Because peas grow vertically on a trellis or other support, plenty of space remains at their base for tucking in other vegetables or herbs. When companion planting, though, it is important to choose the right plants to grow together, as some provide wonderful benefits to each other, while others can hinder growth. The best companion plants for snap peas and snow peas (and other types, too!) will help reduce pests, increase beneficial insect activity, and even improve the flavor and yield of the peas. Some good companions also benefit from the peas.
Best Companion Plants for Peas
Peas are a cool-season crop, which means they are best interplanted with other spring and fall crops. However, some warmer season plants can help provide cooling shade for peas or be planted so that they mature as the peas wane. Speaking of shade, pea vines can cast shade on lower-growing crops that appreciate some protection from the hot sun.
Peas also fix nitrogen in the soil, making it easier for other plants to absorb. To fully benefit from this nitrogen-fixing ability, till spent pea vines into the soil, lay them over as mulch, or throw them in the compost pile to feed next year’s plants.
Here are some of the best companion plants for snow peas, snap peas, and other peas in the garden.
1. Basil
Basil provides natural pest control in the garden with its strong aroma. Specifically, basil helps deter thrips, a common pea pest. Make sure to only plant this frost-tender herb after the threat of frost has passed in the spring, which is when insect pests start becoming more problematic anyway.
Learn more about growing basil.
2. Beans
Although many companion planting guides will warn you not to grow plants in the same family together, beans and peas are an exception to this rule. They share similar growing requirements, of course, though beans prefer warmer weather. If you sow beans beside trellised peas in the spring, the beans will start taking over the bed about the time the peas finish for the season. Alternatively, pole beans can climb the same support the peas used.
3. Carrots
Growing in the shade of pea vines, carrots will benefit from the coolness as well as the nitrogen fixed by the peas. In return, the deep taproots of the carrots loosen and aerate the soil, enabling the pea roots to grow better and absorb more water and nutrients.
4. Celery
Celery also shares growing requirements with peas, such as cool weather and consistent moisture. Its upright form means it won’t compete for space, and it may appreciate some of the shade cast by the pea vines. Peas also improve the growth of celery by fixing nitrogen in the soil, thus feeding its neighboring plants.
5. Corn
I once planted corn on either side of my pea vines, expecting the corn to begin growing tall about the time the pea vines died back. But to my surprise and delight, the vines continued happily producing peas for several more weeks than usual in the cool shade of the cornstalks! Instead of planting corn on both sides of peas, just plant it to the south, so it provides shade but you can still reach the peas. And when the peas do finally fade, they can be left in place to decompose and provide nitrogen for the corn, which is a heavy feeder.
6. Cucumbers
A warm-season crop, cucumbers can be succession planted after peas. Stick cucumber seedlings in the ground in the same bed with mature peas once the threat of frost has passed in the spring, and you won’t have to put up another trellis! About the same time the peas begin dying off, the cucumber vines will begin climbing the pea support structure. The cucumbers will also benefit from the nitrogen that the peas have fixed in the soil.
7. Lettuce
With its broad leaves, lettuce can serve as a living mulch and make use of the empty space around the base of pea plants. This cool-weather crop shares many growing requirements with peas, and as temperatures begin to climb, lettuce will appreciate the shade cast by climbing pea vines.
8. Radishes
When I plan my spring garden, instead of dedicating space to radishes, I look for empty pockets around other plants and tuck them in there. One of my favorite places to plant radishes is along either side of my peas, which I plant down the center of a bed. In addition to being a quick-maturing crop that makes the most of unused space, radishes help loosen the soil and prevent it from crusting over.
9. Spinach
Like lettuce, spinach acts as a living mulch, improving moisture retention in the soil and shading out weeds with its broad leaves. It also has similar growing requirements to peas (and lettuce) and benefits from their shade. Grow a spring salad garden with peas, spinach, lettuce, and radishes all in the same bed!
10. Turnips
Turnips, like carrots and radishes, are another cool-season root vegetable that grows well with peas. They, too, loosen and aerate the soil under pea vines, giving the pea roots room to grow strong, and they benefit from the nitrogen-fixing ability of the peas.
Worst Companion Plants for Peas
A few plants should not share a bed with peas, as they don’t get along well together. When choosing pea companion plants, plan to locate these plants somewhere else in the garden.
1. Alliums
Garlic, onions, chives, and other members of the allium family can actually cause harm to peas and other legumes. While most root crops provide benefits to peas, alliums contain a chemical that stunts their growth.
2. Gladiolus
According to companion planting expert Louise Riotte in her popular book Carrots Love Tomatoes, peas do not grow well with gladiolus. Some other sources support this with the claim that gladiolus can hinder the growth of some vegetables, like peas.
Peas are a wonderful spring crop for the vegetable garden, and happily, they get along well with most other spring vegetables. As you plan your spring garden, have fun mixing and matching vegetables and herbs to grow with — and after, in the case of summer crops — your sweet, crunchy peas.
Tips For Growing Peas
Growing peas is not hard at all. You need to know a few details, such as they are a cool-weather crop and need moist but well-drained soil, and you’ll enjoy some delicious fresh pea pods in just a few short weeks.