Herbs That Control Garden Pests

Companion planting herbs roses/garlic/rue

If you're interested in controlling garden pests with herbs, I have a few suggestions for you.

Why You Should Plant Herbs That Control Garden Pests

Why are so many herbs good at deterring or repelling insects? Many of the herbs used in garden pest control are very fragrant, have a strong flavor or contain volatile compounds that pests don't like. Consider it an herb plant's bag of tricks for self-defense. When a pest encounters a plant it dislikes, it will sometimes ignore nearby plants as well. The trick is to match herbs that specific pests avoid, with vegetables, flowers or other plants those pests like to eat. Choosing the right combinations and planting them close together will help reduce the need for pesticides and have the added advantage of protecting beneficial insects like honey bees.

There's more. Using herbs to repel insects can be a two pronged strategy.  Choose good companion plant/herb pairings, and then harvest some of those herbs throughout the season to make simple but effective pest repellent sprays, too. You can use the sprays around your garden for additional coverage as needed.  

Herbs That Control Garden Pests - Herb Lookup

Here's a helpful list of herbs and the common garden pests they may help deter or repel:

• Artmesia (Artemisia vulgaris) - Codling moths 
• Basil (Ocimum basilicum) -  Flies, mosquitoes, thrips, asparagus beetles, hornworms whitefly
• Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) -  Aphids, Japanese beetles
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - Aphids, thrips, whiteflies,  asparagus beetles (attracts beneficial insects)
• Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) - Cabbage moths, 
• Borage (Borago officinalis) -  Tomato hornworms, cabbage worms
• Catnip (Nepeta cataria) -  Ants, aphids, fleas, mosquitoes, flea beetle, termites, squash beetles
• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) - Aphids, ants, carrot flies, Japanese beetles, nematodes, mites
• *Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) -  Aphids, whiteflies moths, spider mites 
• *Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) - Aphids, whiteflies moths, potato beetles
• Dill (Anethum graveolens) -  Aphids, squash bugs, tomato hornworms, cabbage looper, spider mites
• Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) - Slugs, snails
• Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) - Ants, flies, Japanese beetles, cockroaches
• French Marigold (Tagetes patula) - Aphids, nematodes, hornworms, some beetles, whiteflies (attracts beneficial insects)
• Garlic (Allium sativum) - Aphids, Japanese beetles, rabbits, some rodents, black flies, borers, spider mites, cabbage looper
• Geranium (Pelargonium spp.) - Mosquitoes, whiteflies corn earworms, Japanese beetles, mosquitoes
• Hyssop   (Hyssop officinalis ) cabbage looper, flea beetle
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) -  Flies, mosquitoes, moths, fleas
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) -  Flies, gnats, mosquitoes
• Mint (Mentha spp.) -  Ants, aphids, cabbage moths, flies, fleas, whiteflies, flea beetle, mice
• Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) -  Flea beetles, Japanese beetles, moths  (invasive, check local regulations)
• Mustard (Brassica juncea) - Flea beetles, some flying insects, aphids
• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) - Aphids, squash bugs, whiteflies, pumpkin beetles
• Oregano (Origanum vulgare) -  Cabbage butterflies, cabbage moth, cabbage worm cucumber beetles, mosquitoes
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)  - Asparagus beetle
• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) -  Ants, flies, fleas, ticks, gnats, mosquitoes  (Caution: toxic, handle with care)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) - Cabbage moths, carrot flies, cucumber beetles, bean beetles, mosquitoes, slugs, snails
• Rue (Ruta graveolens) - Aphids, fleas, flies, beetles, Japanese beetles (Caution: Toxic, handle with care)
• Sage (Salvia officinalis) - Cabbage moths, whiteflies, carrot fly, flea beetle, slugs, sticks, fleas
• Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus) - Whiteflies, bean beetles, moths
• Spearmint (Mentha spicata) - Aphids, cabbage moths
• Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) - Moths, Repels some rodents (invasive)
• Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) - Ants, flies, moths, cockroaches, mice, squash bugs (Caution: Toxic, handle with care)
• Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) - Aphids, tomato hornworms, whiteflies
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) - Cabbage moths, cabbage worm, whiteflies, corn earworms
• Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) - Whiteflies, flies, moths, mice, slugs, snails (Caution: Toxic, handle with care)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - Mosquitoes, fleas

Herbs That Control Garden Pests - Pest Lookup

Here's another way to look at this information. What follows is a list of common pests and the companion herbs that may help deter or repel them. For example, if you've noticed a specific insect invading your asparagus, check this list for an herb that might help.

• Ants - catnip, mint (peppermint), tansy, feverfew, chives, pennyroyal
• Aphids - chives, rue, pyrethum, mustard, dill, mint, nasturtium, coriander (cilantro), garlic
• Asparagus beetles - calendula (pot marigold), basil, tomato plant, petunia, parsley
• Bean beetles - santolina (a particularly effective artemisia), nasturtium, summer savory, rosemary, marigold
• Black flies - garlic
• Borers - garlic, onion
• Cabbage looper - artemisias, eucalyptus, dill, hyssop, garlic
• Cabbage moths - mint, celery, nasturtium, chamomile, sage, hyssop, artemisias (like wormwood), thyme, oregano
• Cabbage worms - thyme, borage, oregano
• Carrot fly - sage, rosemary, onion, leek, chives
• Caterpillars (various) - garlic, bay laurel
• Cockroaches - feverfew, tansy
• Codling moths - artemisias
• Corn earworms - thyme, geranium, cosmos
• Cucumber beetles - marigold, oregano, rue
• Cutworms - onion
• Earwigs - wormwood
• Flea beetles - catnip, catmint (different but related to catnip), mint, rue, artemisias, sage, mugwort, mustard hyssop
• Fleas - pennyroyal, yarrow, rue, lavender, sage
• Flies - basil, pennyroyal, mint, tansy, rue, wormwood, lavender
• Gnats - pennyroyal, lemon balm
• Hornworms (Tomato hornworms) - basil, petunia, marigold, dill, borage tarragon
• Japanese beetles - Rue, garlic, geranium, feverfew, mugwort chives
• Leaf hoppers - pyrethum (chrysanthemum cinerariifolium)
• Mice - mint, wormwood, tansy
• Mites - dill, chives, pyrethum, onion
• Mosquitoes (or their larvae) - basil, pennyroyal, yarrow, lemongrass, geranium, tansy, lavender, lemon balm, rosemary
• Moths (various) - lavender, mugwort, rosemary, santolina, coriander (cilantro), wormwood, sweet woodruff, tansy, rosemary
• Nematodes - chives, dahlias, French marigold (There are destructive nematodes around and chives repels the good with the bad.)
• Potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) - nasturtiums, coriander (cilantro)
• Potato bugs (Stenopelmatus spp.) - horseradish
• Pumpkin beetles (various) - nasturtiums
• Slugs - sage, onions, fennel, rosemary, wormwood
• Snails - sage, onions, fennel, wormwood, rosemary
• Spider mites - coriander (cilantro), garlic, dill
• Squash beetles - nasturtium, catnip,
• Squash bugs - peppermint, dill, tansy, nasturtium
• Sticks (Phasmatodea) - sage
• Termites - catnip
• Whitefly - nasturtiums, French marigold, basil, wormwood, mint, geranium, calendula, cilantro, coriander, thyme

Important Notes: While herbs can help control garden pests, their effectiveness will vary depending on the specific variety, growing conditions and pest concentrations are involved.  For the best results, use a combination of sustainable pest control methods in your garden.

Some herbs on this list can be toxic to humans and pets if ingested, or invasive and restricted (or discouraged) in some areas of the country.

Companion planting tomato/tarragon

Best Herbs That Control Garden Pests - for Beginners and for Small Gardens

Here are a few of my favorite herbs for controlling pests in the garden. They repel more than one type of pest, which makes installing even one or two plants useful in a small garden. With the possible exception of lavender (depending on your climate), all are very easy to grow and maintain. 

If you're a beginning gardener, or just starting an organic pest control program, the good news is there's a lot of anecdotal information that supports the notion that these and other plants help deal with pest problems -- at least to some degree. There is no single solution to the challenges presented by garden plant pests, but companion planting with herbs can be a successful part of a larger pest control gardening strategy.

• Catnip - Hey, even I think this one is stinky. If you're having problems with: flea beetles, squash bugs (I hate these), aphids, mosquitos or ants, catnip will smell like sweet salvation. It can also be an effective Japanese beetle and mouse deterrent. Keep it in your vegetable garden.

• Lavender - Attractive and fragrant, lavender repels whitefly, mosquitoes, fleas and a variety of moth species.  It also invites beneficial insects to your garden that'll be a second line of defense against destructive bugs.  If you want to encourage praying mantis and ladybugs to hang around for lunch, plant lavender.

• Chives - One of my favorite culinary herbs, chives is also kryptonite to aphids. It also deters Japanese beetles,carrot flies, ants and more. Chive garden "tea" can  inhibit the growth of powdery mildew too -- if you catch it early. Keep it by your roses.

• Garlic - Garlic is a great choice, too. It deters aphids, Japanese beetles,  black flies and spider mites, to name a few.  A spray made from garlic makes a fast and easy mosquito repellent, too.

• French marigold - This cheerful and easy to grow flower (and herb) can repel whitefly, asparagus beetle and tomato hornworms. Spider mites like it, though, so make sure to plant it with cilantro or dill (both of which spider mites hate). Just remember to choose the French marigold varieties as they're highly scented.

If you keep these five herb friends in your veggie or flower garden, you'll have fewer pests to worry about. 

Happy  Gardening!

*Cilantro and coriander are different phases of the same plant. Cilantro is the plant in leaf and coriander is the seed.