What Can I Plant Near Rhubarb as Companion Plants?

Rhubarb is a large, spreading plant that occupies considerable space in the kitchen garden — a fully-established crown can cover a square metre or more by midsummer. This means that thinking carefully about what grows near it is worthwhile, both to make productive use of the space in early spring before the canopy closes, and to avoid plants that will compete aggressively with the rhubarb root system. Companion planting near rhubarb can be practical and productive if you choose the right plants.

Early spring intercropping

The area around rhubarb crowns is largely bare in January and February before the crown emerges. Fast-growing spring salads, radishes, spinach and land cress can be sown in the outer edges of the rhubarb bed to mature and be harvested before the rhubarb canopy expands and closes over. These crops make productive use of space and are clear before they compete with the rhubarb.

Flowers that support beneficial insects

Planting low-growing flowering plants at the edges of the rhubarb bed — nasturtiums, phacelia, calendula — attracts hoverflies, parasitic wasps and ladybirds whose larvae feed on aphids. These beneficial insects then service not just the rhubarb bed but the wider vegetable garden. Nasturtiums also act as a decoy crop for aphids, drawing colonies away from more sensitive plants.

Plants to avoid near rhubarb

Avoid planting deep-rooted perennial vegetables or shrubs close to rhubarb — these compete for the same root space over the long term. Strong-growing plants like Jerusalem artichoke or oca can out-compete rhubarb when established nearby. Keep aggressive spreaders well away to avoid future management problems. Taller plants placed to the south of rhubarb will eventually shade it — always consider the final mature size and position of neighbours.