Eggplant in mixed cultivation: good & bad neighbors
Melanzani/aubergine: plant neighbors in mixed cultivation
Choosing the right plant neighbors for growing eggplants in the garden will help you to promote healthy and vigorous growth of your plants. This will improve the soil quality and reduce the incidence of diseases and pests. This will give you a richer harvest and healthier fruit at the end of the season.
Good neighbors for eggplant
Good neighbors for the eggplant include:
- Various types of cabbage (cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, ...)
- Beans
- Radishes, spinach & lettuce
- Turnips & Jerusalem artichokes
Eggplant: bad neighbors
Especially other nightshade plants such as tomatoes, potatoes and peppers should not be planted in the immediate vicinity of eggplants. The same diseases and pests often occur in the same plant family. Peas and beet also do not get on well with eggplants and should not be grown together in a bed.
Eggplant mixed culture with herbs
Basil is particularly suitable for mixed cultivation with eggplant, as it has the same soil, nutrient and watering requirements as eggplant. They also complement each other well in terms of growth. Its fragrance keeps pests away and attracts pollinators. Other good herbs for mixed cultivation with eggplant are thyme, marigold, marigold tagetes and tarragon.
Succession planting with eggplant
Eggplants are heat-loving plants, so you should only plant them out in the open after the last frosts. You can grow fast-growing plants such as lettuce and radishes as a pre-crop. In the fall, it is then too cold and the space is free for a subsequent crop of hardy plants such as spinach, winter lettuce, garlic and green manure.
Crop rotation with eggplant
Eggplants should not be grown in the same place every year, as diseases and pests can quickly colonize the soil. Ideally, a cultivation break should last 3 - 4 years. You should also avoid growing other nightshade plants during this time. Green manuring between years helps to enrich the soil with nutrients again.
Mixed culture planting plan with the eggplant
In our article in the magazine (linked below) you will find a planting plan for the garden/raised bed and for the greenhouse for a mixed crop with eggplant. When creating a mixed crop planting plan, you should pay attention to good and bad neighbors. Good neighbors should be next to each other. Bad neighbors should be sufficiently distant from each other.
