Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Swiss chard
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Cicla Group)
Amaranthaceae
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
AmaranthaceaeCan you plant Swiss chard and spinach together?
Yes. Swiss chard and spinach grow well together. Growing them together gave a bigger combined harvest in a greenhouse or pot trial. That rests on a single study, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.
Why Swiss chard and spinach work together
Bigger combined harvest. In a greenhouse or pot trial, growing them together gave a bigger combined harvest.
Inoculation with extreme endophytes improves performance and nutritional quality in crop species grown under exoplanetary conditions. (Molina-Montenegro MA · 2023 · Frontiers in plant science)Same family, shared pests. Swiss chard and spinach are both in the Amaranthaceae family, so the same pests and diseases can move from one to the other.
Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
What to plant with Swiss chard and spinach
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
LettuceWith Swiss chard: Bigger combined harvestWith spinach: Bigger combined harvest
What to keep away from Swiss chard and spinach
LeekWith Swiss chard: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
The evidence in detail
For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.
Tradition, research and yield trials
Same family, shared pests and diseases. Both in Amaranthaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insects. Source: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden
Research
Good
avoidgood
1 paper found: 1 positive, 0 negative.
yield / land use
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
No intercropping yield trial.
Good neighbours
What happens above and below ground
Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.
Everything at once.
Companion plants for both Swiss chard and spinach
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With Swiss chard | With spinach |
|---|---|---|
| Lettuce | Bigger combined harvestGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for Swiss chard and lettuce | Bigger combined harvestGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for spinach and lettuce |
The evidence, with sources
- Goodyield / land usegreenhouse / pot trialauto-classifiedInoculation with extreme endophytes improves performance and nutritional quality in crop species grown under exoplanetary conditions.Inoculation with extreme endophytes improves performance and nutritional quality in crop species grown under exoplanetary conditions. (Molina-Montenegro MA · 2023 · Frontiers in plant science)Relevance 88% · effect confidence 56%
- Both in Amaranthaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insectsCrop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
All neighbours of swiss chard and of spinach, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown Swiss chard and spinach together?
Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.