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Companion Planting

Flying Bee
Marigolds


Companion planting is where you plant two plants together that seem to help each other. For example, you might have one plant that has a certain insect enemy and another that repels this insect. If you plant the two together, and they can get along okay (not compete with each other) you and the plants end up as winners and the insects lose out. As an example, the carrot has an enemy in the carrot fly, but the carrot fly doesn’t like onions. So it is said that if you plant carrots and onions together, this helps the carrots. Mint is said to repel the white cabbage butterfly, so these would also make good companions.

The jury is still out on companion planting, and even the experts disagree on the subject. Our attitude is to try it and see what happens. Please leave us know if you have had good luck with companion planting and which plants like each other. We plan on publishing a list of these tested companions at a later date.


Vegetable Companions That Deter Insects

Vegetable Companion Insects
Beans Potatoes Deters Mexican bean beetles.
Beets Onion Family Onion family repels many insects as well as rabbits.
Carrots Onion Family Deters carrot flies, rust flies and some nematodes.
Cabbage Onion Family Deters maggots.
Cabbage Tomatoes Deters flea beetles, cabbage maggots, white cabbage butterflies and imported cabbageworms.
Corn Potatoes Deters most insects.
Cucumbers Radishes Deters cucumber beetles.
Eggplant Green Beans Deters Colorado beetles
Lettuce Carrots & Radishes Deters most insects
Potatoes Beans & Corn Deters most insects
Radishes Cucumbers Deters most insects


Flower & Herb Companions That Benefit Vegetables

Flower or Herb Vegetable
Companion		 Benefit
Basil Tomatoes Improves growth & flavor. Deters some insects including tomato hornworm & some flies.
Bee Balm Tomatoes Improves growth & flavor.
Borage (be careful, as Borage spreads ‘everywhere’) Tomatoes, Squash & Spinach. Improves growth & flavor, deters tomato worm. Flowers attract honey bees.
Catnip Eggplant, beans & around border of garden. Deters flea beetle and mosquitoes.
Dill Cabbage, onions & lettuce. Improves growth & attracts beneficial insects. Good trap plant for green tomato worms.
Garlic Beans, tomatoes & cucumbers. Deters aphids.
Marigold Throughout garden. Deters Mexican bean beetles, nematodes and some other insects. Attracts honey bees. Marigolds are used in some organic insect sprays.
Mint (grow in container sunk in garden. Can take over garden otherwise.) Cabbage & tomatoes. Deters white cabbage moth, aphids & improves flavor. Attracts beneficial insects & honey bees. Reputed to repel a variety of insects.
Nasturtium Radishes, beans, cabbage & peppers. A trap crop for aphids (aphids prefer Nasturtiums to other plants). Is said to repel squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetle, cucumber beetle, whiteflies and other insects.
Peppermint Cabbage Deters white cabbage butterfly.
Rosemary Cabbage, beans, broccoli & carrots. Deters cabbage moth, bean beetles & carrot fly.
Sage Cabbage & carrots. Deters cabbage moth & carrot fly. Improves growth. Flowers attract honey bees.
Tarragon Entire garden. Enhances growth of most vegetables.
Thyme Cabbage Deters cabbage worm & maggots & flea beetles. Honey bees love Thyme.
White geraniums Any vegetable that attracts Japanese beetles. Deters Japanese beetles.


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