The table below lists some commonly held beliefs about the uses of companion plants.
| Plant Name |
Companion to: |
What It Is Believed To Do (Good & Bad) |
| Allium--flowering onions, chives, garlic, leek, onion and shallot |
Roses, carrots, tomato, fruit trees, other vegetables |
Repels aphids, weevils, carrot flies, moles, fruit tree borers; controls rust flies and some nematodes; protects tomatoes against red spiders. Protects roses from black spot, mildew and aphids. BUT is believed to inhibit growth of peas & beans. |
| Basil |
Tomato, asparagus |
Repels aphids, flies, mosquitos and mites; helps control insect pests such as tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, and disease. |
| Bush beans (Butter, green, snap, string,wax) |
Beets, carrots,cucumber, corn, eggplant, potato,strawberry |
Encourages growth of companion plant. Adds nitrogen to the soil. Green beans protect eggplant from the Colorado potato beetle. |
| Borage |
Tomato, strawberry, fruit orchards |
Repels tomato worms. Adds potassium, calcium and other minerals to soil. Attracts honeybees. |
| Broad beans |
Corn |
Add nitrogen to soil--which is needed by corn. Bean vines grow up corn stalks, thus anchoring corn more firmly and the vines discourage racoons. |
| Chamomile |
Cabbage, onions |
Improves growth and flavor--but plant only one plant every 150 feet or so. |
| Castor Bean |
Vegetables |
Repels moles and plant lice. CAUTION: All parts of the castor bean plant are poisonous, especially the seeds! |
| Catnip |
Eggplant |
Fresh catnip steeped in water and sprinkled on plants will drive away flea beetles. |
| Celery |
Cabbage, leeks, tomato, cauliflower |
Improves growth of companion plants. Repels white cabbage butterflies. |
| Chervil |
Radish |
Improves growth and flavor. |
| Chive |
Carrots |
Improves growth and flavor. |
| Coriander |
Vegetables |
Repels aphids. Attracts bees. |
| Cucumber |
Corn, beans, peas, radish, sunflowers |
Improves growth. Vines growing with corn help anchor corn and discourage racoons. |
| Datura |
Various plants |
Deters Japanese beetles. CAUTION: All parts of the Datura plant are poisonous! |
| Dill |
Cabbage |
Improves growth. Blossoms attract honeybees. |
| Fennel |
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Most plants dislike fennel--so plant it away from the vegetable garden. Its foliage and flowers may attract beneficials. |
| Geranium |
Cabbage, cron, grapes, roses |
Repels cabbage worms, Japanese beetles. |
| Horseradish |
Potato |
Encourages growth. May repel Colorado potato beetles and blister beetles. |
| Hyssop |
Cabbage, grapes |
Improves growth, deters cabbage moth. |
| Leek |
Carrots, celery, onions |
Improves growth, repels carrot flies. |
| Marigold |
Tomato, potato, strawberry, beans, roses |
Encourages growth, deters Mexican bean beetles and other pests.. Discourages harmful nematodes, if they are grown for several seasons in the ground in areas that have nematode infestations. |
| Mint |
Tomato, cabbage |
Improves flavor and growth |
| Mustard |
Cabbage, cauliflower, radish, Brussels sprouts, turnips, collards, kohlrabi |
Plant mustard as a trap crop. It attracts numerous insect pests. Remove and destroy it before your main crops can be harmed. |
| Nasturtiums |
Cucumber, Squash, other vegetables, fruit trees. |
Repels aphids,cucumber beetles,whiteflies and squash bugs. Acts as trap crop for aphids. Repels borers near fruit trees. |
| Onion |
Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli,beets, tomato, lettuce, strawberry, chamomile, summer savory |
Repels aphids, weevils, carrot flies, moles, fruit tree borers; controls rust flies and some nematodes; protects tomatoes against red spiders. BUT is believed to inhibit growth of peas & beans. |
| Oregano |
Broccoli |
Repels cabbage butterfly. |
| Parsley |
Asparagus carrots, tomato, roses. |
Deters asparagus beetles.Improves growth. Deters carrot flies and rose beetles. |
| Peanuts |
Corn, squash |
Encourages growth of corn and squash. |
| Peas |
Corn |
Adds nitrogen to soil for use by hungry corn plants. Grows well with carrots, turnip, radish, cumcumber, beans and potatoes. |
| Peanut |
Various plants |
Excellent soil builder. Can make a good ground cover in a nut tree orchard. |
| Pennyroyal |
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, other plants. |
Discourages ants, plant lice, cabbage maggots. |
| Pyrethrum |
Various plants |
Repels aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, harlequin bugs, ticks, pickleworms and imported cabbage worms. |
| Radish |
Cucumber |
Deters cucumber beetles. |
| Rosemary |
Carrots, cabbage, beans |
Repels carrot flies, bean beetles, cabbage moths. |
| Rue |
Roses, raspberries |
Repels Japanese beetles. |
| Sage |
Carrots, various |
Repels carrot flies, cabbage moths, ticks. |
| Snap beans |
Corn |
Enhances growth of corn. |
| Soybeans |
Corn |
Enhances growth of corn and other heavy feeders by adding nitrogen to the soil. Repels chinch bugs and Japanese beetels. |
| Spearmint |
Various plants |
Deters ants, aphids. |
| Sweet pepper |
Basil, okra |
Improves growth. |
| Summer savory |
Green beans |
Improves growth, deters bean beetles. |
| Tansy |
Cucumber, squash, roses, grapes, raspberry, blackberry. |
Deters flying insects, striped cucumber beetles, ants, flies, squash bugs and Japanese beetles. BUT, attracts imported cabbageworms. |
| Toads (Okay, toads aren't plants--but they sure make the greatest companions to many plants.) |
Various plants |
One toad may eat as many as 10-thousand insects in a three-month period! Insects on toad's menu include cutworms, crickets, grubs, rose chafers, rose beetles, caterpillars, ants, squash bugs, sow bugs, potato beetles, moths, mosquitos, flies, slugs and even moles. |
| Tomato |
Roses |
Protects roses from black spot. |
| Thyme |
Cabbage |
Controls flea beetles, cabbage maggots, imported cabbageworms and white cabbage butterflies. |
| Walnut, Black |
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Black walnut trees inhibit the growth of apples, potato, tomato, blackberry. |
| Wormwood |
Various plants |
Deters black flea beetles, malaria mosquitos, cabbage worm butterflies. |
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