7 Companion Plants To Grow With Rhubarb That Are Mutually Beneficial
Reviewed By DAN ORI
Dan has over 27 years’ under his belt caring for plants and gardens. Working as a Horticultural Instructor and Consultant, he draws on a diverse range of experience that includes working as a Head Gardener, Tree Surgeon, Garden Centre Trouble Shooter, and writer of academic papers. Dan has a Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture and is currently a candidate for the RHS’s most prestigious award – The Master of Horticulture.
While it might technically be classed as a vegetable, the sweetness of rhubarb stalks make it a delicious ingredient in pies, preserves and other saccharine dishes.1Team, G. F. (n.d.). Rhubarb. BBC Good Food. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/rhubarb-glossary
It’s no surprise then that it’s a common sight in vegetable patches around the country.
Although it’s perfectly acceptable to grow rhubarb alone, you might find it beneficial to partner it with one or more companion plants.
That’s because they can offer symbiotic advantages to one another, including pest deterrence, pollinator attraction, soil improvement and growth stimulation.
With that in mind, here’s a rundown of some of the 7 best companion plants to position alongside your rhubarb specimens to ensure mutual benefits for both.
1) Strawberries
Strawberries and rhubarb don’t just go well together in your favourite sweet pie recipe – they’re also bosom buddies in the vegetable patch, too.
That’s because the former help to provide ground cover and deter weed growth, while the latter offers shade from the strongest rays of the sun.
They can be harvested at more or less the same time too, simplifying the whole process.
2) Garlic
The leaves of rhubarb plants are positively adored by leaf beetles and their large surface area makes them a beacon to these dangerous critters, who also feed on their stems.
The high sulphur content found in garlic can keep the beetles and other unwanted pests, such as weevils and ants, from compromising the health of your plant and stealing your stems.2Plata-Rueda, A., Martínez, L., Santos, M. H. D., Wilcken, C. F., Soares, M. A., Serrão, J. E., & Zanuncio, J. C. (2017). Insecticidal activity of garlic essential oil and their constituents against the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Scientific Reports, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep46406
3) Beetroot
On the one hand, the complimentary red-and-green colouring of beetroot and rhubarb is an attractive combination in the garden itself.
However, it’s not just a marriage based on cosmetic appeal, as rhubarb provides much-needed shade for the beetroot plants below.
4) Brassicas
This is one arrangement where the rhubarb is doing all the heavy lifting.
Smaller varieties of these leafy greens (such as baby kale or kohlrabi) can shelter from the sun under rhubarb’s ample foliage.
5) Beans
The bean and rhubarb combo is a perfect example of Mother Nature working in harmony.
Beans can help to elevate levels of nitrogen in the soil, which is superb news for rhubarb since they require a lot of nutrients.3UK’s first measurements of nitrogen added by legumes to a crop production system. (n.d.). The James Hutton Institute. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/uk%E2%80%99s-first-measurements-nitrogen-added-legumes-crop-production-system
6) Sage
Sage is a helpful herb to plant alongside your rhubarb patch for a couple of different reasons.
For starters, its fragrant blooms will draw the attention of pollinators, as well as attract predatory insects which are beneficial in wiping out unwanted infestations of parasitical ones.
Meanwhile, the long roots of sage can break up the soil and aerate it, stimulating rhubarb growth.
7) Asparagus
Like sage, asparagus also likes to ‘stretch its legs’ in the soil and its long roots can help to improve circulation and encourage root movement in terrain that has become compacted, heavy or waterlogged.4Growing Vegetables: Asparagus [fact sheet]. (2021, December 7). University of New Hampshire. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://extension.unh.edu/resource/growing-vegetables-asparagus-fact-sheet
What’s more, both are perennials which can be harvested around the same time, meaning they’re a great low-maintenance double act.
