Raspberries are delicious, but they don’t do well when planted alone. They require other plants to grow and thrive within close proximity.
Raspberries grow well in well-drained soil that is a little acidic. But growing conditions aren’t the only thing you want to pay attention to when growing raspberries.
So it’s important to know which companion plants will work best with your raspberry plant so they grow strong and produce lots of berries for you.
Companion planting can help keep certain pests and animals from eating your raspberry plants as well.
11 Great Raspberry Companion Plants
There are quite a few great companion plants for raspberry bushes that either attract beneficial insects, repel animals, or help keep fungal diseases from spreading through certain bugs.
Artemisia
Artemisia helps keep the bigger animals away from your raspberries, especially deer and rabbits.
Chamomile
Chamomile flowers are beautiful – they look awesome in the garden near your raspberry patch. But they also have antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help keep your raspberry plants healthy.
Chervil
Tansy helps keep ants, squash bugs, and Japanese or cucumber beetles from wrecking your raspberry plants.
Chives
Planting chives near raspberries will help keep the raspberry plants healthy by repelling some pests. Additionally, chives will add a bit of flavor to the raspberries.
Garlic
Garlic is a natural insecticide, so it can help keep harmful insects away from your raspberry plants. It also helps improve the soil quality. Most of the allium family make good companion plants for raspberries.
Leeks
Leeks work well as a companion plant for raspberries. They have a strong scent like onions and helps keep Japanese beetles and other destructive pests away.
Nasturtiums
These brightly-colored flowers are good raspberries companion plants because they attract beneficial insects that prey on pests.
Onions
Onions are a great companion to grow in your raspberry patch. Not only do they not take up a lot of space, but their strong scent can help keep small pests as well as large ones, like deer, away from your raspberries.
Tansy
Tansy helps keep ants, squash bugs, and Japanese or cucumber beetles from wrecking your raspberry plants.
Turnips
Turnips help repel the harlequin beetles which can be a big pest for raspberries.
Yarrow
Yarrow can help keep harlequin beetles away from your plants.
What NOT to Plant With Raspberry Plants
While there are a number of good companion plants for raspberries, there are also quite a few bad raspberry companion plants as well.
Nightshades (Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers)
Planting nightshades near raspberries can be particularly troublesome. They are susceptible to a lot of issues, like
Common Problems Impacting Raspberries
There are a number of problems that raspberries are susceptible to. Paying attention to these can help you find good companion plants as well.
Aphids
Aphids are a big annoyance for many gardeners. They are attracted to a number of plants in the garden, including tomatoes, peppers, and others.
Getting rid of aphids can be a challenge, as they spread like glitter throughout the garden. Doing your best to control aphids from the jump can help tremendously.
Marigolds are known as a great plant for helping to keep aphids at bay. You’ll want to plant these very close to your raspberry bushes if you’re trying to repel aphids.
Raspberry Beetles
Raspberry beetles can be a problem for raspberry growers. Luckily, companion plants can help reduce the population of these pests. Garlic can help keep adult beetles away due to its strong scent.
What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is the practice of growing two or more plants together for mutual benefit. Many gardeners use companion planting to improve the health and productivity of their plants and to deter pests.
What are the Benefits of Companion Planting?
There are a number of benefits to companion planting and why doing so can help your raspberry plant.
Attract Pollinators
All flowering plants need pollinators to help them produce fruit. Raspberries are no different. Certain plants will help attract pollinators and ensure your raspberries are successfully pollinated.
Impacting Flavors
Flavors of plants can also be impacted by what’s planted nearby. Raspberry bushes can also be impacted by plants that you put nearby, especially members of the allium family, like onions, garlic, and chives.
While this might sound bad, raspberries planted near alliums can be delicious.
Organic Pest Control
When you plant raspberries near certain companion plants, you can help repel pests and alleviate some of the issues you might otherwise have with pests and harmful insects. Onions, garlic, and chives are great for helping keep some of these bad ones away.
Preventing Fungal Diseases
Raspberry companion planting can also help mitigate some of the diseases the plants might contract. This goes hand in hand with pest control, as some bugs will spread diseases from plant to plant.
