Herbs are Your New Best Friend
Not content to be just your favourite garnishes, flavours in the kitchen or way to spice up the grill at your next barbecue...herbs can be your best friend out in the garden too with some simple companion planting! Herbs make friends easily and have plenty of great qualities that rub off on the plants nearby.
There are a number of vegetable plants in your garden that would really love to have these herb plants nearby and we're going to give you all the details on which ones get along. (Trust us, this is much easier than figuring out a seating chart for your next big event!)
Chives - Spicy & Strong
Chives are a garden favourite, with their spicy flavour and beautiful purple blooms that attract all the bumblebees. What's more, these plants also help out your garden by repelling aphids, carrot rust fly and Japanese beetles! This is great news for the neighbouring plants.
Companion plant in your garden with: cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes and carrots.
Parsley - Not Just a Pretty Face
Just a garnish? No way! Parsley is fantastic in salads and on fish dishes as well, but why stop there? This lush green plant looks so great in the garden that it attracts butterflies, hoverflies and useful wasps. These insects are wonderful for your garden to help pollinate and eat any pests such as aphids. It even repels beetles that might gobble up your harvest before you get a chance to pick it!
Companion plant in your garden with: Peas, onions, roses and carrots.
Dill - The Best of Both Worlds
Not everyone appreciates the taste of Dill, but every gardener can appreciate the way it helps out your vegetables! Dill will scare away aphids, cabbage looper, spider mites and squash bugs. It also does a wonderful job of bringing butterflies, ladybugs, bees and caterpillars (the good kind!) into your garden to help pollinate and snack on any pests that want a share of your harvest.
Companion plant in your garden with: cucumber, corn, onions and lettuce.
Basil - The Muscle
Basil is the bouncer of the garden, keeping out the riff-raff and making sure everyone stays happy and has a good time. It works well against aphids, mites, asparagus beetle, tomato hornworm, white flies and mosquitoes!
Companion plant in your garden with: peppers, eggplants, cabbage and tomatoes.
Thyme - A Good Time for All
Thyme does a great job of attracting some of your garden friends, such as bees and predatory insects, while also repelling pests you don't want crashing your party. Cabbage worms, tomato hornworm and flea beetles won't bother you when Thyme is around!
Companion plant in your garden with: eggplants, cabbage, strawberries and potatoes.
Rosemary - Not To Be Overlooked
Don't dismiss it as just a common herb, Rosemary packs a punch - both with flavour in the kitchen, and with its presence in the garden. Use Rosemary to keep out bean beetles, cabbage flies and moths as well as carrot rust flies.
Companion plant in your garden with: broccoli, hot peppers, cabbage and beans.
Even if you're not into cooking with herbs (you might be missing out - check out our favourite herb pairings in the kitchen) you've got to admit they are pretty handy to have around in the garden! A natural pest control option that looks and smells fantastic.
Many herbs are also perennials (although they may need to be kept undercover in the winter) so you can enjoy them year after year. Watch our easy DIY herb planter video for an easy container garden for your patio.