Companion Plants For Herbs: Tips For A Thriving Garden
With their fragrant leaves, small size, and low maintenance needs, culinary herbs are some of the best companion plants for flowers and vegetables. Not only do herb companion plants repel garden pests and boost the growth of neighboring veggies, but companion planting with herbs is also handy for suppressing weeds and attracting beneficial insects. Plus, herbs are easy to slip into container gardens – a definite boon for urban gardeners and anyone looking for ways to grow more edible crops in a small space!
Learn how to use herb companion planting to your advantage in a container or vegetable garden, and discover some excellent companion plant pairings in the tips below.
Companion Plants For Herbs
What Is Companion Planting?
Organic gardeners have been using companion planting for generations for natural pest control and other perks. The concept behind companion planting is simple: some garden plants naturally complement each other’s growth, and planting these companions together makes gardens grow better.
Many flower and vegetable plants can be used as plant companions, but herbs are especially good candidates for companion planting since they offer numerous benefits to their neighbors.
Benefits Of Companion Planting
The most common reason gardeners use companion planting is for pest control. Some strongly scented plants naturally repel unwanted pests, like Japanese beetles, carrot root flies, white cabbage moths, and the bean beetle. Other plants attract predatory insects, like hoverflies and ladybugs, that feed on plant pests.
However, there are many benefits of companion planting beyond pest control, including:
- Fewer weeds. Low-growing plants, like creeping thyme, are often used as natural groundcovers to reduce weeds and lock in soil moisture levels.
- Improved plant growth. Legumes, like beans and peas, naturally improve soils and boost the growth of other plants.
- Space savings. Tall plants, like corn, function as natural trellises for vining beans, while small herbs can be planted at the base of taller crops to fill in empty space.
Companion Planting Basics
When choosing companion plants, it’s always a good idea to research the growing needs of the plants you’d like to grow. Although many herbs, flowers, and veggies can be planted together, plants with very different care needs won’t make great plant partners in the garden.
For instance, Mediterranean herbs love well-draining, sandy earth, so they aren’t good companion plants for veggies that crave moist soil!
For best results, select plants with the same basic light and water needs and determine whether vining plants need trellising. As a general rule of thumb, light feeding plants can be grown together, but heavy feeding plants, like tomatoes and potatoes, should be kept away from other heavy feeders.
You’ll also want to research whether plants are annuals or perennials, as planting perennial herbs in a garden bed filled with annual vegetables can make tilling and mulching a little tricky.
Once you’ve settled on the types of plants you’re interested in growing, double-check that your garden has enough space to accommodate your plant selections. Good airflow is essential for healthy plant growth and for preventing issues like powdery mildew. Many herbs grow beautifully in small, 6” pots, but you will need more space if you want to grow multiple herb and vegetable plants together!
Basics of Herb Gardening
Most herbs are full sun plants, which means they need at least 6 to 8 hours of bright light daily. However, dill, cilantro and a few other tender-stemmed herbs will grow better in hot climates with light afternoon shade.
Tender-stemmed herbs need regular watering, while herbs with woody stems, like lavender and oregano, prefer to grow in well-drained soil with less moisture. In general, herbs are light feeders that don’t need much fertilizer but can benefit from a monthly dose of diluted, liquid organic fertilizer during the growing season.
For even more planting options, most potted herbs can be grown indoors with a grow light and harvested year round!
Are you new to herb gardening? Our beginner’s guide to herb gardening will be a resource for you.
Companion Plants For Popular Herbs
Basil
Basil is a versatile herb that partners well with most veggies and tender-stemmed herbs, but it’s a particularly good match for tomato plants! When planted with tomatoes, basil repels pests like tomato hornworms, while taller tomatoes return the favor by shielding basil leaves from sunburn.
Oregano
Since most pests avoid oregano’s strong aroma, oregano is a good plant to grow for general pest protection. Oregano is especially good for controlling cucumber beetles on melons, pumpkins, and other members of the Cucurbit plant family.
Thyme
While thyme can be used for pest control, it’s also a fantastic plant for weed prevention. Try growing creeping thyme as a low maintenance groundcover or plant common thyme or lemon thyme near Brassicas to repel cabbage worms!
Chives
Chives and other plants in the Allium family are famous for their strong scent, which deters a wide range of pests. Grow chives as border plants around your garden to keep deer and rabbits from browsing in veggie beds, or pair chives with carrots to deter carrot flies. If you keep roses, plant chives nearby to prevent black spot.
Parsley
Parsley can be used as a companion plant for many vegetables, but it’s often paired with asparagus for asparagus beetle control. If you want to use parsley to attract hoverflies and other beneficial bugs, let some of your parsley plants flower!
Mint
Aphids, flea beetles, and cabbage loopers avoid mint plants, making mint a great companion plant for tomatoes and Brassicas. But you may want to grow mint in its own pot near your garden to keep mints from growing aggressively.
Dill
Dill flowers attract beneficial insects, like hoverflies and parasitic wasps. Keep pests at bay by planting this annual herb near Cucurbits, Brassicas, lettuce, and sweet corn, and don’t pull up your dill plants when they start to bolt!
Sage
Sage acts as a natural insect repellant for flea beetles, cabbage loopers, and carrot flies that target Brassicas and root veggies. Just remember to plant sage in a spot where it won’t overshadow smaller plants — sage is a perennial that grows quite large.
Cilantro
Cilantro flowers are highly attractive to predatory wasps that feed on pests like spider mites and cabbage loopers. Take full advantage of cilantro’s pest preventing properties by growing this herb near plants that attract pest caterpillars, like tomatoes, spinach, and Brassicas.
Rosemary
Beans, Brussels sprouts, and other Brassicas all benefit from rosemary’s ability to repel pests. However, because rosemary plants aren’t cold-hardy, you may want to grow this herb in a pot and bring it indoors in the winter.
Here’s a list of companion plants for rosemary, as well as a guide to pruning oregano.
Common Mistakes & How To Avoid Them
Although most herbs grow well with vegetables and other herbs, there are a few exceptions. Growing chives near beans and peas can interfere with legumes’ nitrogen-fixing properties. Dill and carrots also don’t get along as these two plants are closely related and attract the same pests.
Aside from incompatibility issues, it’s also important to remember that woody-stemmed herbs can develop root rot if they’re kept in overly moist soil. If you want to grow these plants near water-loving herbs and veggies, separating them into different pots or beds may be wise.
To avoid issues with overcrowding, always read plant labels and seed package instructions and follow the recommended spacing guidelines. Growing too many plants together in a small space can affect their overall health and lead to mildew issues or stunted plant growth.
We’ve assembled a guide with herb garden essentials and the tools to grow herbs.
Seasonal Tips & Maintenance
Harvesting herbs throughout the growing season makes plants more productive, but you can also prune plants if they need reshaping. Cut back stems to a leaf node to encourage branching, but don’t cut woody-stemmed herbs back into their woody sections, and never remove more than 1/3 of the plant’s leaves at once.
Aside from pruning and harvesting, herbs must be watered regularly and may benefit from fertilizer in spring and summer. Cold hardy perennial herbs can be left outside during the winter, but mulching over the soil to protect their root systems is usually wise.
Heat-loving herbs, like rosemary, can be grown as annuals or overwintered indoors in pots, while true annual herbs, like dill, need to be planted every year unless plants are allowed to self-sow.
Short on space? This guide to growing herbs in raised beds will help you out.
Companion Planting For Herbs In Pots
Using herbs as companion plants in container gardens is a smart way to squeeze more plants into a small space. Not to mention, you can use those tasty herb leaves to add flavor to the vegetables you grow in your container garden!
Make sure to keep your potted plants in an area that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of bright light, and choose an appropriately sized pot to fit the plants you’d like to grow. While a single basil plant can fit in a 6” container, if you want to grow basil with tomatoes or another vegetable plant, larger 5 to 10-gallon grow bags are usually a better option.
Make sure that any container you use has drainage holes in the base, and then fill it up with well-draining soil intended for container gardens.
If you’d like to grow herbs and vegetables together in a single pot, try out some of these plant combinations:
- Tomatoes with basil
- Bush cucumbers with dill
- Bush beans or bush peas with rosemary
Interested in growing your own? Learn about growing herbs for a tea garden, plus growing 22 herbs for cooking.
FAQ’s Companion Plants For Herbs
Sprawling plants like pumpkins quickly drown out smaller herb plants. However, you may be able to grow these spreading plants with herbs if you choose small pumpkin varieties and train their vines to grow on trellises.
Woody-stemmed herbs and tender-stemmed herbs generally don’t mix in the garden as they have different soil moisture needs.
Basil is one of the best companions for tomatoes, but you can also try companion planting herbs like chives, parsley, dill, and oregano nearby for a bountiful harvest of tomatoes!
Conclusion
Aromatic herbs make ideal companions for other herbs, vegetables and flowers, but they can also be used to flavor your homegrown veggies when harvest season arrives. For even more planting inspiration, consider planning out a salad, salsa, or pizza garden, complete with all the vegetables and herbs you enjoy using in your recipes.
Keep some oregano in your pizza garden to complement the taste of the tomatoes you grow, or plant cilantro in your salsa garden to spice up those homegrown onions, peppers, and tomatoes. The right companion plants not only make gardens grow better, but they also come in handy in the kitchen!
Happy gardening,
-Lauren
Lauren Landers is a Master Gardener and gardening writer living in Maine. After running a small organic farm in New England for several years, Lauren transitioned to freelance writing and loves helping others discover the beauty of organic and pollinator gardening!
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