Plant Herbs to Control Vegetable Garden Pests

Plant Herbs to Control Vegetable Garden Pests

Last Updated on July 13, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford

Keep an organic vegetable garden using herbs as companion plants. They attract beneficial insects that repel pests from hybridized bedding plants, and supply the kitchen.

Herbs do their work effectively in containers, traditional vegetable patches, and raised bed gardens. It’s important to maintain a variety, because different herbs offend different pests, and attract specific beneficial insects.

Incorporating these plants into the garden will not only allow working an organic garden by using natural methods by avoiding harmful pesticides, it will also provide fresh culinary herbs throughout the growing season.

Herbs to Plant to Repel Specific Garden Pests

Herbs to Plant to Repel Specific Garden Pests

#1. Sage

White cabbage butterflies find this one offensive.

#2. Basil

It’s available in many varieties and is indispensable for making pesto and pizza margherita. It also repels flies and mosquitoes.

#3. Peppermint

It’s useful against flea beetles and ants. It’s also nice to have around for mint juleps and adding to coffee grounds before brewing.

#4. Chives

This one repels a variety of tomato pests and goes great in fresh garden salad.

#5. Garlic

Often called the onion’s stinky cousin, it guards against spider mites, beetles, and aphids. It’s another pesto ingredient and rumored to be a non-medical fertility aid in some countries.

#6. Tansy

Tansy repels houseflies, which makes it a great windowsill herb as well as garden plant.

#7. Marigold

Use this one to run off nematodes.

Related17 Best Plants That Repel Wasps And Bees

#8. Borage

It makes tomato horn worms slink away. It’s often grown by beekeepers because its reputed to help bees make more honey, and of course bees are essential for pollination. This was the message of The Bee Movie.

Herbs to Plant to Attract Beneficial Insects

Herbs to Plant to Attract Beneficial Insects

Combined with the herbs above, these plants give the gardener another way to do battle with the destructive bugs and insects. They get rid of pests for their own reasons, which makes planting them a win-win situation.

Related: A Herb Butterfly and Bee Garden

#1. Cilantro

This one is essential for making salsa. It will self-seed for the next growing season in most areas.

#2. Parsley

It’s great in salad and myriad other culinary concoctions.

#3. Dill

Even if the gardener isn’t a pickle-maker, dill can be used in many recipes and dill tea is reputed in some home remedy circles to be effective against insomnia.

#4. Spearmint

Like peppermint, this is great to add to coffee grounds and is said to calm the stomach.

#5. Rose-scented geraniums

Geraniums are easy on the eyes and the nose.

#6. Thyme

Another versatile spice, it’s always great to have a fresh supply.

#7. Fennel

Fennel seed is a great ingredient to add to whole-grain homemade bread.

No Extra Soil Preparation Needed

The same soil that makes vegetables thrive works well for all these herbs. Placement is not really an issue for the typical economic victory garden.

A methodical gardener will probably plant them in rows within the garden, while the freewheeling breed will mix and match. Either way, it’s a winning situation.

Plant Herbs to Control Vegetable Garden Pests
15 Herb Plants To Repel Garden Pests

herbs control garden pests