Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Cucurbitaceae

Spinach

Spinacia oleracea

Amaranthaceae

Can you plant cucumbers and spinach together?

Yes. Cucumbers and spinach grow well together. Spinach improved the soil or nutrient uptake of cucumbers in a greenhouse or pot trial. That rests on a single study, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.

Why cucumbers and spinach work together

Better soil and nutrient uptake. In a greenhouse or pot trial, spinach improved the soil or nutrient uptake of cucumbers.
Hiseq Base Molecular Characterization of Soil Microbial Community, Diversity Structure, and Predictive Functional Profiling in Continuous Cucumber Planted Soil Affected by Diverse Cropping Systems in an Intensive Greenhouse Region of Northern China. (Ali A · 2019 · International journal of molecular sciences)
Garden charts recommend it. 1 garden chart entry recommends growing them together. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Reducing whiteflies on cucumber using intercropping with less preferred vegetables (Zhao · 2014 · Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata)

What to plant with cucumbers and spinach

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

Sweet cornWith cucumbers: Fewer pestsWith spinach: 57% more harvest
LettuceWith cucumbers: 35% more harvestWith spinach: Bigger combined harvest
BeanWith cucumbers: 14% more harvestWith spinach: Recommended by garden charts, not tested

How each one was tested, with the evidence

What to keep away from cucumbers and spinach

PotatoWith cucumbers: 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

Tradition

Good

avoidgood

1 chart entry: 1 recommend, 0 advise against.

All entries cite a source.

Research

Good

avoidgood

1 paper found: 1 positive, 0 negative.

nutrients / soil

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.

What is going on (1)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Spinach CucumberSpinach changes the soil for Cucumber, sharing nutrients or feeding the fungal threads that link their roots.

Researchgreenhouse / pot trial x1

Hiseq Base Molecular Characterization of Soil Microbial Community, Diversity Structure, and Predictive Functional Profiling in Continuous Cucumber Planted Soil Affected by Diverse Cropping Systems in an Intensive Greenhouse Region of Northern China. (Ali A · 2019 · International journal of molecular sciences)

Tradition saysGood

1 gardening-lore entry. Lore is a starting point, not proof.

Reducing whiteflies on cucumber using intercropping with less preferred vegetables (Zhao · 2014 · Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata)

Companion plants for both cucumbers and spinach

Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.

Plant	With cucumbers	With spinach
Sweet corn	Fewer pestsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cucumbers and corn	57% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for spinach and corn
Lettuce	Fewer pests35% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and lettuce	Bigger combined harvestGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for spinach and lettuce
Bean	14% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and beans	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for spinach and beans

Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).

The evidence, with sources

ResearchGood1 entry

Goodnutrients / soilgreenhouse / pot trialauto-classified

Spinach helps Cucumber
Hiseq Base Molecular Characterization of Soil Microbial Community, Diversity Structure, and Predictive Functional Profiling in Continuous Cucumber Planted Soil Affected by Diverse Cropping Systems in an Intensive Greenhouse Region of Northern China.
Hiseq Base Molecular Characterization of Soil Microbial Community, Diversity Structure, and Predictive Functional Profiling in Continuous Cucumber Planted Soil Affected by Diverse Cropping Systems in an Intensive Greenhouse Region of Northern China. (Ali A · 2019 · International journal of molecular sciences)

Relevance 89% · effect confidence 95%

TraditionGood1 entry

GoodSpinach helps Cucumber
Cucumber: helped by Malabar spinach
Reducing whiteflies on cucumber using intercropping with less preferred vegetables (Zhao · 2014 · Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata)

Plan a bed with cucumbers and spinach

All neighbours of cucumber and of spinach, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.

Have you grown cucumbers 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.