Basil Companion Plants – 10 Plants to grow with Basil Plants

What could be better than having fresh basil leaves at home? I’m not referring to basil that turns yellow or brown, here I’m giving you advice for growing healthy basil. Did you know there are many plants known as “great friends” of the basil plant that can be grown alongside it to benefit both the basil and its companions? If not, stay connected and scroll down.

Growing companion plants alongside basil offers numerous benefits, such as boosting growth, repelling pests, and improving soil quality. Isn’t it interesting? Trust me, companion plants assist basil in numerous ways, which I’ll detail shortly.

Below, I’ve listed the best companion plants perfect for growing with basil. If you encounter any problems, feel free to ask me in the comment section below. Let’s understand the benefits of companion planting and explore some Basil Companion Plants without delay.

Key takeaways:

• Basil plants are scientifically known as Ocimum basilicum, belongs to the family Lamiaceae and is also known by other names ‘Great Basil’.
• These plants are known to have yummy leaves that add awesome flavor to your dishes like pasta, salads, etc.
• Basil plants are popular herbs that are easy to grow like Senecio wax ivy plants are grown and thrive well when they are planted outdoors as they love sunlight and get quite slow in cold weather.
• They can also be grown in pots, and placed inside the house near the sun-facing window.

Benefits of companion planting

• Growing companion plants together enhances the growth of the plant. 
• The plants help the main plant by resisting the entry of pests near it. They also keep diseases away from the plants. 
• They boost the entry of beneficial pollinators near the plant and in the garden. The insects feed on the pests and help the plants from getting harmed. 
• The plants improve the quality of soil and soil richness. In companion planting, the plants are grown near the main plant to improve the flavor of the fruit or food. 
• Another benefit of companion planting is that if the plants are tall, they provide good shade during the peak sunlight hours to the main plant. 

What are good companion plants of basil? – Basil Companion Plants

Marigold and basil 

When you plant marigold and basil together, you will see that the flavor of basil will increase and so will its growth. Marigolds have another ability to repel harmful beetles like Mexican beetles away from the garden. So, adding marigolds near basil will add beauty and safety too. They also deter the entry of many slugs, aphids, and nematodes near the plants. 

Tomato and basil

An easy and worth it combination is tomato and basil growing nearby. Tomato gets befitted by basil too. Just not basil, tomatoes also love full sun and moist drained soil. Tomato helps basil in increasing the yield and basil returns the same favor to a tomato plant. Tomatoes are juicy and delicious but can get attacked by worms, basil protects the tomato plant from aphids, flies, pests, and hornworms. Some other companion plants to grow with tomatoes are Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Petunias, etc.

Borage and basil

Borage, when grown closer to basil, repels many bugs that feed on basil as well as basil’s companion plants. The borage is a great attractor of pollinators due to its blue-colored flowers, which are often used to garnish dishes. With this, borage also improves the flavor of basil and is a medicinal herb in itself. 

Oregano and basil

Oregano is a yummy herb and is a great companion to basil. They are known to repel some insects that feed on basil plants. Oregano is super easy to grow too. They also repel the pests away from basil and increase the essential oils in the herb and garden. 

Petunia and basil

Petunias are attractive options for your garden and other great companion plants to basil. They deter most of the pests away from basil and many beetles like asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, aphids, etc. 

Peppers and basil

Peppers and basils are effective options for companion planting as basil and peppers both repel many pests. Pepper enhances the flavor of basil, on the other hand, basil keeps the air moist and warm which is optimum for the growth of peppers. 

Garlic and basil 

Garlic and basil herbs when grown together help each other in improving the flavor. Garlic deters spider mites, whiteflies, and aphids and sleeps the basil safe. They need good space to grow, make sure to provide a good space between them so that air can move between them freely. 

Parsley and basil

Parsley helps the basil plant in enhancing the flavour, repelling the pests and beetles from the garden. Parsley and basil have similar basic sun and water requirements which makes them super easy to grow together.

Root vegetables and basil 

Parsnips, turnips, beets, carrots, and radishes are some of the leafy green vegetables that can be grown with basil and benefit from the pest-repelling ability of the basil plant due to its aroma. Basil also enhances the flavor of these root vegetables. 

Chamomile and  basil

Chamomile is known for its strong and unique scent and can repel pests away from basil. They also increase the flavor of basil and make them more delicious. It also elevates the essential oil concentration in the herb.

Plants that are not Basil Companion Plants – What are bad companions of basil?

Cucumbers

Cucumbers show less yield when they are grown near herbs having aroma. Cucumbers compete for water with basil plants. but there are some companion plants to grow with cucumbers like Lettuce, Nasturtium, Borage, Catnip, chives, oregano, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, etc.

Fennels

Fennel doesn’t grow that well in regular gardens and they inhibit the growth of the basil when grown near it. 

Sage

Sage flights with basil for similar heeds and also can not tolerate moist soil that much. Other companion plants to grow with sage are Carrots, Strawberries, Kohlrabi, Thyme, Beans etc.

To know more about the plant world, you may also read related articles, How to Grow Basil from Cuttings? – Tips for Propagating Basil

Thyme

Thyme grows well in much more dry soil than basil. Basil needs more nutrients and moisture than basil.

Rue

Rue is not beneficial to grow near basil as they hinder the healthy growth of basil and lead to its stunted growth. It also invites many pests that can harm basil. It is also seen that basil tastes bitter if it is growing near basil. 

Cabbage 

Need a lot of water, making scarce conditions for a basil plant. Need good aces and many times get affected by root rot and can spread it to basil as well. 

Cauliflower

Have similar pests and compete with basil for resources. 

Rosemary 

Rosemary and basil do not need to cause much harm to each other but have different water requirements. The rosemary needs well-drained soil and needs dry soil while basil needs moist soil. 

Final thoughts on the context

Basil is a fantastic fragrant herb to add to your garden. You can enhance the flavor of basil by planting it with some Basil Companion Plants. It is important to know what plants are good to grow with basil and what you should not plant with basil. We have named the popular companion plants of basil and hope you have found this information helpful. Happy companion planting you guys!