The Popular Vegetable You Should Avoid Planting Near Basil In Your Garden

There are lots of good reasons to grow herbs in your vegetable garden rather than limiting them to a kitchen windowsill. For starters, many of these aromatic plants can repel pests from your garden. Basil is nearly as good at this task as it is at seasoning spaghetti sauce. There are a few pieces of information to keep in mind when planting it in a veggie patch, however. Above all else, remember that this herb is a poor companion for your garden's cucumbers. The reason is simple: Cucumbers are notorious water hogs. This means they'll rob moisture from the basil that's planted beside them. When a basil plant is dehydrated, it won't grow properly and its flavor is likely to suffer.

Competition for water isn't the only reason to keep basil and cucumbers apart. Basil can also alter how cucumbers taste. Some people like their cukes with a hint of herbaceous basil flavor, but others find it off-putting. In other words, if you want pure, unadulterated cucumber flavor, don't grow these two plants next to each other. Or, find your cukes a companion that influences their taste in a more appealing way. Some gardeners like the flavor notes that dill brings to cucumbers. What's more, planting dill in cucumbers' vicinity can draw aphid-eating ladybugs and wasps that consume garden-ravaging caterpillars. Radishes are another companion to consider. They're known to repel cucumber beetles that can lower the quality of your veggies, decrease crop yields, and spread diseases in your garden.

With a little planning, it's possible to grow basil and cucumbers in the same garden. Start by determining each plant's soil, sunshine, and space requirements, grouping plants with similar needs together. Then think about their water and nutrient demands. Heavy feeders and water guzzlers should be placed into spots where they won't steal these resources from others.

When deciding where to plant basil and cucumbers, consider the needs of their best companions as well. Tomatoes, the vegetable that basil tends to benefit the most, also dislike growing near cucumbers. In addition to extracting many of the same nutrients from the soil, tomatoes and cucumbers are susceptible to a similar set of diseases. Basil doesn't present these pitfalls when planted near tomatoes. Instead, it enhances their flavor while driving away pests that bother these plants. Place cucumbers at the other end of the garden — or in a different garden altogether — to prevent them from ruining a tomato-basil love fest.

You might want to make space for beans in the area you choose for your cucumber plants. These legumes add nitrogen to the soil, which cucumbers greatly appreciate. Pole beans grown on a trellis — for example, a trellis made from an old or broken hose — can also give your cucumbers a bit of shade. This helps the cukes avoid sunscald and heat stress.