Companion planting with peas can help with pest management, weed control, and attracting beneficial insects for pollination.
Companion planting also improves the nutrients in your soil, encouraging healthy growth and enriching the flavor of the matured plants.
Since peas, like beans, fix nitrogen into the soil, many of the best companion plants for peas are those that require nitrogen-infused soil to thrive.
Keep reading to learn more about which plants make the best companion plants for peas.
11 Companion Plants for Peas
1. Carrots
Since both plants thrive in cool, moist conditions, carrots make great companion plants for peas.
They require much of the same care, so planting these plants together is a convenient and easy way to save space in your garden!
Peas release nitrogen into the soil and carrots are heavy feeders of nitrogen, requiring high levels to grow properly.
Carrots loosen the soil allowing the root systems of peas to soak up more water, while peas provide much-needed nitrogen to carrots. These plants are mutually beneficial, providing a nice balance of give and take.
Planting peas and carrots together results in increased growth and higher yields for both crops.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes are another great companion plant for peas because they require a high intake of nitrogen, which pea plants provide.
Heavy-feeding potato varieties are one of the best companion plants for peas since they require more nitrogen.
Peas prefer cool, moist soil. The foliage of potato plants can act as a mulch, helping maintain the temperature of the soil around your peas, resulting in higher crop yields with your peas.
Potatoes also repel Mexican bean beetles, a common pest of pea and bean plants, from your pea plants.
Sugar snap peas and snap peas are the best varieties to pair with potatoes when companion planting.
3. Turnips
Plants in the Brassica family, like turnips, require a moderate amount of nitrogen to grow properly. If they don’t receive adequate amounts of nitrogen, the plant’s growth will be stunted.
Since pea plants fix nitrogen into the soil, turnips make good companion plants for peas, soaking up all of the extra nitrogen. Turnips benefit peas in return by loosening up the soil so the plants can soak up more much-needed moisture from the soil.
4. Eggplant
Some companion plants are used solely for their pest-repelling abilities. Eggplant is a good companion plant for peas because it deters pests such as aphids, armyworms, cucumber beetles, and pea weevils.
Since eggplant requires around 6 hours of full sun per day, you should make sure they are not kept in the shadows by your peas when planting the two together, so as not to stunt their growth.
5. Radishes
Radishes are fantastic companion plants for peas since the slow rate of growth for peas allows the fast-growing root vegetable to develop unperturbed.
Radishes also work with peas to help repel pests, acting as a trap crop to divert pests and prevent infestations among both plants.
Since radishes, like other root vegetables, thrive on nitrogen-rich soil, companion planting with peas is a very effective method of utilizing every inch of space in your backyard garden.
The root systems of radishes also allow the pea plants to soak up more water, so these plants are a match made in heaven!
6. Lettuce
Since lettuce and peas are both cool-weather crops, lettuce is a great companion plant for peas. Lettuce thrives in nitrogen-rich soil, which is where the peas come in nourishing the lush leaves of the lettuce by infusing the soil with nitrogen.
Lettuce and peas also have similar shallow root systems, which benefit from consistent watering. Since the plants require much of the same care, they thrive when planted alongside one another.
If your peas are growing on a trellis, they can even provide some shade for lettuce plants, which is especially helpful for the leafy greens in the hot sun.
7. Corn
Corn is a good companion plant for peas because the stalks provide shade for the peas and in return, the peas provide the nitrogen corn needs to thrive.
Corn stalks also provide a good support system for peas, allowing the peas to use the stalks as a trellis of sorts. This is a nice way to save space in your garden!
If you’re using corn as a support system, you’ll need to plant the corn first and let it grow a bit so that it’s sturdy enough to support peas vining around the stalks.
Corn benefits from the high levels of nitrogen that were infused into the soil by pea plants. Even after peas have been harvested, planting corn nearby is helpful because the corn can still soak up all the extra nitrogen from the peas.
8. Mint
The strong fragrance the mint releases as it grows makes it another great companion plant for peas. Mint effectively repels pests such as whiteflies, aphids, and thrips, which target legumes.
Since most insect pests rely heavily on their sense of smell in locating crops and the pungent smell of mint is overpowering it works very well in repelling pests from peas.
9. Beans
Beans make fantastic companion plants for peas because they have similar growth patterns and the same care needs.
Peas grow especially well with pole beans because they are both vining plants. You can use the same trellis to support your peas and beans to save space in your backyard garden.
Nitrogen is essential for the development and healthy growth of both beans and peas, so planting them together results in a higher yield for both plants.
10. Parsnips
Parsnips are good companion plants for peas since these plants are mutually beneficial to one another.
Parsnip plants and pea plants help keep insect pests away from your garden, working together to repel the pesky bugs away from your delicious veggies!
Parsnips are also another plant that helps loosen the soil, allowing peas to soak up more moisture. Peas thrive in moist soil, so planting them with parsnips will result in a more prolific crop yield.
11. Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are beautiful flowers commonly used in companion planting and most commonly used for pest control.
This plant makes great companion plants for peas by diverting attention from your precious vegetable crops to the flowers.
Nasturtium acts as a natural repellent, trapping pests like aphids, whiteflies, flea beetles, and the Mexican bean beetle, all of which feed on peas.
Although the plant distracts pests from your peas, its fragrant flowers also attract beneficial pollinators like butterflies and bees.
Nasturtium plants spread out, effectively preventing weed growth and soil erosion in your garden so your pea plants never have to compete with weeds for nutrients.
Plants to Avoid
While there are many wonderful companion plants for peas that you can easily grow in your backyard garden, there are also some plants that can inhibit the growth of peas.
Avoid planting the following plants nearby your peas.
Onions/Garlic
Members of the Allium family, such as onions, garlic, shallots, chives, scallions, and leeks, should never be planted near your peas.
Avoid any of these plants when looking for companion plants for peas, because they can stunt the growth of peas, much like they do with bean plants.
Plants in this family produce a substance called ajoene, which prevents peas from fixing nitrogen into the soil. The infusion of nitrogen into the soil is vital in the development of pea plants and without it, the plants won’t develop properly.
Wrapping Up Companion Plants for Peas
From pest control and attracting beneficial insects to soil enrichment and support systems, there are various benefits to companion planting with peas.
For more information about peas, including some of the different varieties and how to grow them, check out our guide on how to plant peas!