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Organic Gardening | Companion Planting

December 19th, 2006 | Category: Organic Gardening

Growing a wide variety of plants, such as flowers, shrubs, and trees, will attract a wide range of wildlife to your garden. This will include predatory pests which are the best natural pest control method and is one of the essentials of organic gardening.

Some of these plants will also deter certain pests due to their fragrance. This is the basis of companion planting; grow plants around your fruit and vegetables which repel pests and/or attract predators and pollinators.

A Quick Guide to Companion Planting

This is a quick guide to which companion plants are the most effective at controlling the pests of common vegetables. Aromatic plants deter pests but also disguise the scent of your fruit and vegetables plants. This is why French Marigolds are one of the most effective companion plants for all fruit and vegetables. Other aromatic plants which may be effective are listed below.

Companion Plants for Beans

  • carrots
  • celery
  • corn
  • most herbs
  • potatoes
  • strawberries

Companion Plants for Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Broccoli

  • beetroot
  • celery
  • dill
  • garlic
  • nasturtiums
  • onion
  • peas
  • potatoes

Companion Plants for Capsicum and Chili

  • basil
  • most other herbs

Companion Plants for Carrots

  • chives
  • garlic
  • leeks
  • lettuce
  • onions
  • peas
  • tomatoes

Companion Plants for Corn

  • beans
  • peas
  • potatoes

Companion Plants for Fruit Trees

Ensure fruit trees are well established and fruiting before you plant companion plants. This is to prevent the companion plants from competing with the trees for light and nutrients. Some of the best companion plants for fruit trees are:

  • chives
  • garlic
  • lavender
  • nasturtiums
  • rosemary
  • sage
  • thyme

Companion Plants for Garlic and Onion

  • beetroot
  • lettuce
  • strawberries
  • tomatoes

Companion Plants for Leeks

  • carrots
  • celery
  • onions

Companion Plants for Lettuce

  • carrots
  • radish
  • strawberries

Companion Plants for Peas

  • beans
  • carrots
  • corn
  • potatoes
  • turnips

Companion Plants for Potatoes

  • beans
  • broccoli
  • cabbage
  • cauliflower
  • corn
  • peas

Companion Plants for Tomatoes

  • asparagus
  • basil
  • broccoli
  • carrots
  • cauliflower
  • garlic
  • onion
  • oregano
  • parsley
  • thyme

It is important to note that the benefits of companion planting have not been proven. It’s hard to say how many companion plants are required to be effective and if they are effective at all. However, many gardeners swear by this organic gardening technique and I think planting a wide variety of plants is always going to be beneficial to an organic garden.

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11 Comments so far

  1. Angela Burrows March 18th, 2007 1:31 pm

    Hi

    Would you please let me know what would be a good companion plant for roses bushes to repell dark brown beetles that make holes in the rose buds and roses petals. I have tried many pest sprays but nothing seems to work on these beetles/bugs. I appear in culsters on the roses

    Look forward to your response.

  2. Andrea March 18th, 2007 7:53 pm

    Are you talking about aphids or something else? If you have aphids see this post:

    Organic Pest Control for Aphids

    Otherwise you could try either of these plants or a combination of them:

      onion
      garlic
      chives
      nasturtium
      parsley
      French marigolds

    Good luck!

  3. william March 22nd, 2007 3:17 pm

    thank you for the information i needed this for my assignment…………

  4. samantha June 9th, 2007 7:01 am

    i have to do a speech on companion planting and this really helped

  5. j me July 23rd, 2007 8:48 am

    does anyone know the best compains for herbs (mostly thyme) i really need to know now!!!

  6. Kylie August 3rd, 2007 9:51 am

    Is there anything that you cant plant lavender with? Will it be ok about camillas and roses?

  7. j me August 9th, 2007 3:41 pm

    hey,
    this website is really good and it really helped me… well i kinda needed the compaions of thyme but whatever…. thank you and i really need it so add it!!!!!!!!!

  8. tim August 20th, 2007 12:01 pm

    Hi can you tell me what to plant with tomatoes to keep the pests away and do you have a homemade nontoxic spay to stop the grubs.
    Cheers……..Tim

  9. Andrea August 22nd, 2007 10:28 pm

    You could try the following companion plants with tomatoes:

    * asparagus
    * basil
    * broccoli
    * carrots
    * cauliflower
    * garlic
    * onion
    * oregano
    * parsley
    * thyme

  10. janette February 29th, 2008 8:40 am

    Hey love you site asking where one can wholesale either organic seed for sowing plants for growing and seed for grinding
    thanks
    janette

  11. Andrea February 29th, 2008 6:34 pm

    I find Diggers is one of the places for seeds.

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