Companion Plants Herbs

Herbs aren’t a cure-all but can have a beneficial effect in the vegetable garden by deterring pests, attracting beneficial insects or enhancing growth or flavour of vegetables. Herbs can be planted around the edges of the vegetable beds or throughout the garden between the vegetables. Some herbs can be invasive; these ones are best planted in pots which can then be moved around the vegetable garden to where they are best needed.

Below is a list of herbs and their use in the vegetable garden. The list is not complete but is a useful guide.

Herb

Deters

Use

Basil

Flies, fruit fly, mosquitoes

Tomatoes

Borage

Attracts bees, deters tomato worm

Promotes heavier crop in strawberries and other crops, adds trace elements to the soil

Calendula

Nematodes, white fly

Attracts bees

Chamomile

Flies, mosquitoes

Good throughout garden, improves crop size in onions

Chives

Nematodes and soil pests, aphis

Fruit trees

Comfrey

 

Use leaves as a plant food, in liquid manure/compost teas, in compost heaps

Dill

Repels cabbage moth

Attracts bees & useful insects

Fennel

Fleas, mosquitoes

Attracts bees. Most plants don’t like, esp tomatoes, beans

French Marigold –Tagetes sp

Nematodes and soil pests, aphis

Most vegies

Garlic

Nematodes and soil pests, most insects, blight

Fruit trees

Geranium

Deters most insects

 

Horseradish

Deters Potato bug

 

Hyssop

Use as lure for cabbage moth

 

Lavender

Moths, repels most insects

Attracts bees

Lemon balm

 

Good around all vegies

Mint

Cabbage Moth, ants, aphis, fleas, flies, mosquitoes

 

Nasturtium

Repels aphis, ants

Attracts bees, promotes a healthy garden, Most vegetables like

Parsley

 

Tomatoes, asparagus, chives. Dislikes mint

Pennyroyal

Fleas, mosquitoes

Rub on skin to stop mozzies biting

Pyrethrum

Natural insecticide – harmless to animals

 

Rosemary

Flies, mosquitoes, repels carrot root fly, bean beetle

Carrots

Rue

Flies

Most plants dislike, plant away from the vegetable garden

Sage

Cabbage moth, carrot fly

 

Santolina

Insect repellent

 

Southernwood

Repels insects

 

Tansy

Flies, insect repellent, ants, squash bugs, cucumber beetle

Good companion plant

Thyme

House flies, root flies, cabbage worm

Attracts bees

Wormwood

Said to repel snakes, most flying insects

 

Yarrow

Compost activator

Good companion plant

 

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.