded as a weed that grows on heaps ad farmlands. This weed is an exception to almost all weeds in the farm space. Lamb Quarters has a good supply of watermelon nutrients to grow in the soil. So, when both plants are nursed within the same environment, the lamb quarters help the watermelon bloom very well.
Precautionary Measures for Using Watermelon Companion Plants
While companion planting is a great way to farm, it could also become a nightmare if not correctly done. That is why you must watch out for plants that go poorly with watermelon in the same space.
Plants of the cucurbit plant family do not do well with watermelon generally, and this is because they attract the same kinds of pests. With no pest repellents, companioning watermelon with any plant in this plant family will result in a farming nightmare.
Tomatoes also generally do not do well with a watermelon because tomatoes can be possessive of space, limiting the space from which watermelon should have grown. Potatoes also don’t do well with watermelon for the same reasons as tomatoes.
Plants of the rose family attract aphids which are detrimental to the growth of watermelons, so you should never combine these two in the same space.