ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Companion planting works in various ways : (a) Plants have an affinity - carrots, lettuce and radish benefit each other. (b) An associative plant, such as hyssop, lures cabbage moth away from cabbage. Hyssop benefits grape vines. (c) A decoy, such as eggplant, will be nibbled off by potato beetles and the desirable crop is unmolested.

Herbs for companion planting that can be freely interspersed throughout the nursery and garden: Basil, chives, tansy, spearmint, peppermint, Lad's love, hyssop and marigolds.

Good companions

basil and tomato

borage and strawberries

chamomile with onions and cabbage

chives with carrots, roses and parsley

comfrey with just about any veggie, + added to the compost

dill with cabbage, corn, lettuce and cucumber

garlic with roses, fruit trees and cucumber

garlic with roses, fruit trees and tomatoes

hyssop with grapes and brussels sprouts

lovage with most vegetable crops

marjoram with most vegetables

mint with cabbages and tomatoes

oregano with broccoli, cabbages and cucumber

parsley with chives, roses and tomatoes

rosemary with carrots, beans and cabbages

sage with cabbage and carrots

summer savory with onions and beans

tansy with fruit trees

tarragon with most vegetable crops

thyme with cabbage

yarrow with all veggies

fruit trees with garlic, onions, chives and nasturtiums

Bad companions

basil and rue

dill and fennel

fennel with beans and tomatoes

garlic with peas, beans, cabbages and strawberries

hyssop with radish

mint with parsley

rosemary with potatoes

rue with sage and basil

apples with potatoes

strawberries with potatoes

beans with chives and garlic

broccoli with tomatoes and strawberries

Companion planting to repel insects

flies dislike basil, tansy and eau-de-cologne mint

ants dislike pennyroyal and spearmint

aphids dislike orange nasturtiums

white-fly dislikes basil

white cabbage moths dislike sage, hyssop, thyme, wormwood and mint, BUT

bees like thyme, catnip, lemon balm, marjoram, hyssop, basil and mint

Plant:

garlic to repel tree borers

catnip tea as a general insect repellant

chamomile tea to repel fleas

plant marigolds to repel cutworms

basil to repel flies and mosquitoes

catnip to repel flies and mosquitoes

fennel to repel fleas

hyssop to repel cabbage moths

lavender to repel clothes moths

marigolds to repel eel worms and beetles

mint to repel cabbage moths and clothes mothes

elderberry and nasturtium as a general insect repellant

pennyroyal to repel ants and aphids

peppermint to repel white cabbage moths and ants

rue to repel cats and dogs

wormwood to repel moths, flies and fleas

catnip to repel mice

sprinkle pepper to repel cats, dogs and caterpillars