Companion planting with herbs
May 28th, 2009
Companion planting is about using one species to benefit another. Some herbs are a natural deterrent for pests and diseases, or can improve the growth and flavour of other plants. The following is a list of herbs and their relationships in the garden.
[source: Wikipedia]
| Common name | Scientific name | Helps | Helped by | Attracts | Repels / Distracts | Avoid | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basil | Ocimum basilicum | tomato, peppers, oregano, asparagus, petunias | chamomile, anise | butterflies | asparagus beetle, mosquitoes and flies | common rue, sage | is said to make tomatoes taste better, chamomile and anise are supposed to increase the essential oils in many herbs like basil |
| Borage | Borago officinalis | Almost everything, especially strawberry, cucurbits (cucumber, gourds), tomatoes | Predatory insects, honeybees | many pests | Borage is the magic bullet of companion plants | ||
| Caraway | Carum carvi | Strawberries | Parasitic wasps, parasitic flies | ||||
| Chamomile | Matricaria recutita | Basil, Wheat, Onion, Cabbage, Cucumber | Hoverflies, wasps | Growing near herbs will increase their oil production. | |||
| Chervil | Anthriscus cerefolium | Radish, lettuce, broccoli | aphids | loves shade, fortunately it grows well with shade-tolerant food plants; will make radishes grown near it taste spicier | |||
| Coriander / Cilantro | Coriandrum sativum | spinach | beans, peas | tachinid fly | aphids | ||
| Chives | Allium schoenoprasum | Apples, carrots, tomatoes, brassica (broccoli, cabbage, mustard, etc), many others | carrots | cabbage worms, carrot fly, aphids | beans, peas | Same companion traits as all alliums (onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, etc)said to prevent apple scab after 3 years planting at base of apple trees | |
| Common name | Scientific name | Helps | Helped by | Attracts | Repels / Distracts | Avoid | Comments |
| Dill | Anethum graveolens | Cabbages, Corn, Lettuce, Onions, Cucumbers | Hoverflies, Wasps, Tomato Horn Worms, honeybees, Ichneumonid Wasps | Aphids, spider mites, squash bugs, cabbage looper | carrots, tomatoes | one of the few plants said to grow with fennel | |
| Fennel | Foeniculum vulgare | Dill | Dill | ladybugs, syrphid fly, tachinid fly | aphids | Almost everything | Fennel is allelopathic to most garden plants, inhibiting growth, causing to bolt, or actually killing many plants |
| Garlic | Allium sativum | Apple trees, Pear trees, Roses, Cucumbers, Peas, Lettuce, Celery | Aphids, cabbage looper, ants, rabbits, cabbage maggot | Deters rabbits, same companion traits as all alliums (onions, chives, shallots, leeks, etc) | |||
| Hemp | Cannabis sativa L. subsp. sativa | Brassica (cabbage, brussels sprouts, other kales) | Repels many types of beetles which attack cabbages. | ||||
| Hyssop | Hyssopus officinalis | Cabbage, grapes | honeybees, butterflies | Cabbage moth larvae, Cabbage Butterflies | Stimulates growth of grapes. | ||
| Lovage | Levisticum officinale | Almost all plants | beans | Ichneumonid Wasps, ground beetles (good) | rhubarb | Is thought to improve the health of almost all plants, like borage and geraniums, is considered a “magic bullet” of companion planting | |
| Oregano | Origanum vulgare | Tomatoes, peppers, many other plants | basil | aphids | provides ground cover and much-needed humidity for pepper plants if allowed to spread among them | ||
| Common name | Scientific name | Helps | Helped by | Attracts | Repels / Distracts | Avoid | Comments |
| Peppermint | Mentha piperita | Brassica (cabbage, kholrabi, broccoli, and the other kales) | cabbage fly, ants, cabbage looper | Repels cabbage flies, has same general companion properties as other mints | |||
| Rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis | sage, cabbage, beans, carrots | bean beetle | Deters cabbage flies, repels many bean parasites | |||
| Sage | Salvia officinalis | rosemary, cabbage, beans, carrots | honeybees, cabbage butterfly | cabbage flies, carrot fly, black flea beetle, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot | Deters cabbage flies, repels many bean parasites | ||
| Southernwood | Artemisia abrotanum | Fruit trees | Controls cabbage moths and malaria mosquitoes. | ||||
| Spearmint | Mentha spicata | ants, aphids | Controls ants and aphids, has same general companion properties as other mints. | ||||
| Summer Savoury | Satureja hortensis | Green beans, onions, | also delays germination of certain foul herbs | ||||
| Tansy | Tanacetum vulgare | beans, cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, etc), corn, roses | honeybees | flying insects(Ichneumonid Wasps), Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs and ants | Is reputed to generally repel insects (except for nectar-eating types). This herb should not be consumed, as it is quite toxic. |
