Nothing beats homegrown strawberries when they are freshly picked, still warm from the sun and bursting with sweetness. These robust plants do well in properly prepared beds or rows and can be easily grown with the right conditions. Whether you’re a gardening pro or just getting started, you need to know that not all plants play nicely with strawberries.
Many plants give strawberries a boost and offer them benefits, however, there are just as many that can “ruin” them, according to plant expert and owner of Florist Empire Gloria Sims. To help your strawberry plants thrive and avoid issues like poor yields, tasteless fruit, or even plant death, Gloria has exclusively shared three plants to avoid growing near strawberries.
1. Brassicas
Cabbages, kale, broccoli, and all other brassicas belong on our list of plants you should never grow with strawberries, and for good reason.
Gloria said: “One plant family that I always advise keeping far away from strawberries is the Brassica family – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage. These vegetables are hungry feeders, meaning they absorb a great amount of nutrients from the soil, especially nitrogen.”
Strawberries are shallow-rooted and very sensitive when it comes to nutrient competition. When they are planted alongside brassicas, they tend to experience “stunted growth” and “diminished fruiting” since the brassicas take over the soil’s resources.
Also, the dense foliage of the plants will cut off air circulation and sunlight, producing damp, shaded environments that “strawberries don’t like” and in which mould and mildew thrive.
2. Tomatoes
Tomatoes, while a staple in the majority of home gardens, are a “high-risk” companion for strawberries. The two plants share susceptibility to many of the same soil-borne diseases, including verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt.
These diseases can live in the soil and can be transmitted rapidly from plant to plant. Planting tomatoes and strawberries together is asking for cross-contamination that “will ruin both crops”.
Tomatoes are also tall and bushy and will shade out strawberries, which need full sun to produce sweet, abundant berries.
3. Fennel
Fennel is another plant Gloria listed as one she “always recommends planting far away from strawberries”.
Fennel is allelopathic, which means that it releases chemicals, specifically anethole and other essential oils, into the soil that will “inhibit the growth of plants around it”.
Strawberries are particularly sensitive to these chemicals, and if you plant them in the area, their growth can be “stunted significantly” or “they may not produce fruit at all”. Instead, fennel is best planted alone or with other compatible, vigorous herbs.
