Companion Planting with Herbs - Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schenectady

1. 107 Nott Terrace, Suite 301
Schenectady, NY 12308
Phone: (518) 372-1622; Fax: (518) 372-8703
www.cceschenectady.org
Companion Planting with Herbs
Create a balance of life on the plot of earth you till. Sprays, dusts and traps become unnecessary
as beneficial predators and parasites reach the point where they can keep the numbers of
potential pests at a low, tolerable level. The key word here is “tolerable”. It describes a
peaceful state of garden activity in which the bugs keep themselves in line, with the only price to
the gardener being occasional nibbles taken out of a few crops. You should always strive to have
a supply of beneficial insects at hand.
Obviously, chemicals are inimical to this delicate balance of life. Many organic gardeners don’t
realize either that nontoxic homemade sprays can also upset the balance and pave the way for a
pest infestation. The best advice for pulling any crop through the season is: Don’t interfere until
the bug damage becomes Intolerable.
Remember: a pest can be further discouraged by planting crops it likes next to plants it can’t
stand -- companion planting.
While it may seem to the average gardener that bugs are crawling over everything in the garden,
chances are that a few plants are having no trouble at all. Garlic, marigolds, and mints are
known for their built-in repulsiveness to bugs, and a number of other plants have this fortunate
trait, too.
Many organic gardeners have observed that repellent plants provide some protection on nearby
crops of up to a distance of about three feet. Some herbs turn off a whole variety of insects while
others are effective against only a particular pest.
If a bug has been troubling you season after season, check the list below to see if there is a
protective plant that could be used against it.
Ants (and the aphids they carry) Pennyroyal, spearmint, southern-wood, tansy
Aphids The above, as well as; garlic, chives, and other alliums;
coriander, anise, nasturtium around fruit trees
Borer Garlic, tansy
Cabbage maggot Planted in adjacent rows; mint, rosemary, sage
Cabbage moth Mint, hyssop, rosemary, southern-wood, thyme, sage,
wormwood, catnip, nasturtium
Carrot fly Rosemary, sage, wormwood, various alliums, coriander
Colorado potato beetle Horseradish, dead nettle, flax
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2. Cucumber beetle (spotted & striped) Tansy
Cutworm Tansy
Eelworm Marigold (French & African)
Flea Beetle Wormwood, mint catnip
Fruit tree moth Southernwood
Gopher Mole plant
Japanese beetle Garlic, tansy, rue
Mexican bean beetle Marigold, rosemary, summer savory
Mice Mint
Mites Garlic, chives
Mole Spurge, mole plant
Nematode Marigold (African & French) Calendula (pot marigold)
Plum curcurlio Garlic
Rabbit Allium family
Slug (snail) Prostrate rosemary, wormwood
Squash bug Tansy, nasturtium
Striped pumpkin beetle Nasturtium
Tomato hornworm Borage, marigold, opal basil
White fly Nasturtium, marigold
Wireworm Woad
This listing of companion plants is based on scientific evidence as well as folklore. The main
thing is not to plant your garden in strict mono-cropped rows. Diversity of plants is the easiest
and most effective pesticide the home garden has.
Herb Companions and Effects
Basil Companion to tomatoes; dislikes rue intensely. Improves
growth and flavor. Repels flies and mosquitoes.
Beebalm Companion to tomatoes; improves growth and flavor.
Borage Companion to tomatoes, squash and strawberries; deters tomato
worm; improves growth and flavor.
Caraway Plant here and there; loosens soil.
Catnip Plant in borders; deters flea beetle.
Chamomile Companion to cabbages and onions; improves growth and
flavor.
Chervil Companion to radishes; improves growth and flavor.
Chives Companion to carrots; improves growth and flavor.
Dead nettle Companion to potatoes; deters potato bug; improves growth and
flavor.
Dill Companion to cabbage; dislikes carrots; improves growth and
health of cabbage.
Fennel Plant away from gardens. Most plants dislike it.
Flax Companion to carrots, potatoes; deters potato bug. Improves
growth and flavor.
Garlic Plant near roses and raspberries; deters Japanese beetle;

3. improves growth and health.
Horseradish Plant at corners of potato patch to deter potato bug.
Henbit General insect repellant.
Hyssop Deters cabbage moth; companion to cabbage and grapes. Keep
away from radishes.
Lamb’s-Quarters This edible weed should be allowed to grow in moderate
amounts in the garden, especially in corn.
Lemon Balm Sprinkle throughout garden.
Lovage Improves flavor and health of plants if planted here and there.
Marigolds The workhorse of the pest deterrents. Plant throughout garden,
it discourages Mexican bean beetles, nematodes and other
insects.
Mint Companion to cabbage and tomatoes; improves health and
flavor, deters white cabbage moth.
Marjoram Here and there in garden, improves flavors.
Mole Plant Deters moles and mice if planted here and there.
Nasturtium Companion to radishes, cabbage and curcurbits; plant under
fruit trees. Deters aphids, squash bugs, striped pumpkin
beetles. Improves growth and flavor.
Peppermint Planted among cabbages, it repels the white cabbage butterfly.
Petunia Protects beans.
Pigweed One of the best weeds for pumping nutrients from the subsoil, it
is especially beneficial to potatoes; onions and corn. Keep
weeds thinned,
PotMarigold Companion to tomatoes but plant elsewhere in garden, too.
Deters asparagus beetle, tomato worm and general garden pests.
Purslane This edible weed makes a good ground cover in the corn.
Rosemary Companion to cabbage, bean, carrots and sage; deters cabbage
moth, bean beetles and carrot fly.
Rue Keep it far away from Sweet Basil; plant near roses and
raspberries; deters Japanese beetle.
Sage Plant with rosemary, cabbage and carrots; keep away from
cucumbers. Deters cabbage moth, carrot fly.
Southernwood Plant here and there in garden; companion to cabbage; improves
Growth and flavor, deters cabbage moth.
Sowthistle This weed in moderate amounts can help tomatoes, onions and
corn.
Summer Savory Plant with beans and onions; improves growth and flavor.
Deters bean beetles.
Tansy Plant under fruit trees, companion to roses and raspberries.
Deters flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber
beetles, squash bugs, ants.
Tarragon Good throughout garden.
Thyme Here and there in garden. It deters cabbage worm.
Valerian Good anywhere in garden.
Wild Morning Glory Allow it to grow in corn.

4. Wormwood As a border, it keeps animals from the garden.
Yarrow Plant along borders, paths, near aromatic herbs; enhances
essential oil production.
Compiled by: Virginia McCarthy, Master Gardener, Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer
County and entrepreneur of the Red Salt Box Herb Farm, Poestenkill, NY.