What to Plant With Peppers: Pepper Companion Plants (and What to Avoid)

Peppers are slow, heat-loving plants that stay fairly compact, which makes them easy to fit into a mixed bed. You will find long lists of "pepper companions" online, but the university extension sources behind our companion checker name only a couple. Here is what they say, what they do not say, and how to lay out a bed that keeps peppers warm, watered and productive.

Good companion plants for peppers

Basil

University of Maryland Extension suggests interplanting basil among peppers to make good use of space. The match is practical: both want full sun, warm soil and steady moisture, and basil stays low enough not to shade the peppers. Pinch basil flower spikes so it keeps producing leaves all summer. See what to plant with basil for spacing and pinching.

Onions

Maryland Extension also suggests alternating rows of peppers and onions. Onions go in weeks before peppers, take little sideways room, and are usually harvested by mid to late summer, freeing space as the peppers fill out. One catch: onions are listed as poor neighbors for beans, peas and lettuce, so keep this pepper-and-onion row away from those crops.

What about tomatoes?

Peppers and tomatoes have no listed interaction in our sources, and many gardeners grow them side by side. Both like the same heat, sun and watering. They are in the same plant family, though, so they share some pests and diseases, and UMN Extension advises planting peppers where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant and tomatillos have not grown for three or four years. If they share a bed this year, move the whole group next year. For the tomato side of the bed, see what to plant with tomatoes.

What not to plant with peppers

None of the extension sources we track list a plant as incompatible with peppers, so the checker shows no pepper conflicts. You will see blog lists warning against fennel, beans, brassicas and others next to peppers. We have not found extension support for those, so we do not include them. Two practical cautions do hold up:

• Do not let big plants shade them. Peppers need full sun. Corn, trellised cucumbers or a sprawling zucchini on the south side of a pepper row will slow them down. Put tall crops on the north edge.
• Rotate the nightshade family. Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant share soil-borne diseases. Keep them out of last few years' nightshade beds, per UMN Extension.

For the pairs that sources do list as poor matches, see our keep-apart chart.

Spacing and sun

UMN Extension recommends spacing pepper plants about 18 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart, a little closer in cool weather (closer spacing needs extra fertilizer). In a square-foot bed that works out to roughly one pepper per square. Leave the squares around each pepper for low crops like basil, and keep tall plants on the north side.

When to plant peppers

Peppers need a long, warm start. UMN Extension suggests starting seeds indoors about eight weeks before planting outside, which is earlier than tomatoes, and keeping the seed tray warm until they sprout. Harden plants off over a week or two, then transplant once nighttime lows stay above 50°F, usually a couple of weeks after your last frost. Our planting calendar turns your frost date into indoor-start and plant-out weeks. For a full date table, the 50°F night rule and fall peppers, see when to plant peppers.

A simple pepper bed layout

1. Peppers in the middle row.

   One plant per square foot, about 18 inches apart if you are planting in rows.

2. Basil between the peppers.

   Low, sun-loving and ready at the same time for salsa.

3. Onions along one long edge.

   Planted in early spring, harvested by late summer.

4. Marigolds at the corners.

   Not a listed pepper companion, but they draw pollinators and are listed companions for tomatoes, potatoes and squash elsewhere in the garden.

Want tomatoes in the same bed? Put them on the north side so they do not shade the peppers, and keep potatoes and corn out of this bed: both are listed as poor tomato neighbors. Our raised bed layouts include a ready-made salsa-style plan.

Peppers in containers

Peppers are one of the easiest vegetables for pots, since compact varieties stay small. Use a container of at least a few gallons per plant with good drainage, put it in the sunniest spot you have, and check moisture daily in hot weather. A basil plant fits around the rim of a larger pot. Smaller-fruited sweet and hot peppers usually handle cool and hot spells better than big bells, UMN Extension notes, which helps on an exposed patio.

Frequently asked questions

What grows well with peppers?

Extension-listed companions for peppers in our checker are basil and onions. The table on this page explains why each pairing works.