New to companion planting? Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you get started and maximise your garden's potential.

Veggie Companion Planting

Grow your vegetables in harmony with these perfect pairings:

• Celery: Plant alongside brassicas and beans to deter the white cabbage butterfly, which dislikes the scent of celery. Use one celery plant for every six neighbouring plants.
• Carrots and Leeks: These strong-scented crops protect each other from pests.
• Tomatoes: Thrive with companions like asparagus, basil, carrots, celery, and parsley, which aid growth and pest control.
• Peas and Beans: These nitrogen-fixing plants enrich the soil for future crops. In crop rotation, follow with brassicas or sweetcorn.
• Cucumbers: Pair with nasturtiums for pest control, but avoid planting near potatoes.

Flower Companion Planting

Incorporate flowers to protect your crops and attract pollinators:

• Roses: Garlic planted among roses deters aphids.
• Nasturtiums: Attract aphids, caterpillars, and whiteflies and keeps them away from lettuces, cabbages, beans, and tomatoes.
• Marigolds: Their scent repels aphids and greenflies while attracting hoverflies that prey on pests. They also help control soil nematodes when grown for an entire season.
• Lavender, Marigold, and Rosemary: Produce scents that repel mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and ticks.
• Pollinator Attractors: Include calendula, sunflowers, poppies, clover, echinacea, and borage to bring bees and butterflies to your garden.

Herb Companion Planting

Herbs not only enhance your cooking but also your garden’s health:

• Sage: Repels aphids when planted around celery and attracts bees to pollinate brassicas.
• Hyssop: Keeps the white cabbage butterfly away from brassicas like broccoli and cabbages.
• Basil: Enhances the flavour of tomatoes and deters aphids, fruit flies, and whiteflies. It’s also a hit with bees!
• Borage: Attracts pollinators and benefits strawberries with potassium and minerals.
• Marjoram: A general repellent for bad insects.
• Garlic: Protects plants from aphids and deters pests like spider mites. Under peach trees, it helps prevent leaf curl.
• Thyme: Deters blackfly on roses and can be brewed into a tea to spray on cabbages for whitefly prevention.
• Mint: Confuses pests like carrot fly, but keep it contained, as it’s invasive.
• Parsley: Deters aphids, especially around roses, asparagus, and tomatoes.
• Rosemary: Protects against mosquitoes, cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies while enhancing vegetable flavours.
• Wormwood: Deters aphids and beetles while attracting hoverflies and ladybirds—one ladybird can eat more than 50 aphids daily!

Why Choose Companion Planting?

Natural Pest Control: Skip the pesticides and let nature do the work.

Improved Soil Fertility: Nitrogen-fixing plants like peas and beans enrich your soil naturally.

Pollinator Attraction: Flowers and herbs bring bees, butterflies, and hoverflies, vital for crop production.

Space Efficiency: Maximise your garden’s output by planting compatible crops together.

Healthy Ecosystem: Create a balanced garden where beneficial insects thrive, and pests are naturally managed.

Tips for Successful Companion Planting

• Group plants with similar water and sunlight needs.
• Rotate crops yearly to avoid pest build-up.
• Avoid planting incompatible pairings, like potatoes with cucumbers or beans.
• Keep invasive plants like mint in containers to prevent overgrowth.

Companion planting is an eco-friendly way to maximise your garden's potential. Whether growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers, these pairings will help your plants thrive while supporting a healthy ecosystem.

Ready to give it a go? Start small, experiment, and enjoy the rewards of a flourishing, natural garden!