What to plant next to Sweet alyssum
The neighbours on this page are sorted by what the evidence shows: a proven benefit, good with a condition, simply compatible, or to keep apart. Each group says why, and the sources are listed at the end of the page.
Proven benefit
Celtuce
Iceberg lettuce
Lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Romaine lettuceSweet alyssum flowers draw hoverflies, whose larvae eat the aphids on lettuce. A few plants among the lettuces are enough (research in organic lettuce fields in California).
Good neighbours, with a condition
A tall or climbing plant shades a low plant that needs full sun, so put the tall one on the north side (the south side in the southern hemisphere).
These go on the north side, this plant on the south:
Tomato
Cherry tomato
Beefsteak tomato
Cucumber
Raspberry
Blackberry
Blueberry
Aronia
Goji
Sea buckthorn
Grapevine
Kiwi
Elderberry
Honeyberry
Chayote
Passion fruit
Compatible
Plum tomato (Roma)
Zucchini
Pumpkin
Bell pepper
Kapia pepper
Bush beans
Strawberry
Red currant
Blackcurrant
Gooseberry
Alpine strawberry
White currant
Cranberry
Gogoșar pepper
They grow together without a known conflict, but the benefits traditionally claimed for these pairings are not proven.
Why it helps
Mixing crops in the same bed spreads the risk: pests find their target harder, the soil is used at different depths and flowers bring in the insects that pollinate and hunt aphids.
| Spacing in the row | 15 cm (6 in) |
|---|---|
| In a 30 cm (1 ft) square | 9 per square |
| Crop rotation group | Herbs, flowers and perennials |
| Sow outdoors | Apr–May |
| Harvest | Jun–Oct |
Sweet alyssum: spacing, plants per square and companions →
Plan it in the garden
The planner warns you when two crops with a documented shared risk, such as tomatoes and potatoes, end up next to each other, so you can fix the layout before planting.
Start Planning Your GardenSources
The class of each neighbour on this page rests on these sources.
- Planning the Vegetable Garden (426-312) — Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech for: good neighbours, with a condition; checked 2026-10-31
- Preparing a garden plan — UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR for: good neighbours, with a condition; checked 2026-10-31
- The Myth of Companion Plantings (L. Chalker-Scott) — Washington State University Extension for: compatible; checked 2026-10-28
- Del-Pozo Valdivia confirms the benefit of insectary plants in lettuce (2019) — UC Statewide IPM Program for: proven benefit; checked 2026-10-31
- Efficient intercropping for biological control of aphids in transplanted organic lettuce (E. Brennan) — USDA Agricultural Research Service, via eOrganic for: proven benefit; checked 2026-10-31