Arugula is a member of the cruciferous family like kale, broccoli, or cabbage. It is famous for being a delicious and nutritious vegetable. You can easily find many recipes or salads with ingredients from Arugula. Arugula contains lots of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and minerals. In addition, many people love growing this vegetable because it has the effect of preventing cancer, is good for the cardiovascular system, and maintains a slim figure. So, if you eat Arugula regularly, your health and skin will improve significantly.
In particular, Arugula is also a great ally when grown with some other plants in your garden. Planting plants alternately will save space and support their best growth. Which plants are the best combination with Arugula? What plants should you not plant Arugula with? Let’s find out more about arugula companion plants!
Why Should You Intercrop Plant Species?
You should intercrop plant species because it brings many benefits such as saving space, maximizing productivity and being effective in pest control. Certain types of plants will grow well and aid in pollination, flowering, or repelling insects when they are planted together in a space.
Saving space, maximizing productivity: If you only grow Arugula in one space, they will compete for the same water, soil, and nutrients. Therefore, they may lack the same nutrients or suffer from the same diseases. From there, insects or pests will easily attack and destroy your entire vegetable bed.
On the contrary, if you plant alternately and combine some other plant species with Arugula, it will bring better results. Planting plants in combination can attract bees and butterflies for pollination and repel insects and pests. In addition, planting companion plants will also help store nutrients, stimulate the growth of beneficial insects, or provide the perfect environment to protect Arugula.
Being effective in pest control: If you grow Arugula in combination with some naturally fragrant plants, they can repel insects or attract insects that are beneficial to the plants. An example of a great combination to repel insects and prevent pests is marigolds combined with basil and tomatoes. In addition, when you plant a combination of plants of different heights, it will also create an ideal habitat for plants. Layers of vegetation will provide more mulch to retain moisture in the soil or shade to shelter the plants below.
However, you will not be able to grow some plants with Arugula because they will inhibit growth or attract insects and pests. Join us to learn about good plants to grow with Arugula or plants you should avoid growing with Arugula in the article below.
Arugula Companion Plants: The Best Plants To Grow Alongside Arugula
The best plants to grow alongside Arugula are plants that like cool temperatures, herbs, climbing plants and some flowers. Some plants prefer cool temperatures such as are carrots, beets, onions, and garlic, spinach, fish mint, or radish. Additionally, you can intercrop Arugula with herbs such as rosemary, fennel, thyme, celery, mint, chives, sage, basil, borage, or oregano. Corn, cucumbers, and peas are also good choices for Arugula because they can shade and protect the Arugula. Don’t forget to combine Arugula with chrysanthemums, nasturtiums, or petunias and you will have a colorful garden. Find out the detailed content below.
Plants Prefer Cool Temperatures
To find the best plant species to grow with Arugula, you need to choose plants that have the same growing time with cool temperatures. Some plants like cool environments include carrots, beets, onions, and garlic. You can combine these plants with Arugula to maximize space and yield. Beets and carrots will have taller foliage, so they can provide shade for the Arugula. In particular, you should intercrop onions, garlic, and Arugula to repel insects. The reason is that the spicy and strong smell of garlic and onions will make insects uncomfortable and not dare to come close.
In addition, some vegetables that like cool temperatures such as spinach, fish mint, or radish will also be ideal choices to accompany Arugula. This perfect combination will give you a salad full of flavor and rich in nutrients.
Arugula Combined With Herbs
Herbs often have a very strong, spicy aroma and are unpleasant to insects. Therefore, insects often stay away and do not dare to destroy herbs. You should grow Arugula along with some herbs such as rosemary, fennel, thyme, celery, mint, chives, sage, basil, borage, or oregano. These herbs will protect and prevent insects from destroying Arugula because of the plant’s strong and spicy aroma. In addition, Arugula and herbs have relatively similar growth rates, heights, and spaces, so they will not affect the time of harvest or sowing for the new crop.
Arugula Combines With Climbing Plants
Some tall plants can be combined with Arugula such as corn, cucumbers, and peas. These plants have the ability to fix nitrogen by replenishing nitrogen in the soil and enhancing the flavor of Arugula. Additionally, corn and peas will grow overhead so they can provide shade to retain moisture and protect the Arugula.
However, you should not plant climbing plants that have too many leaves or take up too much space because they will cover too much area, causing the Arugula to not be able to absorb light or lack light. In addition, you should also prune old leaves or too many leaves at the base to create space for Arugula to grow and not have to compete with too many plants for nutrients.
Arugula Combined With Flowers
If you love a garden with flowers and greens, you can combine Arugula with chrysanthemums, nasturtiums, or petunias. Chrysanthemums will attract pollinating insects and the strong fragrance of chrysanthemums can also repel harmful insects and pests. Additionally, you can grow Arugula in combination with borage because they attract pollinators and repel wildlife such as deer, squirrels, and caterpillars.
However, when you grow any plant species combined with Arugula, you also need to remember the principles below.
- Choose plants that like cool temperatures and have similar growth rates.
- Do not plant seeds too close to save space because they will compete, causing the quality of the product to decline.
- Prune the leaves or branches of climbing plants to create space for the Arugula below.
- Fertilize periodically to provide enough nutrients for many types of plants to grow at the same time.
- Make sure each plant has space to absorb sunlight and enough water and nutrients to grow.
- Arugula seeds should be spaced at least 1 inch apart in 10-inch rows. When the young leaves are 4 inches tall, you should thin them so each plant is 4 – 6 inches apart. Plant other plant species among them but ensure the ideal distance for Arugula.
What Not To Plant With Arugula
What not to plant with Arugula includes strawberries, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage. Let us learn about some plants that you should not grow with Arugula.
Strawberries: Strawberries are good ground covers and are a favorite for many people to plant alongside other plants in the garden. However, you should not plant strawberries in combination with Arugula because they will inhibit the growth of Arugula due to its rapid growth and coverage. If you still want to plant strawberries with Arugula, you should plant them far apart to ensure space for the Arugula to grow.
Eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes: Most plants in the nightshade or solanum family will not be suitable for growing in combination with Arugula. These plants prefer acidic soil at 5.5-6.5 while arugula prefers a neutral soil pH of 6.5-7.
Cabbage: You should not plant Arugula with cabbage because cabbage will attract harmful insects and pests to attack. Therefore, you should not combine or grow Arugula with cabbage in a close space.
Conclude
Arugula is a nutritious vegetable and is loved by many people in salads. You can combine Arugula with some plants that like cool temperatures such as carrots, beets, onions, and garlic. In addition, some herbs will also be a great combination with Arugula to repel insects and pests such as dill, basil, chives, celery, and mint plants.
You can also take advantage of climbing or tall plants such as corn or bean plants to create shade and protection for Arugula. If you love growing Arugula with flowers, you can grow chrysanthemums or nasturtiums. Your garden will become more lively if there are many colors from different plants.