Herbs And Their Use In Companion Planting
Companion planting is becoming popular with gardeners as an organic way of discouraging harmful pests, improving the vigour of plants and enhancing the flavour of crops, simply by partnering certain plants together around the veg, fruit and flower garden.
Below is a list of herbs that play an important role in companion planting and although there is still a lot to learn about the subject we hope that you will find this guide helpful.
Basil will deter fruit fly when planted around peach, apricot and nectarine trees. It is also said to improve the growth and flavour of tomatoes and is a good partner for peppers and asparagus. Basil is good for repelling thrips, flies and mosquitoes, but does not grow well near sage.
Bay is good at protecting neighbouring plants from insect and health problems and is said to deter weevils, and moths.
Borage is good when planted near strawberries and tomatoes as it helps to improve not only their flavour but yield. It is also said to deter tomato worms.
Chives are a good companion to apples trees as once established it helps to prevent apple scab. It is also said to improve the growth and flavour of carrots and tomatoes and deter aphids and carrot rust fly. Plant near roses to help to prevent black spot.
Dill is a good companion of lettuce, onions, sweet corn and cucumber. It is said to improve the health and growth of cabbages, but should not be planted near tomatoes. It help repel aphids and spider mites.
Lavender is good when planted under apple trees as it can help to deter codling moth. It is said to offer protection to nearby plants from whitefly and helps repel fleas and moths.
Marigolds are an excellent pest deterrent and help to deter whitefly. They are good when planted near tomatoes and are often grown in greenhouses for this reason. Their roots produce a substance which helps reduce the number of harmful root-knot nematodes in the soil.
Marjoram is said to improve the flavour of any vegetables growing nearby and is good for attracting honey bees.
Nasturtiums are good near most plants as they act as a trap crop for aphids and blackfly. The cabbage white butterfly will often lay its eggs on nasturtium, keeping the caterpillars away from your brassicas. Around fruit trees it is said to deter woolly aphid.
Mint (including spearmint) helps to deter white cabbage moths, and improves the health of cabbages and tomatoes.
Oregano is a good companion to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower as it helps to repel the cabbage moth. It is also said to deter the cucumber beetle.
Parsley is good when planted near carrots, chives, onions, tomatoes and asparagus. It can be made into a tea to ward off asparagus beetle and is said to increase the scent of roses if grown nearby.
Rosemary Good for deterring cabbage flies and repels many bean parasites. It is a particularly good companion to sage, beans, cabbage and carrots.
Sage is good at deterring root maggot flies and cabbage worms, and its flowers will attract many beneficial insects. It is a good companion to cabbages, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries.
Tarragon is good for enhancing the flavour and growth of vegetables nearby.
Thyme when planted around your vegetable plot or in flower borders is said to repel harmful insects from the other plants. It is good at deterring cabbage worm.