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A fast - growing garden plant that thrives in full sun , cantaloupe is so rewarding to maturate since it ’s a high - takings harvest . But because these plants are heavy feeder , and because they can lessen quarry to hungry insects , cantaloupes perform best when arise with comrade plants . But which cantaloupe fellow traveller plants should you admit in your garden to boost your harvest ’s health ?
Bush bean and Abelmoschus esculentus share cantaloupe ’s growing requirement which make fantastic cantaloupe companion plants . Garlic , bee balm , and marigolds help beat back the beetle and louse that destroy cantaloupe melons , while nasturtium can be planted near cantaloupe industrial plant as a bunker harvest .
9 Best cantaloupe companion plants for your garden
Cantaloupe grows best in mineral - deep flaxen loam ground that can be kept moist but not sopping wet . These melon ask full sunshine in most grow zones but may benefit from partial shadiness in hotter regions . Cantaloupe plant have deep root system and want a lot of water to produce . It ’s important to keep these things in mind when choose fellow traveler plant .
Garlic
Like other members of theAlliumfamily , admit shallots , Allium cepa , and leek , garlic is full of atomic number 16 , which repels garden pests . Many insects ca n’t stand the smell of garlic and will avoid run or lay their egg on the plants in your garden if it ’s raise nearby . Deerand rabbits also dislike the taste of garlic , so it can help keep these foragers off your cantaloup vine plant life as they grow .
Even though garlic is a moderate to heavy nutrient - exploiter , it will never steal minerals from your cantaloupes . Garlic has shallow roots compared to cantaloupe ’s root system , so they wo n’t compete . Like cantaloupe , garlic likes to be plant in well - drained dirt that can be kept moist . When grown near cantaloupe , garlic acts as a ground cover to help trap pee in the soil , hold enter the melon well - hydrous .
Lettuce
If you ’re taste to save as much quad in your garden as potential , consider growing lettuce as a cantaloupe associate plant life . Lettuce grows chop-chop , maturing anywhere from 2 hebdomad to 3 months after germination . Growing lettuce near your cantaloupe plants gives you some produce to reap while you expect for your melon vine plants to grow .
Lettuce also go to keep smoke out of your melon bandage . This familiar plant create broad leaves , but they ’re compact , and the roots are shallow , so you may grow deal of lettuce very close together to suffocate out plaguy weeds so they wo n’t slip minerals from your vegetables .
Bush Beans
Like other melon vine , cantaloupes are vining plant , but turn them vertically can be a challenge because sometimes their fruits are so heavy they break off before they ’re ripe . cantaloup often grow better on the ground , which means they need plenteousness of place to spread out in your garden . rise bush dome near your cantaloup gives them the extra elbow room they need to grow , while also work to enrich the soil .
leguminous plant improve nitrogen availabilityin the soil , so they ’re the thoroughgoing companion industrial plant for nitrogen - loving plants — and that include cantaloupes . Bush noodle , like ‘ atomic number 28 Bush ’ immature beans and ‘ Calima ’ Gallic filet snap beans are two great choices .
Nasturtiums
usually grown as a snare crop , nasturtiumscan be planted in jump rows in your garden to lure squelch mallet , armyworms , flies , jot , aphids , and other pests away from your valuable green groceries . These easy - growing annual are a cinch to care for . Plant them in full sun , water them when you water the other plants in your garden , and stand back and keep an eye on them sour .
Nasturtiums have the added benefit of attracting pollinators to your garden . Bees , butterflies , wasps , and hoverflies enjoy perusing the nasturtium ’s vibrant red and orangish blossom . Some of these germ may even prey on the prejudicious dirt ball that like to eat your vegetable flora . Nasturtiums can be grow in the same run-in as your melon plants , or in alternating row between them .
Bee Balm
Bee balm is a biting herbaceous plant that produce bright colored spiked flower . While butterfly stroke andbeesare drawn to this industrial plant ’s pinkish , imperial , red , and snowy blooms , other microbe are n’t such heavy fans . If you ’ve had problem with squash glitch destroying your melon vine patch in the past , bee balm can help intercept the job before it starts .
Bee balm can also be harvested to make your own essential oils . These oils can then be used inhomemade bug spray recipesto great core .
Corn
maize grows vertically , and its roots are n’t as invasive as a industrial plant of its size of it would lead you to believe . Because corn also likes to be set in full sun and enjoys regular waterings , it ’s one of the best cantaloupe companion plants you could turn .
If your cantaloupe crop have get too hot in the past , growing a few row of maize nearby can aid protect them from the sun . set your Zea mays on the sunniest side of your garden and grow your cantaloupes on the opposite side to give them a break from the harsh afternoon re .
Marigolds
marigold belong to in every garden because not only do they rebuff the bad germ , but they also attract the unspoiled I . grow marigold near your cantaloup help to drive back flies , aphids , and beetles that like to nosh on the flora ’s folio . And their shiny yellow , orange , and red blossoms attract butterflies , bees , and other helpful louse to your garden , boosting pollination rate for higher crop yields .
While marigold have been used torepel harmful garden bugsfor hundred , there issome evidencethat they might actually appeal sorry bugs . Snails , slugs , whiteflies , and thripid sometimes like to feed on marigolds . However , even if this is the case , marigolds can still be used as cantaloupe companion plants when use as a trap craw .
Okra
Okra plants grow up and out , will peck of distance for cantaloup to ramify out underneath , and providing them with some mottled nuance throughout the hottest parts of the Clarence Day . Like cantaloup , okra plant life get laid rich , fertile grunge , and they benefit from regular lachrymation , too .
Okra industrial plant do n’t compete with cantaloupes for the same nutrients , and these plants are heavy producer . You ’ll get anywhere from 8 to 10 gumbo from one plant in a individual time of year . Okra ’s beautiful sensationalistic and purple bloom attract butterfly stroke and other pollinator when they bloom , and they ’ll be happy to impose your cantaloupe plant , too , if they ’re situated nearby .
Mint
Typically , mint candy plant prefer to grow in full to fond tone . But if you live in a cooler realm , you could develop mass as a cantaloupe companion plant , provide you irrigate it on a regular basis to prevent the soil from dry out out .
Garden pests detest mint . The works ’s foliation is rich in pungent , bitter - tasting of the essence oil color that repel the aphid , thrips , mites , and whiteflies that like to prey on cantaloupe plants . Plus , mint flower are a magnanimous smash with pollinators , specially bees , who will be further to impose your cantaloupe ’s blossom while they ’re visiting your garden .
4 Cantaloupe companion plants to avoid
cantaloup plants get along well with many garden favorites . But not all plants are suitable for growing with melon . When plan your garden , be certain to keep the follow plants far by from your cantaloupes .
Cucumbers
There are several reasons to avoid growingcucumbersas cantaloupe fellow traveller plants . For starters , Cucumis sativus are large , vining plants , too . They also want a lot of blank space to uprise . Keeping cucumbers near cantaloupes can give these two plants competing for weak , water , and nutrition . And , second , cucumbers attract many of the predatory animal that like to run on cantaloupe works , including , but not limited to , cucumber beetle . So uprise these two plant on opposite sides of your garden for good results .
Squash
Same story with squash industrial plant . Squash ( including courgette ) are big plants that ask a lot of way , plus they attract the same glitch that wish to feed on cantaloupe plants . Be sure to keep these plants in unlike rows to prevent pest infestations .
Potatoes
It can be tantalizing to expend white potato vine as a companion plant because they ’re sogood at rebuff cervid . regrettably , Solanum tuberosum are lowering feeder with deep antecedent that can slip worthful nutrition aside from your cantaloup vine . Potatoes may also rot if their soil is kept too moist , so avoid uprise them near your cantaloupes .
Other Melons
Here ’s a tip : never grow bunch of the same plant species in the same place . Do n’t produce your cantaloupe with your honeydew melon and yourwatermelons , because even though they all share the same growing requirements , they ’re so alike that they can end up competing with one another . And in a situation like this , only the strongest plants will go . Others will never get a chance to acquire , result in a very disproportional and disappointing crop yield .
Is companion planting worth the extra time and effort?
familiar planting does take some extra time in the beginning . You ’ve got to seat down and contrive it all out to verify you ’ve got elbow room for everything , and that every industrial plant will get along with its neighbour . It can seem like a task .
Ultimately , though , companion planting improves the land in your garden and attracts beneficial insect while force back uncollectible ones . So , are cantaloupe companion plant life worth all of the extra time and crusade ? The reply is yes !
