The main plants to avoid near eggplant are tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Keep fennel and heavy feeders away from your container eggplants too.
I learned this the hard way during my third year of container growing. My tomatoes and eggplants sat side by side on the patio that summer. A disease hit the tomatoes first and spread to every eggplant within two weeks.
The whole nightshade family shares the same pests and diseases that attack their leaves and roots. Verticillium wilt, fusarium, and other fungal problems hurt all these plants the same way. Flea beetles and aphids also love jumping from one nightshade to another nearby plant.
Grouping nightshades together creates a home for these problems to spread fast. One sick plant becomes a source of infection for every related plant nearby. The bad companions for eggplant can turn a small issue into a total crop failure in just days.
Tomatoes pose the biggest threat to your container eggplants of all the plants to avoid near them. They catch and spread late blight and other diseases that wipe out both crops fast. Keep tomato and eggplant containers at least 10 feet apart if you grow both.
Peppers share enough problems with eggplants to count as bad companions too. While the risk runs lower than with tomatoes, you gain nothing by placing them close together. Give peppers their own space well away from your eggplant containers.
Potato beetles eat eggplant leaves too, not just potatoes. These pests strip plants bare in days if their numbers grow. Keep potatoes far from your eggplants to stop this hungry bug from finding them.
Fennel puts out chemicals that slow down the growth of many plants near it. This effect works through the roots even when plants grow in separate pots sitting close by. I once lost half a season of growth from my eggplants before I moved the fennel away.
Corn competes hard for nutrients and water which stresses out your eggplants. While corn brings no disease risk, it will steal resources from your container plants nearby. Your eggplants may produce smaller fruit or fewer of them near heavy feeders.
Smart eggplant companion planting means choosing plants that help your crop grow better. Basil works great near eggplants since it may repel aphids and other soft pests. Marigolds add color and keep away nematodes plus some beetle species.
Beans and peas make good neighbors because they add nitrogen to the soil as they grow. Your hungry eggplants soak up this extra nitrogen and grow stronger. Herbs like oregano and thyme also help keep pests away from your plants.
I like to place a pot of basil right next to each eggplant container on my patio. The basil gives me fresh leaves for cooking while it works to keep aphids away from my eggplants. This combo has cut my pest problems in half over the past few seasons.
Flowers like zinnias and cosmos bring good bugs to your container garden area. These flowers attract bees and other insects that help pollinate your eggplant blooms. More pollination means more fruit for you to harvest at the end of the season.
Set up your container garden with these spacing rules in mind from the start. Keep all nightshades 10 feet apart when you have the room. Place helpful companions close to your eggplants for fewer pest and disease problems all season.
Read the full article: How to Grow Eggplant in Containers
