Bright, fragrant and beautiful — Lavender makes a great addition to any space and best of all, it also makes the perfect vegetable companion. Holding many benefits, lavenders wondrous scent can keep those pesky pests at bay, as well as welcoming pollinators to keep your crops healthy and happy.
‘If you’re growing sun-loving vegetables in your garden, consider the lowly-but-lovely lavender plant as a worthy companion,’ says Christine Schaub a gardening, home decor expert and the host of ‘Come On Over’ a series on YouTube. ‘Not only are the purple blooms and dusty-green stalks/foliage beautiful, the lavender scent—which is so appealing to humans—deters destructive, crop-destroying insects’.
lavender companions you can add into your vegetable beds to get the best out of your crops.
Lavender companion vegetables
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Lavender not only looks great, but its fragrance lures bees and other pollinators. As for humans,l avender’s scent has bountiful calming properties, so why wouldn’t you want this beauty in your backyard?
As for companion planting, gardening expert and founder of Simplify Gardening Tony O’Neill says: ‘Lavender is a great companion plant due to its aromatic foliage, which can deter pests and attract beneficial insects’.
So, If you’re looking for what grows well with lavender, then we’ve got you covered — here’s what the experts think.
1. Tomatoes
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Knowing the best companion plants for tomatoes will grant you a healthy and happy crop. But often, just like any other plant, tomatoes can face pest infestation and lavender may just be its saving grace.
Christine Schaub gardening, home decor advisor and the host of ‘Come On Over’ web series, tells us: ‘Their scent masks the tomato-plant fragrance, and helps deter destructive white flies and spider mites’. Christine adds: ‘Bees, butterflies and hover flies flock to the lavender’s scent, then give a “shake down” to tomato pollen to enhance production’.
Hardiness zone: 5-9
Soil type: Well-drained
Sunlight: At least 6 hours of full sun
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‘Since moths, aphids, and white flies have a real distaste for lavender, they’ll avoid what they’re really after: Your brassicas,’ says Christine — which why these purple perennials by your crops is a must.
If you are going to plant this herb by your brassicas, try planting lavender in containers to avoid your crops from drying out as these blooms often thrive is well-drained soil.
Hardiness zone: 5-8
Soil type: Well-drained
Sunlight: Full sun for 4-6 hours
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‘These gourds smell great, but lavender smells better,’ says Christine. ‘Moths and fleas will search for your cucumbers, but give a wide berth to your companion plant’.
Hardiness Zone: 4-12
Soil type: Well-drained soil
Sunlight: 6-8 hours of full sun
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Christine tells us: ‘These root crops have similar pest problems, like flies, aphids, and moths. Lavender blooms attract their enemies—parasitic wasps and other insects—to help eliminate problems before they even begin’.
Hardiness Zone: 3-10
Soil type: Sandy, loamy soil
Sunlight: 6-8 hours of full sun
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Gardening expert and founder of Simplify Gardening Tony O’Neill tells us, this vegetable is great to grow near lavender. He says the benefits are ‘lavender attracts pollinators that help with eggplant pollination and can deter pests like aphids and spider mites’. As for why these two make a great pairing, Tony says :’Both plants prefer sunny and well-drained growing conditions’.
Hardiness Zone: 5-12
Soil type: Sandy soil
Sunlight: full sun 6-8 hours
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Tony says these two plants work well together as they ‘enjoy sunny locations and well-drained soil, making them good companions’.
Hardiness Zone: 2-11
Soil type: loamy, moist
Sunlight: 4-6 hours of full sun
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Christine says: ‘Lavender should not be planted in-ground directly next to any vegetables needing heavy watering, since they don’t thrive in dense, wet soil. So while cucumbers, celery, and squash are water-loving plants, keeping lavender uphill from their mounds makes them better companions’.
Tips on growing lavender in your vegetable garden
Christine says you should follow these methods if you want the best out of your lavender and vegetable garden.
Use containers for your lavender – Christine says It’s easier to ‘control moisture and sun levels in potted lavender. If garden conditions change (more watering needed, less sun required), moving potted lavender takes seconds to help it thrive’.
Companion planting – ‘Lavender appreciates a good companion, too! Adding another plant from the same region, like rosemary, keeps the natives happy and thriving’.
Give your lavender space – The expert says ‘Lavender likes to ‘air out’ and expand its flower spikes, so crowding it with other plants is not helpful’.
What is the best way to take care of Lavender Companion Vegetables?
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Gardening expert and founder of Simplify Gardening Tony O’Neill says if you want the best out of your lavender companion vegetables, you should follow these steps:
1) Soil Preparation: Tony says you need to ensure ‘the soil is well-drained and slightly alkaline to suit both lavender and its companion vegetables’.
2) Watering: Next, be sure to ‘water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth. Lavender and its companions prefer drier conditions between watering’.
3) Mulching: ‘Use mulch to retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and maintain consistent soil temperature,’ the gardening expert adds.
4) Pest Management: It is important to regularly inspect plants, Tony says this will help you identify signs of pests and disease. ‘Utilize lavender’s pest-repelling properties to reduce the need for chemical treatments’.
5) Pruning: Last, but not least, Tony tells us to ‘regularly prune lavender to prevent it from becoming too woody and to encourage new growth. This also helps ensure it doesn’t overshadow its companion vegetables.”
Source: livingetc.com
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