Vegetable Companion Plants

There’s nothing more frustrating than finding your chilli plants covered in whitefly or discovering that your cauliflowers have turned into an all you can eat buffet for caterpillars. If you have problems with garden pests, you need companion plants. Companion planting is a natural, organic way to control common garden pests without using harmful insecticides.

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Plants that Predators love

Predators are your friends. By planting flowers that are attractive to them, you’ll soon have an army of ladybirds, hoverflies and lacewings feeding on the insects that would otherwise eat your crops. Garden heroes Fennel and Marigolds are perfect for planting with brassicas and salad plants - they also have the added benefit of attracting useful pollinators.

Sacrificial Crops

Sounds sinister, but makes a lot of sense. By planting Nasturtiums or Comfrey alongside peas and beans you’ll draw the caterpillars and aphids away from your precious crops and they’ll eat these instead.

Deterrent Plants

Common garden pests like whitefly and carrot fly hate the smell and taste of plants like Mint, Chives, Alliums, Lavender and Marigolds. Plant them with your peppers, tomatoes and aubergines, and the pests will steer well clear.

Companion Planting tips

To help you give your fruit and vegetable plants the very best defence against garden pests, we’ve put together two handy packs of the best companion plants to cover all bases, with all the companion plants you need to protect your edible crops. To find out more about how companion planting works and which plants go together, read our full guide here.