Grow One Common Root Vegetable With Zucchini For Healthy Soil & A Flavorful Harvest

Alongside tomatoes, the zucchini is probably the star of summer produce. And rightfully, it can be planted alongside tomatoes for a successful harvest, but that's not the case for every vegetable. Plant zucchini next to pumpkins or even potatoes, and you might have trouble. What about garlic though? Garlic is an ideal zucchini companion, and we're going to explain why.  

It comes down to the most iconic feature garlic has: its smell. That pungent and undeniable garlic aroma is due to a compound called allicin, which is the reason your hands will smell for hours after chopping garlic. But this compound is also a great addition for your vegetable garden because pests like aphids and cucumber beetles cannot stand it and will steer clear of anything in its path. Which is great news for the plants around it.

And surprisingly, it isn't just that garlic keeps pests away, it may even improve the flavor of zucchini. Garlic improves the quality of the soil thanks to being anti-fungal and antibacterial, so if you're interested in reaping the benefits yourself, what you need to know to grow garlic is actually quite simple. Garlic doesn't need much outside of well-draining soil, and to be planted at the right time of year.

Planting garlic alongside your zucchini is certainly not complicated, it just requires a little forward thinking and planning. Garlic likes space as it's a root vegetable that doesn't appreciate being crowded, so leave about 6 inches between cloves. At the same time, ensure the zucchini has its own room to grow too (either vertically or sprawling out).

While zucchini is a warm-season crop, garlic needs to be planted in the fall, which will give it time to establish before the zucchini is added. When the zucchini seeds or seedlings get introduced into the same soil, the garlic should already be underway beneath the surface, introducing all of its lovely antifungal and antibacterial properties into the mix. Some of the more common mistakes people make when growing zucchini plants is forgetting how big they actually grow, so if you're looking for easy tips to grow zucchini, remember that sun, space, and support will be essential.

So why not try the garlic and zucchini duo next season for yourself? Simply let garlic do the work underground while zucchini stays above the soil to soak up the sun. Before long you'll have a garden that not only has fewer pests, bacteria, and fungi, but you'll be ready to get cracking on some fantastic summer recipes full of fresh and garlicky flavors.