These 17 Companion Plants Will Help Your Lettuce Thrive (2024)

Gardening

Vegetables

• 01 of 17

  Strawberries

  

  Strawberries make an excellent companion plant for lettuce thanks to their similar harvest schedule and ability to attract beneficial insects likepredatory mites. Plus, lettuce leaves will help hide bright red strawberries out of the sight of animals.

  • Name:Strawberry (Fragaria spp.)
  • USDA Hardiness Zones:3-10
  • Light:Full sun, part sun
  • Mature Size:8-12 in. tall, 1-2 in. wide

• 02 of 17

  See Also

  Companion Planting Chart and Guide for Vegetable GardensTips for Companion Planting in Your Herb Garden | Gardener’s PathTop 10 Tomato Companion Plants - Patient GardenerThe Benefits of Companion Planting | Gardener’s Path

  Beets

  

  Because beets and lettuce have root systems that reach different depths, they can grow happily together. Beets and lettuce both love cold weather, and, while beets add organic matter into the soil, lettuce will help the soil retain its moisture.

  • Name: Beet, beetroot (Beta vulgaris)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
  • Light: Full sun, part sun
  • Mature Size: 12–18 in. tall, 18–24 in. wide

• 03 of 17

  Turnips

  

  Similar to beets, turnips have a root system that reaches far deeper than lettuce's shallow roots. They help break up the soil as they grow, aerating it and providing organic matter and looser soil for lettuce. Turnips also serve as an aphid repellent.

  • Name: Turnip (Brassica rapa)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-9
  • Light: Full sun to part shade
  • Mature Size: 12–18 in. tall;6- to 8-in. spread

• 04 of 17

  Dill

  

  Dill attracts bugs, but they're exactly the bugs you want in your garden. Ladybugs and lacewings flock to dill, and these friendly bugs devour the aphids which plague lettuce and other plants.

  • Name: Dill (Anethum graveolens)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 3 to 5 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide

  Continue to 5 of 17 below

• 05 of 17

  Basil

  

  It's said that growing an aromatic basil plant next to lettuce can actually improve the flavor of the lettuce. Basil also adds beneficial nutrients into the soil, helping lettuce's growth.

  • Name: Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 10-11
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 18–24 in. tall and wide

• 06 of 17

  Marigolds

  

  Marigolds will keep away cabbage worms and nematodes. They also have fungicidal properties, making them an excellent flower to plant in an eye-catching border along a bed of lettuce.

  • Name: Marigold (Tagetes spp.)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 4–48 in. tall, 6–24 in. wide

• 07 of 17

  Carrots

  

  Carrots not only loosen up the dirt for lettuce thanks to their deep root systems, but they also attract beneficial bugs, including ladybugs. Improving drainage systems and repelling aphids, it's a win-win.

  • Name: Carrot (Daucus carota)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-10
  • Light: Full sun to partial shade
  • Mature Size: 6 to 12 inch root, 1 foot foliage height; 9 inch spread

• 08 of 17

  Peas

  

  Peas take nitrogen from the air, adding it to the soil, which is perfect for nitrous-loving lettuce. They're one of the easiest legumes to grow, and, if grown over a trellis, they can provide shade to the lettuce planted below.

  • Name: Pea, garden pea (Pisum sativum)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
  • Light: Full sun, partial sun
  • Mature Size: 12–18 in. tall, 6–12 in. wide

  See Also

  17 Companion Plants to Grow With Cantaloupe

  Continue to 9 of 17 below

• 09 of 17

  Cilantro

  

  Cilantro attracts insects like parasitic wasps and hoverflies, which prey on pests that feast on leafy green lettuce.

  • Name: Cilantro, coriander, Chinese parsley (Coriandrum sativum)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
  • Light: Full sun, partial shade
  • Mature Size: 1–2 ft. tall, 1–1.5 ft. wide

• 10 of 17

  Parsnip

  

  Like other root vegetables, parsnip roots run deeper than lettuce, allowing them to break up the soil and add nutrients that lettuce needs. Ladybugs love parsnips, which protects the lettuce's leaves.

  • Name: Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-9
  • Light: Full sun, partial sun
  • Mature Size: 1–3 ft. tall, 6–12 in. wide

• 11 of 17

  Radish

  

  Not only do radishes help break up the soil and loosen it for lettuce, but their deep roots add chemicals to the soil that keep away pests. If you grow radishes, you'll repel flea beetles, squash beetles, cabbage worms, and other lettuce-eating pests.

  • Name: Radish, common radish, garden radish, rabone (Raphanus sativus)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 6-8 in. tall
    

• 12 of 17

  Catnip

  

  Much like it sends cats into an altered state, catnip can cause irritation in insects, too. That means it serves as a barrier around your precious lettuce plants.

  • Name: Catnip, catmint (Nepeta cataria)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-7
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 2–3 ft. tall, 2–3 ft. wide

  Continue to 13 of 17 below

• 13 of 17

  Nasturtium

  

  If you're battling beetles and aphids, then consider planting nasturtium. This stunning orange flower attracts insects, like predatory mites, that prey on the pests that are eating your lettuce.

  • Name: Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 9-11
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 1-10 ft. tall, 1-3 ft. wide
    

• 14 of 17

  Eggplant

  

  The massive leaves of eggplant provide shade for all of the plants growing beneath it. This isn't always a good thing, particularly if you're growing sun-loving veggies, but lettuce thrives in eggplant's shade. The leaves will provide protection from summer's hottest rays and keep it from wilting.

  • Name: Eggplant (Solanummelongena)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 9b-12a
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 2–4 ft. tall, 1–3 ft. wide
    

• 15 of 17

  Mint

  

  Because of its menthol properties, which humans often love, mint repels pests like snails, spider mites, and slugs. Mint does have a reputation for taking over a garden, however, so you may want to contain it in planters within your garden.

  • Name: Mint (Menthaspp.)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-11
  • Light: Full sun, partial shade
  • Mature Size: 12–18 in. tall, 18–24 in. wide

• 16 of 17

  Garlic

  

  Not only does garlic have deep roots that break up and aerate the ground, but it also has a pungent smell that doesn't have the same mouthwatering appeal to insects and animals that it does to humans. Garlic will repel aphids and beetles, as well as some mammals.

  • Name: Garlic (Allium sativum)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-9
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 12 to 18 in. tall, 6 to 12 in. wide

  Continue to 17 of 17 below

• 17 of 17

  Allium

  

  Allium is the broader category that includes garlic, but also includes onions, leeks, chives, and scallions. Their strong odor repels aphids, slugs, snails, and also deer, which are some of the biggest lettuce-eating offenders.

  • Name: Ornamental allium (Allium)
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-10
  • Light: Full sun
  • Mature Size: 1-4 feet tall, 3-10 inches wide