You can plant a surprising number of things with strawberries—especially leafy greens, alliums, herbs, and some deep‑rooted perennials that don’t compete with their shallow roots.

Best companions at a glance

Top picks to plant with strawberries :

  • Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach
  • Alliums: onions, chives, garlic, leeks
  • Herbs: borage, thyme, sage, dill
  • Vegetables: beans/peas, beets, asparagus
  • Flowers: marigolds, nasturtiums, calendula

Plants to avoid nearby :

  • Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower)
  • Fennel
  • Potatoes and other nightshades (often avoided because of disease overlap and competition)

Why these plants work so well

  • Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach) : Grow low, don’t hog nutrients, and give you an early harvest before strawberries really fill in. Spinach can even help repel some insects through natural compounds called saponins.
  • Alliums (onions, chives, garlic, leeks) : Their strong scent helps confuse or deter pests that like strawberries, such as aphids and some beetles.
  • Borage : Often called a “super companion” for strawberries; it attracts pollinators and beneficial predatory insects, and many gardeners report healthier, more productive plants around it.
  • Beans and peas : Fix nitrogen in the soil, which feeds hungry strawberry plants; pole beans can be trellised so they don’t compete for ground space.
  • Asparagus : Roots go deep while strawberry roots stay shallow, so they share a bed without fighting for the same soil layer, and their seasons complement each other.
  • Beets : Help loosen and aerate the soil while giving you a bonus root crop from the same area.

Handy HTML table for planting with strawberries

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Plant</th>
      <th>Good / Bad</th>
      <th>Why it’s planted (or avoided) with strawberries</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Lettuce</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Low-growing, light feeder, fits between rows and gives an early harvest without competing much for nutrients or water.[web:2][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Spinach</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Similar height and timing to strawberries, provides extra harvest and may help repel insects via saponins.[web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Onions</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Can be tucked between plants; their smell helps deter pests and they finish early, freeing space as strawberries expand.[web:1][web:2]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Chives</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Compact allium that repels pests and attracts pollinators when it flowers.[web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Garlic</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Another allium that helps confuse or repel insect pests around strawberry beds.[web:2][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Borage</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Classic strawberry companion that attracts pollinators and beneficial predatory insects; often planted every 3–4 feet in the row.[web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Beans (bush or pole)</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Legumes that enrich soil nitrogen and can shade strawberries slightly in hot weather if grown on supports.[web:1][web:3][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Peas</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Nitrogen-fixing climbers that share vertical space instead of crowding the strawberry row.[web:1][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Asparagus</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Deep roots and different growth pattern make it a classic interplant; both like similar soil and sun.[web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Beets</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Loosen the soil and add an extra root harvest without heavily competing for shallow nutrients.[web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Marigolds</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Commonly used border that can help with pest pressure and adds beneficial insect habitat.[web:8][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Nasturtiums</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Trap crop for some pests and a pollinator magnet when trailing around strawberry beds.[web:8][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Thyme &amp; other low herbs</td>
      <td>Good</td>
      <td>Offer groundcover, attract pollinators, and can subtly confuse pests with their scent.[web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, kale)</td>
      <td>Bad</td>
      <td>Heavy feeders that compete strongly for nutrients and can create a crowded, disease-prone bed.[web:8][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Fennel</td>
      <td>Bad</td>
      <td>Known to inhibit the growth of many nearby plants, including strawberries.[web:8][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Potatoes &amp; other nightshades</td>
      <td>Generally avoided</td>
      <td>Often kept separate because of disease and pest overlaps and strong nutrient demand.[web:8][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Simple companion layout idea

If you want an easy, productive mix around a small strawberry patch, you could try:

  1. A central bed of strawberries.
  2. Lettuce or spinach zigzagged between strawberry crowns for early salads.
  3. Chives or green onions dotted between every few plants.
  4. One borage plant every few feet along the row.
  5. A border of marigolds or nasturtiums at the front edge.

This gives you staggered harvests, better pollination, and some built‑in pest help, all while answering the core question of what can I plant with strawberries in a practical, space‑efficient way.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.