Plants And Veggies You Should Avoid Growing Near Zucchini In The Garden

You may have heard about companion planting and how it can benefit your garden. If you aren't familiar with it, it involves placing specific crops close together in a garden because of the benefits they can deliver in terms of overall health and growth. For example, some plants may ward off pests or diseases that would otherwise threaten their companion, while others can enrich the solid with key nutrients that would benefit the crop planted next to them. If you're ready to plant zucchini in your garden, you would be wise to consider companion planting.

In fact, there are several companion plants that you can grow next to zucchini, including dill, oregano, garlic, and rosemary. However, there are also some plants that you will want to keep away from your zucchini if you want it to thrive in your garden. Pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, and other crops that belong to the same family as zucchini shouldn't be planted together since they will attract the same pests. Other crops, including potatoes and fennel, should also be kept away from the zucchini in your garden as they can prevent it from getting all the nutrients it needs.

Zucchini belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. This family, which you may also hear referred to as the gourd family or cucurbits, has more than 900 other species. Some of the other members of the family include cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, and squashes. While you might think that planting zucchini next to other plants in the same family would be a logical choice, the opposite is actually true.

Because they belong to the same family, they are generally susceptible to similar diseases and pests. For example, aphids and cucumber beetles can spread diseases such as mosaic virus to other nearby plants. If your zucchini are planted in close proximity to pumpkins, watermelons, or squash in the garden, it will be more likely for a disease or infestation to wipe out a much larger portion of all of your plants.

Cross-pollination is another reason you'll want to take care not to plant zucchini near certain members of the cucurbit family — specifically those that are within the same species as zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). These members of the same species can cross-pollinate. If you plan on saving the seeds that are produced for the following growing season, the resulting plants that grow from them will be an odd cross between both parent plants. Beyond the weird look, the fruit they produce won't be very tasty.

As you're deciding where in your garden to plant zucchini, you will also want to choose a location that isn't close to potatoes. Potatoes pull lots of nutrients from the soil as they grow, so planting them close to zucchini could mean that there won't be sufficient nutrients left for the zucchini to fully grow and develop. Your potatoes could also end up with stunted growth if they aren't able to pull enough nutrients due to whatever the zucchini is able to take. Zucchinis and potatoes are also both prone to blight, a disease which can threaten their health. Planting them next to each other could mean that both sets of crops get infected if one develops it and then passes it to the other. Place your zucchini elsewhere and consider better companion plants for your potatoes such as chives, marigolds, or petunias.

You should also choose a spot for your zucchini that is not near fennel in your garden. Zucchini is just one of many plants that don't do well when planted near fennel. Fennel has allelopathic properties, which means that it produces a toxin that seeps into the nearby soil. While this toxin might not kill the entire zucchini plant, it can certainly prevent it from growing properly and will reduce your yield.