12 Best Spinach Companion Plants (Plus, 3 To Avoid!)

Spinach in garden — Photo:
Getty Images/Cavan Images

Spinach is a cool weather favorite, with leaves that sprout up and grow rapidly in both spring and fall. It has a relatively short growing season, but its yield is impressive—if it has the right companion plants by its side to help it thrive.

Because it needs specific growing conditions with moist, rich soil and full sun, spinach does best with companions who need exactly the same. Too much shade and you'll end up with an underwhelming crop. Too little moisture, and you'll find yourself waiting until the next cool season for a bumper crop.

Meanwhile, there are also pests waiting to get their own feast of spinach and, as a gardener, you have to find the right companion plants to keep them away.

Ready to start planning your cool weather garden? These are the 12 companion plants that you should plant with spinach, as well as three to keep far away from your leafy greens.

Larson Weinstein is the Head Farmer at Atlas Farms.

Spring And Fall Spinach Companion Plants

Spinach grows best in cool weather, and many gardeners will plant spinach in early spring or fall. Their ideal companion plants also do well in cool temperatures, but Weinstein points out that the season can determine which plants you choose.

"When it comes to spinach companion plants, it depends on the time of the year I am growing the spinach. In the late spring and summer, spinach can benefit greatly from some shade from a taller growing crop. I’ve had success planting Spinach under trellised snap peas," says Weinstein. This helps provide some shade and extend the growing season into early summer.

However, when fall sets in, Weinstein looks to more vibrant companions. Weinstein explains, "In the fall, edible flowers like nasturtium and marigold can act as a natural pest control by repelling bugs like aphids and attracting predators like ladybugs."

Best Companion Plants For Spinach

01 of 12

Lettuce

Botanical Name: Lactuca sativa
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Loamy, rich, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Love a salad with both lettuce and spinach? You're in luck. These two leafy greens both grow well in rich, moist soil. They'll each grow in their own space in a garden bed, enjoying the same conditions and thriving when cool weather sets in.

02 of 12

Carrots

Botanical Name: Daucus carota
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Soil Type: Well-draining, loose soil
Soil pH: Slightly acidic

Carrots and spinach are both cool weather vegetables that prefer a moist, nutrient-rich soil, but it's their root systems that really complement each other. Carrot roots reach deep into the ground, breaking up the soil as they stretch downward. This breaks up the soil for spinach's shallow roots, giving them an easier place to take hold.

03 of 12

Radishes

Botanical Name: Raphanus sativus
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Type: Well-drained, loose
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Radishes are the perfect pick for growing with spinach. Both grow best in the cool temperatures of early spring and autumn, and the two have root systems that are completely different, which is ideal for companion plants. Spinach's shallow roots won't touch radish's long roots.

04 of 12

Broccoli

Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. italica
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Well-drained, moist, loamy
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral

Broccoli is a fall favorite that grows well in the same temperature and conditions as spinach. Give them both consistently moist soil that's rich in nutrients and these two will flourish together, giving you a green harvest for autumn.

05 of 12

Dill

Botanical Name: Anethum graveolens
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained
Soil pH: Slightly acidic

Dill is a cool weather plant that grows well in spring and autumn, as does spinach. Both love moist, rich soil, and dill's cheerful yellow flowers will attract ladybugs and green lacewings, which feed on the pests that attack spinach.

06 of 12

Cilantro

Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum
Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic

Cilantro, also known as coriander, is a cool weather-loving herb that does well in the exact same conditions as spinach. Both love rich, moist soil and neither one is greedy with space in the garden. They'll happily thrive next to each other in spring and fall.

07 of 12

Chives

Botanical Name: Allium schoenoprasum
Sun Exposure: Full sun but will tolerate some shade
Soil Type: Well-drained, sandy or loamy
Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0-7.0)

While humans love the pungent aroma of chives and other alliums, pests do not. You can use chives as a border around your garden bed and, just like garlic repelling a vampire, the chives will repel slugs, deer, aphids, mites, rabbits, and even caterpillars. Your spinach will grow safely guarded by these aromatic plants.

08 of 12

Kale

Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial sun
Soil Type: Well-drained, loamy, moist
Soil pH: Acidic

Leafy greens love cool weather, so it's no surprise kale and spinach grow beautifully side-by-side in a fall garden. These two will do well in the same cool, moist conditions, but the roots of kale grow to a medium depth, while spinach grows more shallow, and that means they won't compete for space in a garden bed.

09 of 12

Nasturtiums

Colorful nasturtium in garden — Katrin Ray Shumakov/Getty Images

Botanical Name: Tropaeolum spp.
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline

Nasturtiums are a popular companion plant for spinach because not only do they provide gorgeous color to your garden, they also deter pests and attract beneficial insects. Aphids and whiteflies will stay away when nasturtiums are present, while ladybugs will flock to them—and ladybugs will take care of any of the pests that make it past these blooms.

10 of 12

Peas

Botanical Name: Pisum sativum
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Type: Well-drained, rich
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.0-7.5)

Peas and spinach are two cool weather plants that get along swimmingly in the garden. Peas take nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil, which produces a natural fertilizer that helps spinach and other plants grow and prosper. They don't necessarily need to be intermingling—you can plant peas on a trellis next to spinach to get the same effect without worrying about the peas casting too much shade on the spinach.

11 of 12

Beans

Botanical Name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic

Similar to peas, beans also fix nitrogen into the soil, fertilizing the soil as they grow. Spinach benefits from this nitrogen, and, in turn, grows rich green leaves that are more flavorful than if they hadn't had legumes growing nearby.

12 of 12

Marigolds

Botanical Name: Tagetes spp.
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral

Marigolds are a go-to companion plant for gardeners looking to keep pests of all kinds away from their crops, including spinach. They add vibrant color to your beds, but they also deter aphids and nematodes. Deer and rabbits will also steer clear when marigolds are present.

Don't Plant These Near Spinach

While spinach is a friendly companion to many of the cool weather veggies, herbs, and flowers that gardeners plant in the spring and fall, there are a few that don't play nicely with this leafy green. These should never be planted near spinach.

Peppers

Peppers are a little too showy and needy to get along with spinach. They grow up and out, shading anything beneath them, including spinach. While they're growing, peppers need heavy doses of nutrients but can be easily overwatered. This can steal essential nutrients from spinach, who will be there looking for more moisture.

Fennel

As a general rule, fennel doesn't get along with anyone in the garden. It leaches a chemical into the soil that impacts the growth of plants around it. Plus, its tall nature will prevent sun from reaching low-growing spinach.

Potatoes

Flea beetles love to make a meal out of both spinach and potatoes, and, if you have both in your garden, you're inviting every flea beetle in town to dinner. Try to plant crops that attract and repel different pests so you don't encourage their spread.

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