21 Companion Plants To Grow With Eggplants

Eggplant may not be quite as popular as other nightshades in American gardens, but it’s getting there as home cooks experiment with new cuisines. With large, gorgeous violet flowers and fruits that come in so many shapes and colors, growing eggplant may be just as fun as eating it!

It’s one of the perfect additions to your vegetable garden of zucchini, tomatoes, and bell peppers. However, eggplant is not immune to problems other plants also experience. Pests, weeds, disease, and other issues can damage or kill your eggplant crop.

This is because an interconnected ecosystem functions harmoniously. All the plants, animals, and bugs in an area make the system more resilient to dangerous pests and diseases.

When growing your home garden, it can be beneficial to purposefully interplant certain herbs, flowers, and veggies with your eggplant to create your own complementary ecosystem. Companion plants either help a specific crop grow better or perform many supportive roles in the garden.

The potential benefits of companion planting include:

Mistakes to Avoid

Creating an interconnected ecosystem in your home garden is an exciting experience. You’ll get to experience flowers, herbs, and veggies growing together in harmony and benefiting each other along the way.

The visual appeal of an interplanted garden can also not be overstated. I know I enjoy my gardening experience far more when I create a beautiful, vibrant space!

With all that said, you can take companion planting too far and squeeze too many plants into one space. This can cause some issues that you’d be better off avoiding.

Some mistakes to avoid when companion planting include:

Flower Companions

Flowers are one of the better eggplant companions, as they encourage pollinators to visit your eggplants. Even though eggplants are self-pollinating, natural pollinators can help the process move along more efficiently. Flowers will also help attract predatory insects to your garden, which can help control pest populations from getting out of control.

Marigolds

In addition to attracting predatory insects and pollinators with their gorgeous yellow and orange flowers, marigolds are one of the most popular companion plants to keep away problematic eggplant pests.

These flowers secrete limonene, which is a chemical compound. This compound deters whiteflies and aphids.

Marigolds are also a popular line of defense in reducing harmful nematode populations. A compound in their roots, alpha-terthienyl, will seep into the surrounding soil. Over several months, these toxins will kill off harmful nematodes and deter future infestations.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are an excellent sacrificial “trap plant.” Their natural peppery fragrance attracts certain pests like aphids and whiteflies. Instead of infesting your eggplants, these pests will feast on the flowers! Similar to marigolds, nasturtiums can attract predatory insects that will help keep pests away.

Nasturtiums are a popular vegetable companion plant for their ability to repel fungal diseases. And because they are a ground cover plant, they can help prevent water from splashing all over low-hanging eggplant leaves. This will help keep away diseases like powdery mildew or other fungal soil diseases.

Calendula

Commonly known as “pot marigold,” calendula is a bright yellow/orange flower that has a long history of use in medicinal and culinary preparations.

This member of the daisy family is a strong contributor in the vegetable garden as well, attracting pollinators and predatory insects like lacewings and hoverflies. There is also evidence that calendula will trap aphids and prevent them from bothering your eggplant.

Herb Companions

Most fragrant herbs—mint, dill, oregano, and chives—help deter pests from your eggplants. Since space is often at a premium in the home garden, we recommend choosing only one or two of these to plant nearby.

Borage

This is an often-overlooked companion plant because it’s not often available at local nurseries (you’ll likely need to order seeds). Borage is a flowering herb that creates gorgeous star-shaped blue flowers.

Those flowers are highly attractive to both pollinators and predatory insects, meaning you’ll enjoy higher fruit yield and fewer pests. But borage is probably most famous for its ability to deter heavy-duty pests like tomato hornworms, cabbage worms, and armyworms.

Borage is also considered a bioaccumulator. Its deep roots not only aerate the surrounding soil, but they can also pull up trace minerals from deeper in the soil and make them available to your more shallow-rooted veggies.

Dill

Dill is a pretty incredible companion plant. The big umbel flowers of dill attract a host of pollinators and predatory insects. In fact, parasitic wasps, ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings are all attracted to those tall yellow flowers.

This will help keep down all sorts of pest populations, including aphids, spider mites, and flea beetles. There is also anecdotal evidence that dill will enhance the growth of nearby plants.

Oregano

This Italian herb’s aromatic, peppery leaves do an excellent job of repelling pests such as aphids, cabbage moths, and spider mites. When allowed to flower, its delicate purple flowers magnetize pollinators and predatory insects.

Keep in mind that this perennial herb will continue to grow and spread in place. If you don’t want it to take over your entire garden bed, be sure to keep it cut back. This way, you won’t choke out your young eggplants.

Mint

Mints like spearmint or peppermint can help deter much-hated flea beetle, aphids, spider mites, and tomato hornworms. It is also believed that mint helps improve the vigor and growth of nightshades, such as eggplant.

Keep in mind that mint is an aggressive herb, so if you plant it in the ground, be prepared to cut it back as it spreads. Alternatively, you can plant it in a container where it won’t get out of hand.

Chives

Chives may be the easiest herb to companion plant in your garden. They grow beautifully in the dappled shade created by growing eggplants and seem to thrive on neglect. But the best part is that sulfur compounds found in chives deter aphids.

If allowed to flower, chives produce the most beautiful purple “puffball” of a flower that is almost magnetic to pollinators and predatory insects. They are also believed to improve the flavor in nearby plants.

Vegetable Companions

If you are really looking to get the most out of the space in your garden, planting multiple vegetables in one bed can enhance the growth of eggplant and expand the diversity of your meals. You just need to find other edible plants with complementary growth habits and/or similar growing conditions.

Peas

Peas and other legumes are all brilliant at contributing vital nitrogen to the soil. Since eggplants are heavy feeders, this is incredibly beneficial. Peas can also be trellised behind eggplant for maximum space-saving efficiency.

When it comes to soil-dwelling bacteria, legumes can have a symbiotic relationship with certain bacterial types. Legumes provide carbohydrates to the bacteria, and the bacteria take nitrogen from the air and feed it to the roots of your legumes.

Garlic

Garlic has long been a staple in cuisines around the world, so it makes perfect sense to grow it in your own garden. Unlike other vegetables, garlic is grown from cloves rather than seeds. Garlic is planted in the fall, overwinters, and is then harvested in the summer.

Because this crop has longer seasons, it requires a bit more preparation than other companions on this list.

The great news is that the sharp scent of garlic will help repel pests like aphids, whiteflies, and flea beetles. Just make sure you don’t disturb the growing garlic bulbs when you plant your eggplant seedlings.

Beans

Green beans or shelling beans, pole beans or bush beans—it’s all the same when interplanting with eggplant. They are all wonderful companions for eggplant. Nitrogen-fixing legumes are all loved for the nutrient boost they provide in the soil.

Because they do not need the same nutrients, they do not compete.

Peppers

If you are looking for a vegetable that prefers similar growing conditions to eggplant, peppers are a good choice. This is because they are both members of the nightshade family. Some gardeners will advise against it, but planting members of the same plant family can work if done correctly.

There are so many varieties, ranging from sweet, like bell peppers, to spicy, like habaneros. They all will work well with eggplant in the garden. Just be sure to plant a plant from another family in a rotation to avoid nutrient depletion in the soil.

Onions

The pungent smell of all onion varieties naturally repels pests like aphids, beetles, and whiteflies. White onions have the most sulphuric compounds, so they tend to be the most pungent. These same compounds are what bring you to tears when chopping onions in the kitchen.

Their shallow growth habit ensures that the onion won’t compete with your eggplant for any resources in the soil. The foliage also won’t shade out your sun-loving eggplants.

Potatoes

Another nightshade family member is potatoes. Since potatoes have similar growing requirements as eggplants, they are neutral companion plants. Well-draining acidic and fertile soil, moist conditions, and full sunlight for 6 or more hours a day are best for growing both vegetables.

To maintain soil health, it is a good idea to rotate crops each season, especially when nightshade crops are planted. Doing so will keep the nutrients in the soil from dissipating, which will strengthen the growth of future plants.

Radish

Radishes are among the easiest and fastest-growing vegetables to grow, and you will soon feel like you have hundreds of these little root veggies sprouting up in your garden.

Because radishes are so fast-growing, they are often ready to harvest before your eggplant is done growing. This makes for an excellent companion pairing, as they add biodiversity to your garden bed and give you an extra harvest from the same amount of space.

Beets

These colorful root vegetables are grown for both their greens and roots and are used in a wide variety of cooking preparations. While many gardeners are familiar with red beets, golden beets are also a fine option. They are quite delicious and have a milder flavor. No matter the color, the large, round roots loosen and aerate the soil.

Beets are a cool-season crop, which means you’ll need to sow seeds early in the spring or in the fall. These are easy to tuck alongside eggplant to maximize space. But if you’re planting beets in early spring, do your best not to disturb the root when planting your eggplant in later spring.

Carrots

While you can certainly grow carrots in the spring for an early summer harvest, take care that the carrot greens don’t shade your young eggplants. For this pairing, you may want to focus on a midsummer planting for a fall harvest. This way, you’ll maximize space in your garden while mitigating any issues with sun exposure.

Don’t worry, your carrots will grow just fine if partially shaded by your mature eggplant. Carrots may be a bit smaller when grown in areas with partial shade, but they’ll taste just as sweet!

Kohlrabi

Most people are first exposed to kohlrabi through their local CSA or farmer’s markets. The bulb looks like a small, hard cabbage. But it actually tastes like a delicious combination of spicy radish and cabbage. The great news is that it’s really easy to grow at home and makes an excellent companion to eggplant.

Kohlrabi deters pests like aphids, flea beetles, and cabbage worms. As a cool-season crop, you’ll plant kohlrabi ahead of your eggplant, which means it will be mature enough to really make a difference with those pests.

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is a popular late-season green. It can be grown well into the fall, and is a perfect rotational crop for your garden. Chard is also a really beautiful addition to the home garden. The rainbow variety is especially stunning with shades of orange, pink, purple, and red stalks set against vibrant green leaves. 

Swiss chard’s shallow root systems do not compete for resources with your eggplant, and they’ll grow just fine in the dappled shade thrown by mature plants.

Lettuce

While not related to pest control or plant health, lettuce benefits eggplant as ground cover. This helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.

In return, the eggplant provides the lettuce with much-needed shade, which is essential for growing in the hot summer months. They are a couple destined to be together in the garden!

Spinach

Just like with lettuce, this pairing is all about the spinach providing ground cover and the eggplant providing shade. It can be quite difficult to grow spinach in the summer, but you’ll have a far better chance if it’s growing in the cool shade thrown by your mature eggplants.

Spinach has similar growing preferences to eggplant, such as fertile and well-draining soil that’s moist. It is also possible to grow these two in a container together.

Plants to Avoid With Eggplant

Avoid planting fennel near your eggplant. Fennel is well known for inhibiting growth in many plants, and eggplant is unfortunately on that list. Here are a few others that you’ll want to avoid when growing eggplant:

• Geraniums
• Pumpkins
• Corn
• Melons

Geraniums are another plant to avoid. They can host certain diseases that easily jump to eggplant, such as blight, so it’s best to keep those relegated to other areas of your garden.