a little gardening hack i started doing last year i'm doing this year as well. is putting my zucchini plants inside of tomato cages. once the zucchini starts growing it'll keep it up off of the dirt.
Having so many zucchini plants so close together was a tangled mess waiting to happen. But the tomato cages helped in several respects: With occasional guiding of leaves through the higher rings of the cage, I was able to keep the plants from growing into each other all season.
Zucchini are the easiest plants to grow and they like to climb and spread. I would plant them at least a meter apart. Another thing to keep in mind is whether you will be able to utilize the crop.
In general, nightshade plants such as peppers, tomatoes and aubergines can be grown next to zucchinis. Just make sure that all plants have enough space, light and nutrients. However, potatoes are the exception here and are less suitable for growing next to zucchini plants.
Avoid planting zucchini and summer squash with all other vining plants which include cucumbers and sweet potatoes as well as pumpkins, winter squashes, and melons.
Zucchini can offer some shade and ground cover for peppers and the two crops grow well together. Peppers do not add any specific benefit for zucchini, but you can grow both together and have a good crop of both.
Place cages over tomato plants early in their growth. Each cage can support one tomato plant. Anchor cages firmly to the ground with wooden stakes to prevent them from toppling over as the plants grow. Suckering or pruning the plants is not necessary when you use cages.
Brassicas: Brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are not good companion plants for peppers as they require similar nutrients from the soil, which can lead to competition and reduced yield.
Within these two extremes: Vegetables which produce fruits generally like full sun, as the sun is an important element in producing the starches and sugars that give these vegetables their flavour. This includes tomatoes, eggplants, capsicum, chilli, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, sweetcorn, beans, peas and rockmelons.
Some crops should be planted in a different bed to the cucumber plants or at least at a good distance from them. As a general rule, plants from the same plant family, such as pumpkins and zucchinis, should not be planted next to cucumbers.
PLANT SPACING:
Space plants 18-24" apart in rows 6' apart. Wider spacing may allow for easier harvesting.
Tomato cages require the plant be grown on the inside of a too-small structure, making things a bit overcrowded and overgrown. Tending and harvesting tomato fruits near the center of the plant is often difficult.
Buying individual tomato cages is perhaps the lowest effort, but most expensive option for trellising your tomatoes, especially if you grow many plants each year. These cages are easy to find at your local hardware or garden store, and come in a variety of sizes and colors.
A better choice is to stake your tomatoes. There are stakes available as long as 10 feet. They come in different materials like wood, bamboo, plastic and metal.
Raised bed sizes can vary greatly, but let's use the example of a 4x8' raised bed. In this bed you could plant two rows of tomatoes, which are each 8' long. If using cages or another wide support system, you can probably fit 6-8 tomato plants in that bed.
Cages should be 14-18 inches in diameter with a height of 4 feet for determinate plants and at least 6 feet for indeterminate. Sturdy cages may be expensive to purchase, but can be constructed by hand using cost-effective livestock fencing or concrete reinforcement wire.
Zucchini and tomatoes can be grown as close neighbors and will make satisfactory companion plants. Both vegetables thrive in the same environmental conditions, so a garden plot that is ideal for one plant is therefore ideal for the other. They both need a location with full sun and benefit from nutrient-rich soil.
Plants like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli are especially heavy feeders, and they compete for resources and reduce the yield of neighboring tomato plants. Some gardeners have success growing a variety of brassicas with tomatoes, but these demanding crops need extra nutrients to keep them happy.
"Companion plants such as marigolds, nasturtiums, and radishes can help improve zucchini growth, flavor, and pest resistance by attracting beneficial insects and repelling harmful pests," says Carrie Spoonemore, co-creator of Park Seed's From Seed to Spoon app.
However, because they are both heavy feeders, require a lot of moisture and light, and need adequate space around them to promote healthy air circulation, they may compete. In light of this, if you want to grow cucumbers and tomatoes together, it is best to plant them 45 – 60 cm apart and in separate soil if possible.
The fact of the matter is that YES the plants are related and YES they share some common diseases but most people do not have the space in their garden to separate them. The reality is that because the two have similar growth requirements, they can in fact be grown quite successfully together.
More Herbs & Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away: Don't just stop at planting Marigolds with your tomatoes. For further protection from pest bugs, you can also plant basil, beans, bee balm, borage, sweet alyssum, chives, garlic, nasturtium, mint, anise, onion, and parsley.