Skip to main content

Grow these 5 unique companion plants for raspberries in your garden

Like many plants, raspberry bushes can benefit from their fellow neighbors. When planning the space next to a raspberry bush in your garden, consider plants that bring in pollinators, repel pests, and add soil nutrients. As long as they have space to grow, raspberry bushes will welcome companion plants, whether they’re flowers, evergreens, or other edibles. There are plenty of plants that pair well with raspberries, as well as a few that you should keep far away. 

Ripe raspberries

What grows well with raspberries? On their own, raspberry bushes appreciate full sun, well-draining, fertile soil, and consistent watering. Bringing other beneficial plants into the equation can improve their fruit yield and reduce pests and diseases. When looking for companion plants for raspberries, keep an eye out for the following plants.  

A basket of freshly harvest garlic
Couleur/Pixabay

1. Alliums

Plants in the allium family, such as garlic, leeks, chives, and onions, are some of the best companion plants for raspberries. They repel insects, such as Japanese beetles, because of their pungent odor. Their smell also deters larger pests like rabbits and deer. Additionally, alliums have fungicidal and antibacterial properties that can prevent plant diseases, such as verticillium wilt. You can plant alliums like garlic in the fall to harvest during summertime. 

Chervil herb

2. Chervil

Keep ants, Japanese beetles, and squash bugs away from your raspberries’ fruit canes by planting them next to chervil, or French parsley. This herb also helps attract pollinators, which in turn, helps your raspberry bush yield more fruit. If big enough, your raspberry bush can also provide chervil with partial shade during the hot summer months. Other flowering herbs that pair well with raspberries include rue and tansy, which also inhibit Japanese beetles. Whichever herb you choose, most are easy to start around early spring — or whenever the ground isn’t frozen solid.

Pine tree

3. Pine trees

Evergreens, such as pine trees, shed needles, which break down to add nutrients to your growing medium and increase soil acidity. Pine needles make excellent mulch for raspberry bushes, although you might want to supplement them with bark or coarse wood chips. Raspberries, in particular, also do well with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, so they appreciate pine straw for extra acidity. Plant your tree so your raspberries get partial shade, but not full shade. Raspberry bushes need sun to produce a high fruit yield, so full shade isn’t an ideal location for them.

Marigold

4. Marigolds

Not only are they bright and cheerful, but marigolds also make for wonderful raspberry companion plants — really, they make for great companion plants in general. As flowers, they naturally attract pollinators that help raspberry fruit develop. They also keep out invasive pests, such as eelworms and nematodes. Plant marigolds in warm soil after the last frost, which is just about the time when you’ll want to plant your raspberry canes.

A gardener pulling turnips out of the ground

5. Turnips

Turnips prevent harlequin bugs from wreaking havoc on your raspberry plants. Harlequin bugs are a type of stink bug that usually attack members of the brassicas family (think cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower), but they also occasionally target raspberries. Like raspberry bushes, turnips enjoy full sun and thorough, consistent watering, so they have similar care requirements. You can sow turnip seeds directly into your garden during early spring or fall.

Close-up of tomatoes

What can you not plant next to raspberries?

Mainly requiring bright light and ample watering, raspberry bushes are relatively low maintenance and easy to grow. That said, there are a few plants, namely nightshades, that you’ll want to steer clear of your raspberry bushes.

  • Tomatoes: You shouldn’t grow tomatoes next to raspberries because they attract fungal diseases, such as blight and verticillium wilt. 
  • Potatoes: Potatoes also make poor companions for raspberry bushes because they attract blight that can spread to raspberries.
  • Peppers and chilies: Peppers and chilies can be susceptible to fungal diseases that may spread to raspberries. If you plant peppers, keep them in a separate container or patch.
  • Berries: You might also want to avoid planting raspberries next to other berries, such as boysenberries and blackberries, which could quickly spread fungal diseases. If you plant berry bushes near each other, be very diligent about pruning to increase airflow and prevent disease transfer.

Raspberry bushes can make for beautiful additions to your garden, and you don’t have to keep them all by themselves. Find the perfect neighbors in alliums, marigolds, pine trees, and other plants — these raspberry companion plants can repel unwanted insects and prevent diseases while attracting pollinators and enriching the soil. Soon, harvest an abundance of juicy raspberries without a side of pest damage.

Editors' Recommendations

Stacey Nguyen
Stacey's work has appeared on sites such as POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles, Buzzfeed, The Balance, TripSavvy, and more. When she's…
If you’re in need of a durable flowering shrub, then consider growing pittosporum! Here’s your care guide
How to plant and take care of pittosporum
Pittosporum shrub with variegated leaves and white flowers

Shrubs can offer many benefits to your garden. Whether you’re growing them as an ornamental addition for their beautiful flowers or looking to grow a privacy hedge, shrubs provide a wide array of options. If your garden is in need of a durable shrub with beautiful flowers, then pittosporum, also called cheesewood, is a great place to start.

Commonly found throughout Asia, Australia, and some parts of Africa, pittosporum is becoming more popular in American gardens. This simple care guide can help you successfully add it to your garden as well!
Planting pittosporum
If you’re planting your pittosporum from seed, you should plant it in the fall. However, older plants see better success when transplanted in the spring. Regardless of when you’re planting it, you should plant pittosporum in full sun to partial shade. Some varieties of cheesewood can even tolerate full shade, so don’t despair if you have a heavily shaded garden.

Read more
Loquat trees provide flowers, fruit, and even herbal tea! Here’s what you need to know about growing these useful plants
Loquat tree care guide
Ripe loquats on a loquat tree

Sweet, juicy, and fruit fresh from your garden is a treat unlike any other. If you’ve tried growing some of the typical garden staples such as blackberries or apples and are looking for something new, then loquat trees should be your next garden addition.

Native to southern China, this tree offers beautiful flowers, tasty fruit, and even leaves that can transform into herbal tea! Interested in all this tree has to offer? Use this simple care guide to get started growing your own today.
Planting a loquat tree
Start by choosing your planting site, since you may need to take extra steps to prepare it before planting. Choose a location in full sun or partial shade with well-draining, slightly acidic soil. Adding compost, pine straw, or peat moss to your soil can help adjust the pH.

Read more
Ornamental grasses add texture and color to your garden – how to grow these 6 different varieties
Caring for these ornamental grasses in your yard or garden
Pink muhly grass

Although there are countless varieties of grass, so many of them look the same. It can be difficult to find grass that really stands out in your garden. That’s where ornamental grasses come in. Ornamental grasses like pink muhly grass, purple fountain grass, and switchgrass can add color and texture to your garden borders just like flowers would. Wondering which ornamental grass to choose for your garden? Here are a few of our favorites!
What makes a grass ornamental?
You may think that all grass is ornamental. After all, we grow lawns because they look nice, not because we use them for food. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong in thinking that. Ornamental grass is still grass; it’s just grass that looks different. However, ornamental grass includes grass-like plants such as sedge, as well as true grass varieties.

Ornamental grasses come in a range of appearances besides the short, green look of classic lawn grasses. Often, ornamental grasses are tall, with some growing to 15 feet tall or more. Many are colorful and patterned, and they may have an interesting flower or seed head. Since there are so many varieties, there are ornamental grasses that will fit almost any garden or yard. Many gardeners use ornamental grasses as borders, but some varieties can make great additions to container gardens or flower gardens.

Read more