Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris), commonly known as Silver beet, is a cool-season vegetable that belongs to the family Chenopodiaceae. It is a popular healthy vegetable that can quickly be grown in the garden with other plants as a mixed crop, and this reduces diseases and pests and results in a diverse combination of species. Companion plants for swiss chard may be vegetables in nature or mainly for aesthetic purposes, such as with perennial or annual flowers.
30 Swiss Chard Companion Plants
Companion planting with swiss chard is a natural way to create diversity in your garden.
1. Alliums
Alliums are bulbous perennials that live up to four years after planting. With a long flowering season, they bloom for weeks while bridging the gap between Spring and summer.
With their strong odour, alliums can help to repel undesirable insects. The flowers attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies, wasps, and bees.
Popular Varieties: Golden Garlic, Globemaster Allium, Turkistan Onion, Pink Lily Leek, and Blue Allium.
2. Brassicas (Cabbage)
Cabbage is one of the excellent companion plants for swiss chard. Other cabbage family members include broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, turnips, and radishes. Cabbage has a shallow root system, while the roots of swiss chard go moderately deep.
Popular Varieties: Bok choy, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Choy sum, Kohlrabi, Nepa Cabbage, Rutabaga, and Turnip.
3. Bush Beans
Bush beans are a tropical crop that can be used as a warm-weather cover crop to boost soil nitrogen levels. Bush beans are considered good companions for swiss chard because they can help your chard by fixing nitrogen in the soil. Bush beans also provide extra shade from the mid-day sun for your swiss chard plants.
Popular Varieties: Blue Lake Bush, Roma II (Romano), Masai (Filet), and heirloom Kentucky Wonder Bush.
4. Peppermint
Peppermint is a popular aromatic and medicinal herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family and includes 25 to 30 species. It is also a cross hybrid between watermint and spearmint.
Peppermint leaves are smooth dark green leaves with squared stems and blunt oblong bunches of pink lavender flowers. When planted with swiss chard, peppermint protects from some moths, beetles, aphids, and spider mites.
Popular Varieties: Nanamint, Water Mint or brook mint, Mojito Mint, Moroccan Mint.
5. Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is another popular companion plant that does well with swiss chard. The plant protects from harmful insects and attracts beneficial insects. It is also available in various colours, including white, green, purple, and blue.
Popular Varieties: Purple Vienna, Korist, Delicacy White, Blauer Speck, Azur Star.
6. Peas
Peas are moderately fast-growing plants that do not take up too much ground space. They are another excellent swiss chard companion plant and do well with other plants. Peas protect swiss chard plants from pests and help to attract helpful insects like pollinators.
Popular Varieties: Snow peas, Sugar snap peas, English Peas.
7. Leeks
Leeks are long thin vegetables similar to onions. They are very high in Vitamins A and K and are good sources of Vitamin B-6. When paired with swiss chard, leeks keep away pests and harmful insects.
Popular Varieties: Carentan Leeks, Giant Winter Leek, Hannibal Leek, Almera Leek, and Atlantic Leek.
8. Celery
Celery is an excellent compact plant with a shallow root system and doesn’t get in the way of your swiss chard plants. Most gardeners buy celery as the nursery starts to transplant it into their gardens.
You can also grow celery from seeds started indoors in Spring. Celery protects from beetles and similar pests; it also offers basic ground cover as needed.
Popular Varieties: Conquistador, Giant Red, Monterey, Tall Utah, Tango Hybrid.
9. Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums look attractive between swiss chard and are available in different versions and include various colors. As a companion plant, nasturtium draws away pests from swiss chard plants and attracts beneficial insects.
Popular Varieties: Yeti, Whirlybird Mix, Peach Melba, Orange Gleam, Orchid Flame.
10. Shallots
Shallots help deter pests and provide ground cover at the same time. They are also available in different varieties.
Popular Varieties: Grey Shallot, Jersey Shallot, and Echalion Shallot.
11. Kale
Kale and swiss chard are an ideal combination. Kale improves soil ph, provides ground cover, repels harmful insects, attracts pollinators, and helps swiss chard grow faster.
Popular Varieties: Redibor Kale, Lacinato Kale, Ornamental, Red Russian.
12. Collards
Like kale, collards are excellent companion plants for swiss chard. They provide trap plants for pests, reduce the amount of fertilizer, and plant food needed by nearby plants and provide basic ground coverage.
Popular Varieties: Champion, Elle, felon Dar, Georgia Southern, Morris Heading, and Old Turney Blue.
13. Chives
Chives attract good bugs, provide pest control, improve soil nutrition, work well as markers, and provide ground coverage.
Popular Varieties: Common, Giant Siberian, and Garlic.
14. Marigolds
Marigolds are one of the popular flowers commonly used as companion plants. They provide protection from pests like beetles and nematodes and improve plant growth.
Popular Varieties: French, African Aztec, Tagetes Cottage Red, Baileya multiradiata and Calendula officinalis.
15. Garlic
Garlic is an excellent swiss chard companion plant. It provides pest control, repels insects, and prevents fungus.
Popular Varieties: Solo, Snow mountain, Purple stripe, and Aglio Russo Dinubia.
16. Onions
Onions and swiss chard are great companions. Pairing onions with swiss chard will improve the taste of your swiss chard. Adding to that, onions will keep a few bugs away and make great markers and dividers.
Popular Varieties: White, potato, Calcot, Yellowy green, Spring, and red.
17. Lettuce
Lettuce has a shallow root system so that it won’t compete with your swiss plant for underground space. Lettuce can also act as a living mulch, covering the soil to prevent weeds and slowing erosion and water evaporation.
Popular Varieties: Butterhead, Crisphead, Batavia.
18. Broccoli
Broccoli provides swiss chard plants with protection from pests. They attract beneficial insects, improve soil health and make good ground covers as well.
Popular Varieties: Belstar, Calabrese, DiCicco, Green, Purple, Romanesco, and Destiny.
19. Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts provide superior pest protection from mealworms, caterpillars, aphids, and other harmful insects.
Popular Varieties: Catskill, Red, Churchill, Dagen, Diablo, Green Gems, Gustus, Hestia, and Jade Cross.
20. Turnips
Turnips are only one of the most popular companions for swiss chard, but they can be an excellent choice. They take up very little space and provide major protection against aphids and other similar pests.
Popular Varieties: Scarlet Queen, Purple, white lady, Gold ball, and Baby bunch.
21. Radishes
Radishes are closely related to turnips and can be helpful as a swiss chard companion plant. They provide pest control, attract beneficial bugs, improve soil health, encourage surrounding plants to grow faster, and provide basic ground coverage.
Popular Varieties: Red, French, Watermelon.
22. Cilantro
Cilantro provides plenty of pest control, attracts beneficial bugs, provides ground coverage, improves soil, and provides a midday shade.
Popular Varieties: Vietnamese, Terra, Santos, Caribe, and Slo Bolt.
23. Beetroot
Beetroot and swiss chard are members of the same family and will grow well when paired together. The drops have similar growing requirements and can be planted in fertile, well-drained soil with a ph over 6.0 and good fertility.
Popular Varieties: Red Bets, Striped beets, Sugar Beets, and Mangel-wurzel beets.
24. Spinach
Spinach and swiss chard are leafy greens that are similar but not related. They can be grown in Spring between March and May and produce an abundance of leafy greens that can be eaten in various recipes throughout the year.
Popular Varieties: Parlco, Persius, Riverside, Red Cardinal
25. Basil
Basil makes an excellent swiss chard companion plant because they deter pests.
Popular Varieties: Sweet Basil, Genovese Basil, Thai Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, Lettuce Basil.
You might want to check out: How to Revive Basil Plant
26. Arugula
Arugula is a savory salad green packed with flavor and nutrients. It belongs to the mustard family, which includes brassicas. Arugula and swiss chard are great companion plants for each other, and they grow well when paired together.
Popular Varieties: Astro, Italian Cress, Red Dragon.
27. Mint
Mint is a low-growing ground cover that works well as a living mulch. It is an aromatic herb that attracts bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators to your garden. You can plant mint at the base of your swiss chard plants to loosen compacted soil and help to retain moisture.
Popular Varieties: Moroccan mint, Peppermint, English mint, Mojito mint.
28. Lavender
Lavender is an excellent swiss chard companion plant because it helps to improve swiss chard flavor, and it can also help to deter all sorts of pests from munching on your swiss chard. Adding to that, when lavender blooms, it helps to attract more bees and butterflies to your garden to pollinate your crops.
Popular Varieties: Lavendula latifolia, Spanish Lavender, English Lavender, and French Lavender.
29. Tomatoes
Due to the timing of their growth and maturity, tomatoes and swiss chard are a perfect pair. Tomatoes won’t compete with swiss chard for space because they will start growing tall by the time you harvest your swiss chard plant. Until then, you can grow your tomatoes under the shade of swiss chard, providing them with a cool environment.
Popular Varieties: Black Beauty, Early Girl, Brandywine.
30. Zinnias
Pairing zinnia and swiss chard can help to brighten up your garden. This annual flower keeps your plants free of root-knot nematodes and aphids.
Popular Varieties: Big Red, Envy Cactus Flowered Mix.
Worst Swiss Chard Companion Plants
Unfortunately, swiss chard does not get along with most plants and will not grow well when planted together.
1. Sunflowers
Sunflowers take away the sun and attract harmful substances to the soil.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes compete for nutrients with chard plants.
3. Cucumbers
Cucumbers take away nutrients and may strangle your chard plants.
4. Melons
Just like cucumbers, melons take away nutrients and strangle your chard plants.
5. Corn
Corn competes for nutrients with your swiss chard plants.