The Colorful Veggie You Should Consider Growing With Tomatoes In The Garden

Is there anything better than picking a juicy, ripe tomato from your own garden? Not only will it taste absolutely amazing, but you can also derive pleasure from knowing that you've grown it yourself. In fact, there's something quite special about watching the plants grow, seeing the tiny fruits start to develop, and eagerly waiting for them to ripen. Knowing how to successfully grow tomatoes is one thing, but how about utilizing your garden space even further with companion planting? Although this is not an exact science, there's one colorful veggie you should consider growing with tomatoes in the garden to make the most of that space and provide benefits to both species. You might be surprised to learn that carrot and tomato plants actually make great companions. There are a variety of reasons for this, including providing optimum growing conditions and natural pest control. 

Carrots are one of those vegetables that can be grown year-round in the garden, depending on your climate, so you can sow the seeds once your tomato seedlings are starting to shoot upward. If you've ever grown them, you'll know that tomato plants can get quite tall, and as they grow, it's common to remove the foliage near the base once the flowers start appearing. This then leaves ample soil area for your carrots to grow. But that's not the only reason you'll want to plant carrots under the tomato vines. 

Carrots don't like the heat very much and if exposed to scorching sunlight during the hottest parts of summer, will often wilt. Tall tomato plants will come to the rescue by providing the carrots with enough shade to keep them relatively happy. Tomato plants can also help your root vegetables to thrive by utilizing their pest-repellant properties. As you're probably aware, tomato plants are part of the nightshade family, which means that they contain a compound known as solanine. This is said to repel certain pests such as carrot flies and some beetles. 

On the flip side, carrots are also good at attracting beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that can help to control hornworms, one of the common pests that'll attack your tomatoes. You may have to let a few of your carrots produce flowers for this to happen. This is also one of the reasons you should be planting parsley near your tomatoes because it's in the carrot family and has the same properties that can attract these garden allies. Both tomato and carrot plants have quite distinctive odors and these can be effective at confusing the pests that might want to feast on your harvest. Finally, because carrots are root vegetables, they can help break up and aerate the soil, which can allow the deep roots of your tomato plants to gain easier access to air and water.