Companion planting is the perfect way to help your plants grow without using chemicals. There are plants that can be used for pest control and to help each plant grow. Here are some tips to get you started towards having a highly productive garden plot.
There are several plants that can be used for organic pest control. If you plant these plants next to your other plants, you will not need as much, if any, chemical pest controllers. It will be cheaper and you will have another crop to harvest, besides the main plant you wanted.
If you want to repel aphids from your bush beans, you should plant garlic in the same row. Catnip will keep the flea beetles off of your eggplant. Planting a ring of chives under an appletree will help keep apple scab off of your trees. Some herbs that also repel pests are Anise hyssop, Mint, Borage, Rosemary, Calendula, Sage, Cilantro, Scented geranium, Dill, and Tansy. Herbs can also be used to lure pests away from your plants and trap them. A good example is using Dill and Lovage to get the hornworms away from your tomato plants.
There are some plants that help others grow. To get this benefit plant borage with strawberries, chervil with radishes, sage with anything from the cabbage family, and summer or winter savory with onions. Basil or thyme with tomatoes and tarragon with any vegetable will also enhance growth. As an added benefit, basil and tomatoes taste great when used in recipes together. Take care not to plant Dill close to tomatoes or garlic close to beans or peas. This will produce the opposite effect of inhibiting growth.
