Garden Vegetable Garden Ideas 12 Lettuce Companion Plants That Will Help Your Crop Thrive Encourage the lettuce in your garden to flourish by growing beneficial plants nearby. By Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro is a writer and author specializing in home and garden topics. She has written for Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Midwest Living, and other publications. Editorial Guidelines Published on June 9, 2024 Close Photo: Anna Mardo / Getty Images Lettuce is a fantastic leafy green vegetable. Not only can you pop it into a sandwich or salad, but it also works wonderfully in kitchen gardens, growing quickly and producing many leaves—which is probably why pests like it so much. For this reason, lettuce is a great candidate for companion planting, whereby plants are grown together to benefit both species. The best lettuce companion plants include a diverse array of options, from beautiful flowers that are great bug-repelling plants to other vegetables. But not all plants make a good companion for lettuce. With this in mind, we reached out to gardening experts to find out exactly what plants they recommend growing with lettuce to ensure this tasty crop thrives. Annette Thurmon, founder of Azure Farm and author of Simple Country Living. Kemp Harper, interior designer and gardener behind the popular Instagram account, The Colonial on Park. Nancy Trautz-Awot, horticulturist at Burpee, a company that grows and sells flowers, shrubs, edible plants, and gardening supplies. How to Grow Lettuce for Crisp, Fresh Salads All Season Long 01 of 12 Beets Getty Images Beets (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) get along really well with lettuce. "They can coexist with lettuce without competing for the same nutrients, and their leaves can provide some shade," says Annette Thurmon, author and founder of Azure Farm. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 1 to 2 feet tall x 1 foot wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; loamy, sandy, silt, moist, well-drained soil Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone 02 of 12 Nasturtiums Nadya So / Getty Images Not only are they beautiful, but nasturtiums (Tropaeolum spp.) naturally deter pests from the garden. "These attract aphids away from lettuce and entice beneficial predatory insects," Thurmon says. "Nasturtium flowers are edible too." Zones: 9 to 11Size: 1 to 10 feet tall x 1 to 3 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist but well-drained soil How to Grow and Care for Nasturtium 03 of 12 Marigolds Getty Images Talk about flower power. Marigolds (Tagetes) can protect your lettuce (and many other plants) from pests like aphids, beetles, and nematodes while also attracting beneficial insects. Kemp Harper, interior designer and gardener, suggests planting them as a protective border around your lettuce patch. The blooms emit a scent that helps deter insects from entering, Harper says. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 5 inches to 4 feet tall, depending on the species x 6 inches to 1 foot wideCare requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil How to Plant and Care for Marigolds, Splashy Bedding Plants That You Can Grow in Almost Every Hardiness Zone 04 of 12 Garlic Aksana Zavadskaya / Getty Images Garlic (Allium sativum) is great in the garden for many reasons but is especially helpful as a companion plant to lettuce. "This allium repels pests like aphids and slugs—both of which attack lettuce," says Nancy Trautz-Awot, a horticulturist at Burpee. Zones: 4 to 9Size: 12 to 18 inches tall x 1 foot wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil You Don't Need a Garden to Grow Garlic—Here's How to Do It Indoors 05 of 12 Strawberries Helaine Weide / Getty Images Sharing space well, strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) are a beneficial companion plant for lettuce. "Their roots have different depths and growth habits," says Trautz-Awot. And they are surprisingly effective at warding off pests. "Strawberries also attract beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps and predation mites." Zones: 5 to 8Size: 8 to 12 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; sandy loam, well-drained soil 06 of 12 Bush Beans Euro banks / Getty Images Bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are great for beginner gardeners since they are so easy to grow, plus they can help your lettuce plants. "These plants release nitrogen into the soil, a chemical compound great for lettuce," says Harper. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 2 feet tallCare requirements: Full sun; clay or silt loam soil 07 of 12 Arugula Getty Images Sure, arugula (Eruca vesicaria) and lettuce pair great in a salad, says Harper, but they also make great garden mates for their similar soil preferences. "Both plants like cool soil," he says. At the same time, since lettuce is taller, it can offer shade to arugula, which prefers less sun, making lettuce good for arugula as well. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 2 feet tall to 3 feet tall, depending on the species x 1.5 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun to part shade; loamy, moist, well-drained soil 08 of 12 Carrots Getty Images Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) grow deeper in soil than lettuce. As a result, carrots churn the soil for other plants. "Carrots help to break up and loosen soil from under the ground," says Harper. "This helps your lettuces not fall to root rot." Thurmon agrees, noting that "carrots improve soil aeration and allow lettuce roots to grow more easily." Zones: 2 to 11Size: 3 to 36 inches tall x 2 to 3 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-draining soil How to Grow Carrots in Your Own Backyard, According to Gardening Experts 09 of 12 Tomatoes Westend61 / Getty Images Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are great for creating shade, something lettuce loves. "Lettuces can become stressed and 'bolt,' making them inedible and very bitter," says Harper. The tomatoes in his garden train on a large obelisk structure, providing shade to the rest of the plants like lettuce. Zones: 3 to 11Size: 3 to 10 feet tall x 1 to 4 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; loamy, well-drained soil Your Guide to Growing Tomato Plants From Seeds 10 of 12 Radishes Ralf Geithe / Getty Images Because they grow so rapidly, radishes (Raphanus sativus) can inadvertently make room for lettuce. "Radishes grow quickly and can be harvested before lettuce, freeing up space and reducing competition for nutrients," says Thurmon. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 6 to 8 inches tall x 1 to 2 feet wide Care requirements: Full sun; loamy, sandy, moist, well-drained soil Our Step-by-Step Guide to Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Radishes 11 of 12 Peas emholk/Getty Images Like other great garden plants, peas (Pisum sativum) add nutrients to the soil. "Peas are legumes which means they can fix nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil," says Thurmon. "This can help improve soil health and provide necessary nutrients for growth and development of lettuce." Zones: 2 to 11Size: 12 to 18 inches tall x 6 inches to 1 foot wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist, well-drained soil A Guide to the Most Common Types of Peas 12 of 12 Basil Ewa Saks / Getty Images Basil can make the plants that grow beside it taste better. "It can enhance the flavor of lettuce when planted nearby," says Thurmon. "Plus, it can repel pests like aphids and thrips." Zones: 10 to 11Size: 18 to 24 inches tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; rich soil How to Grow and Care for Basil Plants—Indoors and Outside Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit