How to Grow Tomatoes With Roses

Keep rose bushes healthy by planting tomatoes nearby.

Companion planting is a trick gardeners use to make plants stronger than they would be on their own. Tomatoes planted with roses make rose bushes stronger. Tomatoes repel aphids and blackspot -- two problems that plague roses. Plant tomatoes each spring near the roses to keep them healthy. Planting tomatoes gives you the added benefit of edible fruit at the end of the season. When adding fertilizer to your roses, consider choosing organic matter like rotted manure or compost instead of chemical fertilizers.

Things You'll Need

• Mulch
• Nitrogen fertilizer

Instructions

1. Plant tomato seeds in the ground near the roses after all chance of frost has passed. Plant them about 2 feet from the roses so the tomatoes won't be damaged by the roses when fruit appears. You also don't want to scratch your hands on the brambles.

2. Keep the seedlings moist until they sprout. Give the tomatoes 1 inch of water per week during the growing season. Adjust this accordingly for sandy soil or particularly hot weather.

3. Use black polyurethane mulch or an organic mulch for both the roses and tomatoes. Mulch preserves the moisture in the soil and keeps weeds at bay.

4. Fertilize the tomato plants with a side-dressing of nitrogen when the first tomatoes start to form.

References

• Cornell University Cooperative Extension; Companion Planting; May 1999
• University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program; Tomatoes; Marianne Riofrio; 2000
• University of Illinois Extension: Our Rose Garden -- Water, Mulch and Fertilize
• West Virginia University Extension; Growing Tomatoes; N. Carl Hardin