Losing patience with insects decimating your garden? Why not try companion planting?  Also referred to as inter-planting, inter-cropping, or polyculture, this eco-friendly, non-toxic method of pest management benefits insects such as bees, butterflies, and ladybugs.  

Companion planting, or placing two or more different plants near one another, is likely to provide seven benefits:  

  1. Soil preparation and conditioning – using cover crops that fix nitrogen in the soil. 
  2. Weed management – using plants as a crop cover or living mulch to control weeds. 
  3. Pest management – repelling pests and attracting beneficial insects 
  4. disease management – plants are better able to resist disease with less stress from pests 
  5. Enhancing biodiversity 
  6. Improving pollination – attracting pollinators and repelling 
  7. Support – using one plant as a living trellis for another plant to climb 

While some companion pairings have been scientifically proven through research, many stem from anecdotal garden wisdom.  

Planting basil near tomatoes helps repel flies, and mosquitoes, and improves   tomato yields. For peppers, basil improves their flavor, and helps repel aphids, spider mites, mosquitoes, and flies. French marigolds help prevent nematodes. 

Corn and beans grow well together because beans climb the cornstalks, a natural trellis. Beans also fix nitrogen in the soil, which is good for the corn.  

Consult the chart below for other beneficial companion plant pairings to help your garden naturally control pests. 

PLANT  INSECTS AND PESTS DETERRED  PLANT NEAR 
Asters 

 

 Most insects  Sunflower, plant around the garden 
Basil 

 

 Flies, thrips, and mosquitoes  Tomato, peppers, avoid planting near rue 
Borage 

 

 Tomato worn, cabbage worms  Tomato, cabbage family crops, strawberry 
Calendula 

 

 Asparagus beetles, tomato hornworms, most insects  All vegetables and herbs 
Catnip 

 

 Flea beetles, spittlebugs, ants, Japanese beetles, weevils  All vegetables 
Celery 

 

 White cabbage butterfly  Leek, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, bush bean 
Chrysanthemum 

 

 Most insects, nematodes, spider mites  Tomato; avoid planting near lettuce 
Dead Nettle 

 

 Potato bugs  Potato 
Eggplant 

 

 Colorado potato beetle  Green bean, lettuce 
Flax

(Linnum usitatissimum) 

 Potato bugs  Potato, carrot 
Garlic 

 

 Japanese beetle, aphids, spider mites, other insects, and blight  Tomato, eggplant, cabbage family plants; avoid planting near peas, beans, and other legumes 
Geranium 

 

 Cabbageworms, corn earworms, Japanese beetles, most insects  Interplant with vegetables, especially cabbage 
Horseradish 

 

 Potato bug  Potato, horseradish needs a permanent home 
Henbit 

 

 Most insects    
Hyssop 

 

 Cabbage moth  Cabbage family, orchards, grapevines; avoid planting near radishes 
Marigold 

 

 Nearly all insects including Mexican bean beetles and nematodes  Potato, tomato, pepper, eggplant, roses 
Mint 

 

 Cabbage moth and ants  Cabbage, tomato 
Mole plant (Euphorbia lathyrus) 

 

 Moles, gophers, mice  Space around the garden every 5 feet as a barrier 
Nasturtium 

 

 Aphids, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, whiteflies  Beans, summer squash, zucchini, cabbage family plants, cucumber 
Onion family 

 

 Most pests, Colorado potato beetles, carrot rust flies, spider mites  Most vegetables except peas, beans, sage 
Petunia 

 

 Bean pests, Mexican bean beetles, potato bugs, squash bugs  Beans, squash, potato 
Pot Marigold 

 

 Asparagus beetles, tomato worms, general garden pests  Asparagus, tomato, most vegetables 
Peppermint 

 

 White cabbage butterfly  Cabbage 
Radish 

 

 Cucumber beetles, squash borers  Beans, carrot, cucumber, kohlrabi, parsnip, onion, squash 
Rosemary 

 

 Cabbage moth, bean beetle, carrot fly  Beans, cabbage family plants, carrot 
Rue 

 

 Japanese beetle  Avoid skin contact; do not plant near cabbage family plants 
Sage 

 

 Cabbage moth, carrot fly  Plant with perennial vegetables; avoid planting with cucumbers and rue 
Salsify 

 

 Carrot fly  Carrot family plants 
Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum) 

 

 Cabbage moth, black aphids  Cabbage family plants or make a southernwood-water solution to spray cabbage 
Summer Savory 

 

 Bean beetles  Beans, onion 
Tansy 

 

 Flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, ants  Squash, potato; avoid planting near collard 
Thyme 

 

 Cabbage worm  Eggplant, cabbage, potato, tomato, almost all vegetables, and herbs 
Tomato 

 

 Asparagus beetle  Asparagus, dill, borage 
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) 

 

 Carrot fly, white cabbage butterfly, black flea beetle  Do not plant wormwood in the vegetable garden, but leaves used to make a spray will deter insects.