20 Basil Companion Plants for a Beautiful Garden All Season Long

Basil is known as an easy-to-grow herb that can bring your first harvest just a month after sowing, but it’s also one that easily falls victim to insects or poor soil quality. Luckily, companion plants like asparagus, dill, tomatoes, and peppers can help provide a better environment for basil.

Well-chosen companion plants will help keep destructive and harmful insects away from basil, enhance its flavor by enriching the nutrients within the soil, and create a growing environment that will help both plants thrive.

Here are 20 of the best companion plants for basil that you can plant in your garden for a delicious harvest.

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Asparagus attracts ladybugs, which are incredibly effective at eating the aphids that are known to attack basil. Additionally, the aroma of basil keeps the asparagus beetle away, making it a mutually beneficial relationship.

Name: Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10

Light: Full sun

Soil: Sandy, loamy, neutral acidic

Eggybird / Flickr

Chamomile Flowers

Not only does chamomile have a pleasant fragrance that gardeners love to use in tea, that aroma also helps enhance the growth and flavor of basil plants nearby. Chamomile’s cheerful flowers also attract pollinators.

Name: Chamomile (Matricaria recutita, Chamaemelum nobile)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-9

Light: Full sun

Soil: Well-drained, neutral

Ravinder Kumar / Getty Images

Marigolds are incredibly unfriendly to pests, which is exactly why you want them in your garden. They repel nematodes and attract ladybugs and parasitic wasps, which will promptly rid your garden of the aphids and beetles that threaten basil.

Name: Marigold (Tagetes spp.)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11

Light: Full sun

Soil: Evenly moist, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral

Vasin Hirunwiwatwong / Getty Images

Basil does much of the heavy lifting in the relationship with peppers, where it traps in the moisture and humidity that peppers need to thrive. The pollinators that basil attracts also pollinate the peppers, while repelling pests.

Name: Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-11

Light: Full sun

Soil: Fertile loam, neutral

Anyone who loves Italian cuisine knows that there’s nothing better than plucking a vine ripened tomato and fresh basil from the garden. But these two also do well in the same conditions and basil repels tomato hornworms.

Name: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-11

Light: Full sun

Soil:  Loamy, well-drained, neutral to acidic

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Because basil’s aromatic fragrance overpowers other scents nearby, it can be used to mask the scent of the greens that grow atop root vegetables. This keeps pests and predators away while the vegetables grow safely underground.

Name: Radish (Raphanus sativus)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11

Light: Full sun

Soil: Loamy, sandy, moist, well-drained, acidic, neutral

Dimitrie Ragar / 500px / Getty Images

Carrots are particularly susceptible to aptly named carrot flies. But basil’s strong fragrance repels these and other pests from munching on carrots before they’ve been harvested.

Name: Carrot (Daucus carota)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10

Light: Full sun to part shade

Soil: Loose, well-draining soil, slightly acidic

Photo by Cathy Scola / Getty Images

Eggplant often falls victim to many of the same pests as tomatoes, including the tomato hornworm. Since basil repels the tomato hornworm, that makes eggplant and basil excellent companions in the garden.

Name: Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9b–12a

Light: Full sun

Soil: Loamy, well-drained, acidic, neutral, alkaline

Francesca Yorke / Getty Images

Aphids love lettuce. Hoverflies and parasitic wasps enjoy both aphids and the sweet taste of basil flower nectar. That means planting basil near lettuce will bring in the insects that control aphids and keep your lettuce safe and sound.

Name: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a–11b

Light: Full sun to partial sun

Soil: Loamy, rich, well-drained, acidic, neutral

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Potatoes – Growing Potatoes in the Vegetable Garden

Basil can help ward off potato beetles and create a better environment for potatoes’ all-important root system.

Melanie Major / Getty Images

Red Beets

Beets are another root vegetable that benefits from the aromatic fragrance of basil, which will repel pests.

Name: Beets (Beta vulgaris)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11

Light: Full sun to partial sun

Soil: Loamy, moist, well-drained, acidic, neutral

Ana Luiza Serpa / Getty Images

Chives

When basil is planted next to other aromatic plants, like chives, the two are stronger together. Each enhances the flavor of the other plant, creating a delicious garden.

Name: Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Light: Full sun to light shade

Soil: Loamy, sandy, slightly acidic to neutral

k8 / Flickr

Cilantro is easy to grow in a container or in your herb garden.

Cilantro is another one of the aromatic herbs that can enhance the flavor of basil. These two herbs both require lots of sun and water so they grow well when planted next to each other.

Name: Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11

Light: Full sun to partial sun

Soil: Loamy, moist, well-drained, acidic

Basil and garlic are the start of a great meal, and they also grow beautifully together in the garden. Garlic keeps away some of basil’s bigger enemies, like squirrels and rabbits, and the two enhance each other’s flavor.

Name: Garlic (Allium sativum)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Light: Full sun

Soil: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral

Nicholas Kostin / Getty Images

Dill is another sun- and water-loving herb that helps enhance the natural flavors of basil. Both are excellent choices for a basic herb garden.

Name: Dill (Anethum graveolens)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11

Light: Full sun

Soil: Rich, well-drained, slightly acidic

Rhonda Fleming Hayes / Flickr

Sweet Marjoram

Marjoram releases chemicals that actually speed the growth of the already fast-growing basil. This means your basil plant will bounce back even quicker after each harvest.

Name: Marjoram (Origanum majorana)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-10

Light: Full sun

Soil: Sandy, loamy, well-drained, acidic, neutral

John Burke / Getty Images

Turnips With Their Greens

Turnips are a root vegetable that can become a target for pests looking to eat the leafy greens that grow above ground. Basil’s strong fragrance repels those predators, keeping the turnip roots safe.

Name: Turnip (Brassica rapa)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-9

Light: Full sun to partial shade

Soil: Sandy, well-draining, slightly acidic

Jenny Dettrick / Getty Images

Nasturtium will keep away the aphids that can wreak havoc on your basil plants. Plus, they’re an edible flower that adds vibrance to your dish.

Name: Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-11

Light: Full sun

Soil: Moist but well-drained, acidic, neutral, alkaline

color line / Flickr

Growing Oregano Plants

Not only does oregano help enhance basil’s flavor, it also serves as a ground cover around basil, helping to keep the soil moist.

Name: Oregano (Origanum spp.)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-10

Light: Full sun

Soil: Well-drained, acidic, neutral

Priscila Zambotto / Getty Images

Parsley and basil require similar sun and water conditions, and, like other herbs, the two work to enhance each other’s flavor.

Name: Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11

Light: Full sun

Soil: Loamy, moist, well-drained, acidic, neutral

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does basil like to be planted?

Basil likes to be planted somewhere it can get six to eight hours of sun a day. However, if it’s too hot, basil will wilt if it’s left in the beating afternoon sun. Basil also needs to stay moist throughout the day, so plant it somewhere that it will get morning dew or be ready to water it regularly.

What herbs can I plant together?

Generally, herbs should be planted near other herbs with similar growing requirements. That means Mediterranean herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme should go together, while water-loving herbs like basil, parsley, dill, and mint grow well together.

Read Next: How to Propagate Basil for a Fresh Supply of Herbs All Year Long

Read the original article on The Spruce.