Growing potatoes can be super satisfying—but only after I learned a few tough lessons. One year, I planted them next to what I thought were perfectly fine companions, and the whole crop flopped.
Between pests and sick-looking plants, I knew something wasn’t right. Turns out, who you plant near your potatoes really matters. Some plants bring in bugs or hog nutrients, and they can quietly mess things up before you even notice.
It’s not just old gardener talk—some combos just don’t mix. After a few seasons of trial and error, I’ve figured out which plants to keep far away from my potato beds. If you want healthy spuds and a harvest you can be proud of, these are the ones to avoid.
1. Tomatoes
I made the rookie mistake of planting tomatoes right next to my potato patch last spring. Both belong to the nightshade family and unfortunately share many of the same diseases, particularly late blight that spreads rapidly between them.
The proximity created a perfect storm for disease transmission. My healthy-looking plants suddenly developed dark lesions on their leaves, and before I could react, both crops were struggling.
Beyond disease issues, tomatoes and potatoes compete for similar nutrients in the soil. They’re essentially cousins fighting over the same resources, leaving both plants undernourished. Keep them at opposite ends of your garden for best results.
2. Sunflowers
Those cheerful sunflowers might brighten your day, but they cast serious shade on potato growth. Last season, I planted a row of sunflowers along my garden’s edge, not realizing how their impressive height would block crucial sunlight from reaching my potato plants.
Sunflowers also release allelopathic compounds—natural chemicals that inhibit the growth of certain nearby plants. My potatoes struggled to thrive, producing smaller tubers than usual despite adequate water and fertilizer.
The massive root systems of sunflowers proved problematic too. They’re aggressive nutrient-seekers, leaving little for my potatoes. Plant these sun-lovers at least 10 feet from your potato patch.
3. Cucumbers
Cucumbers seemed like innocent neighbors until I noticed my potato plants developing more fungal issues than usual. The problem? Cucumbers create the humid, moist environment that potato blight absolutely loves.
Their sprawling growth habit also became problematic. As cucumber vines spread across my garden bed, they began climbing over potato plants, weighing them down and blocking sunlight from reaching the leaves. The potato plants couldn’t photosynthesize properly.
Additionally, cucumbers attract cucumber beetles that, while primarily targeting cucurbits, can spread bacterial wilt that affects potatoes too. I now keep a minimum 4-foot buffer between these crops and have noticed much healthier potato plants.
4. Pumpkins And Squash
The year I planted butternut squash near my potato rows taught me a valuable lesson. Like their cucumber relatives, squash plants create dense ground cover that traps moisture against the soil surface—precisely what potato-loving fungal diseases need to thrive.
Their massive leaves blocked sunlight from reaching my potato plants, resulting in leggy stems stretching for light instead of focusing energy on tuber production. My harvest that season was noticeably smaller.
Squash and pumpkins also attract pests like squash bugs and cucumber beetles that, while not directly attacking potatoes, create general pest pressure in the area. These insects can become secondary carriers of potato diseases as they move through the garden.
5. Raspberries
Raspberry canes might seem far removed from potato concerns, but they actually harbor a significant threat. I discovered they can host verticillium wilt—a soil-borne fungus that devastates potato crops—even when the raspberries themselves show no symptoms.
The aggressive spreading nature of raspberry roots became another issue. Their underground runners invaded my potato bed, stealing nutrients and water while creating competition below the soil surface. My potato plants nearest the raspberry patch yielded noticeably smaller tubers.
Birds attracted to raspberry fruits often perched above my potato patch, dropping seeds of weeds they’d consumed elsewhere. This created extra weeding work and more competition for my potatoes.
6. Fennel
This one looks innocent with its feathery foliage, but it’s actually one of the most antagonistic plants in my garden. It releases compounds that inhibit growth in many vegetables, including potatoes. When I experimented with fennel near my potato patch, the spuds closest to it were noticeably stunted.
The aromatic nature of fennel attracts certain beneficial insects, which sounds positive until you realize it simultaneously draws potato-loving pests like aphids. These pests use fennel as a staging ground before attacking nearby potatoes.
Fennel’s deep taproot also competes directly with potatoes for underground resources. Even after removing fennel, its allelopathic effects lingered in my soil, affecting the next season’s potato crop.
7. Eggplant
Another nightshade family member that spells trouble for potatoes is eggplant. I learned this when half my potato crop developed early blight after planting eggplants nearby. The diseases jumped between plants like wildfire.
Colorado potato beetles find both plants equally delicious. When I grew them together, these striped pests multiplied rapidly, using my eggplants as a breeding ground before invading my potato patch. The damage was extensive before I could get it under control.
Both crops have similar nutritional needs, creating underground competition. The potatoes I harvested that season were smaller than usual despite regular fertilizing. Now I rotate these crops and never plant them in adjacent beds.
8. Peppers
Bell and hot peppers might seem harmless enough, but as nightshade family members, they’re surprisingly problematic potato neighbors. When I planted jalapeños near my Yukon Golds, both crops became magnets for aphids that spread between them, weakening both plants.
Disease transmission becomes particularly concerning during wet seasons. My pepper and potato plants both succumbed to the same fungal infections, creating a domino effect throughout that section of garden. The shared susceptibility to similar pathogens made recovery difficult.
The nutrient profiles peppers and potatoes require overlap significantly, especially regarding phosphorus needs. This created underground competition that reduced my potato yield. I now plant peppers at least three beds away from my potato patch.
9. Strawberries
These might seem innocent, but they’re surprisingly problematic potato neighbors. Their shallow root systems compete directly with developing potato tubers for soil space. When I interplanted them, my potato harvest was noticeably reduced.
Verticillium wilt affects both crops, creating a reservoir for disease. I discovered this when my seemingly healthy strawberry patch passed this soil-borne fungus to my adjacent potato plants, causing them to wilt prematurely before tubers fully developed.
Strawberries’ perennial nature also conflicts with potatoes’ need for rotation. While my strawberry patch remained stationary for years, my potatoes needed to move annually to avoid pest buildup. This created logistical challenges in my garden planning and eventually forced me to relocate one crop entirely.
10. Corn
Tall corn creates significant shade that potato plants simply can’t tolerate. I learned this when my sweet corn row cast afternoon shadows across my potato bed, resulting in leggy plants desperately stretching for sunlight instead of developing robust tubers.
Corn’s heavy feeding habits also proved problematic. As a nitrogen-hungry crop, it depleted the soil nutrients my potatoes needed. Despite regular fertilizing, the potatoes nearest my corn showed yellowing leaves and produced smaller harvests.
Additionally, corn attracts raccoons and other wildlife that trampled through my potato patch while seeking the sweet kernels. The damage to potato plants was substantial, with broken stems and disturbed soil exposing developing tubers to sunlight, causing them to green and become inedible.
11. Melons
Watermelons and cantaloupes have sprawling growth habits that overwhelmed my potato plants one season. Their vines crept into the potato rows, climbing over the foliage and creating dense shade that prevented proper photosynthesis.
The high water requirements of melons also caused problems. To keep my melons happy, I was overwatering my potatoes, which promoted fungal diseases in the tubers. I discovered this after harvesting potatoes with significant rot issues that season.
Melon flowers attract cucumber beetles and other pests that can transmit diseases to potato plants. These insects used my melon patch as home base while making regular trips to munch on nearby potato foliage. Now I plant melons in a completely separate garden section.
12. Turnips
Root vegetables competing directly with potatoes for underground real estate spelled disaster in my garden. When I interplanted turnips and potatoes, both crops produced smaller, malformed roots as they fought for space in the soil profile.
Turnips attract flea beetles that happily moved to my potato plants, creating characteristic shot holes in the leaves. This reduced photosynthesis capacity and stressed my potato plants during critical bulking stages.
Both crops are also heavy feeders with similar nutrient requirements. Despite regular fertilizing, neither crop thrived when planted together. The competition was simply too intense, resulting in a disappointing harvest. I now rotate these root crops to different garden sections each season.
13. Carrots
Carrots might seem like natural companions for underground-growing potatoes, but they actually create significant competition. Their root systems occupy the same soil depth, and I noticed when planted together, both crops produced smaller, less uniform harvests.
Carrot rust fly, a common pest, can damage both crops. After these insects established in my carrot patch, they quickly discovered my nearby potatoes, creating tunnels in the tubers that led to rot and storage problems.
The different watering needs created another challenge. My carrots preferred consistent moisture, while potatoes needed drier periods to develop properly. This watering conflict meant neither crop received ideal conditions, resulting in suboptimal growth for both vegetables.
14. Apples And Pears
Even my dwarf apple tree proved problematic for nearby potatoes. Fruit trees can harbor verticillium wilt that transfers to potato crops, causing premature yellowing and wilting of potato foliage before tubers fully develop.
The fallen fruit created another unexpected issue. Half-eaten apples attracted rodents and insects that discovered my potato patch was just steps away. These pests damaged developing tubers and created entry points for disease.
The extensive root systems of even small fruit trees competed with potatoes for water and nutrients. I noticed a clear pattern of smaller potato yields in rows closest to my apple tree, despite consistent fertilizing. Now I maintain at least 20 feet between any fruit tree and my potato beds.
15. Asparagus
Asparagus creates a permanent garden fixture while potatoes need rotation. When I planted potatoes near my established asparagus bed, I couldn’t properly rotate the potato crop in subsequent years, leading to soil-borne disease buildup.
The shallow root system of asparagus spreads horizontally, competing directly with potato plants for nutrients. My potatoes planted closest to the asparagus bed showed stunted growth and reduced yields compared to those planted farther away.
During asparagus harvest season, I accidentally damaged potato plants while stepping through the garden to cut spears. This trampling created broken stems and disturbed developing tubers. The permanent nature of asparagus simply doesn’t mesh well with the annual needs of potatoes.
16. Zucchini And Summer Squash
Summer squash plants develop enormous leaves that created too much shade over my adjacent potato rows. The potato plants stretched toward available light, developing weak, leggy stems instead of focusing energy on tuber production.
The humid microclimate under squash foliage promoted fungal diseases that quickly spread to my potatoes. I noticed the first signs of powdery mildew on the squash, but within days, my potato plants showed similar symptoms, along with early blight that thrived in the damp conditions.
Squash attracts cucumber beetles that, while primarily targeting the zucchini, created collateral damage to nearby potato plants. These pests used my squash as a breeding ground before expanding their territory to include my potato patch, causing significant leaf damage.
17. Radishes
These mature quickly, which seems advantageous until you realize their rapid growth competes directly with developing potato plants. When I interplanted them, my radishes drew nutrients away during the critical early establishment phase of my potatoes.
Flea beetles love radish foliage but will happily move to potato leaves when radishes are harvested. I noticed this pest transfer when my potatoes suddenly developed characteristic shot holes in their leaves after my radish harvest, weakening the plants during tuber formation.
The frequent watering radishes require created overly damp conditions for my potatoes. This excess moisture promoted fungal issues in the developing tubers, leading to storage problems after harvest. I now plant radishes in a separate bed altogether.
18. Kohlrabi And Cabbage Family Plants
Brassicas like kohlrabi, cabbage, and broccoli attract cabbage moths that laid eggs on my nearby potato plants one season. While these caterpillars prefer brassicas, they’ll happily munch potato foliage when populations surge, causing unexpected damage I didn’t anticipate.
These heavy feeders also competed with my potatoes for soil nutrients, particularly nitrogen. Despite regular fertilizing, my potatoes showed yellowing leaves when planted adjacent to kohlrabi, indicating they weren’t getting adequate nutrition during critical growth stages.
Clubroot, a soil-borne disease affecting brassicas, can alter soil conditions in ways that impact potato health too. After battling clubroot in my cabbage patch, nearby potatoes struggled with poor root development and reduced yields for two subsequent seasons.
19. Okra
Tall okra plants created significant shade in my garden, which potatoes simply couldn’t tolerate. The leggy potato plants stretched for sunlight instead of developing robust tubers below ground, resulting in a disappointing harvest that season.
Okra’s deep taproot competed directly with potato plants for soil resources. Despite adequate fertilizing, my potatoes showed signs of nutrient deficiency when planted adjacent to okra rows, with yellowing leaves and stunted growth being the most obvious symptoms.
The frequent harvesting okra requires created another problem—I accidentally trampled potato plants while picking okra pods every couple of days. This physical damage stressed the potatoes during critical growth phases. I now keep these crops in separate garden sections to avoid these conflicts.