Basil Companion Planting
(tips on growing basil in your garden)
There's tons of information on the web about companion planting but most of it refers to vegetables and not herbs. Our Herb Garden decided to research and build our own guide to companion planting with herbs. This page discusses growing basil and companion planting with basil.
Basil Companion Planting.
Basil, when planted nearby will help asparagus, beans, beets, cabbage, chili and bell peppers, eggplant, marigolds, oregano, potatoes and tomatoes.
Tomatoes are particularly good companions for basil as growing both near each other is said to make each crop taste better. One expert did suggest that the only benefit of planting basil and tomatoes together was the ability to harvest them at the same time but I read numerous gardeners reporting that their tomatoes, basil or both plants seemed to benefit from the pairing.
Basil Companion Planting with Other Herbs.
Growing chamomile near basil will be beneficial to the growth of your basil plants.
Common rue and sage should not be planted near basil.
Basil & Anise.
One of our sources said that growing anise near basil is beneficial and another listed anise as a bad companion plant for basil. Another source explained that anise will cause the essential oil production of basil to increase. If you are growing enough of each type of plant, perhaps try planting a single pair of plants together to see how it goes.
Basil & Insects.
Basil makes a great companion plant because it attracts butterflies to your garden and repels many harmful insects. It is said that basil repels aphids, asparagus beetles, mosquitoes, tomato hornworms and white flies. Basil is also reputed to slow the growth of milkweed bugs.
Additional Basil Information
(Ocymum basilicum)
You can learn more about growing basil on our basil growing guide.
Worshipped in some countries and associated with hate and poverty in others, basil has an interesting history. To learn more about the history of this culinary herb, please check out our history of basil page.