Do you consider what herbs grow well together when garden planning? Strategically planning your garden to include herbs that grow well together can save you time, space, and resources.
Let me show you how!
What Herbs Grow Well Together
If you are familiar with companion planting, you know that some plants make better neighbors than others. And herbs are no exception.
Here are a few good reasons to consider what herbs grow well together when planning out your garden:
- Spend less time and energy caring for your garden by planting herbs with similar needs together. Growing drought-tolerant herbs together and water-loving herbs together just makes sense. You’ll spend less time, energy, and resources trying to keep your plants happy when you group them this way.
- Grow healthier vegetables using herbs as companion plants. Combinations of various herbs grown as companion plants have a variety of benefits. They can improve the flavor of your vegetables while warding off pests and making them more resilient to disease. For example, tomatoes, oregano, parsley, and basil create an excellent companion planting combination.
- Themed herb gardens will encourage you to think about how you’ll use your harvest. Consider growing herbs with similar flavors, scents, or uses together. A pizza garden could contain basil, oregano, and parsley. Other ideas include planting lemony herbs or mints together or dedicating a specific space for tea or skincare herbs.
There are truly endless possibilities for growing herbs. I hope the following lists of herbs that grow well together will inspire you to get outside and start planting today!
Mediterranean Herbs
Mediterranean herbs are those that prefer a Mediterranean climate—full sun, dry heat, and well-draining soil. They are often referred to as drought-tolerant herbs because they do not require much moisture.
Mediterranean herbs include:
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Lavender
- Thyme
Many other herbs are commonly grown and used in the Mediterranean region. However, the herbs listed here grow best in hot, dry, Mediterranean-like conditions.
These are herbs that grow well together when planted in an area of the garden that receives full sun. Water them only when the soil is dry.
Otherwise, they won’t ask much more from you!
Water-Loving Herbs
On the other hand, there are several water-loving herbs that grow well together because of their shared need for ample moisture. These include:
- Basil
- Parsley
- Chives
- Cilantro
These herbs tend to have softer, more supple leaves. And although they need lots of sunlight, they won’t mind a break from the midday sun if you live in an area that sees high temperatures.
Plant these herbs together in the garden or in containers and expect to water them daily or every other day.
Shade-Tolerant Herbs
You can definitely grow a variety of herbs in shady spots in the garden, too. Here are a few herbs that prefer only a couple of hours of sunlight each day.
- Chamomile
- Cilantro
- Lemon balm
- Chives
- Lemon verbena
- Dill
- Parsley
- Mint
Plant these herbs together in shady corners of the garden. Mint and lemon balm are pretty invasive, though. So, you may want to plant them in containers rather than directly in the garden.
Annual, Perennial, and Biennial Herbs
Another way to organize your garden with herbs that grow well together is by plant type. Are you growing annuals, biennials, or perennial herbs?
Perennials are plants that come back year after year. Annuals only last for one growing season, though many readily self-seed, making them more like perennials. And biennials (parsley and stevia) grow for two seasons, usually flowering in the second season.
Most gardeners take advantage of growing perennials whenever possible to save money, time, and energy. Thankfully, many common herbs fall into the perennial category.
When you group perennials with other perennials, you can intentionally prepare a space in the garden that won’t need much additional care once your plants are established.
Perennial herbs that grow well together include:
- Lavender
- Mint
- Lemon balm
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Echinacea
- Chives
- Garlic chives
- Thyme
- Sage
There are many benefits to planting perennial herbs. But annuals shouldn’t be overlooked. Annual plants put all of their energy into creating seeds which means many of them will self-seed without much help.
Here are a few annual herbs to consider growing together:
- Cilantro
- Calendula
- Basil
- Chamomile
- Marjoram
- Dill
- Chervil
- Borage
Follow planting zone recommendations for your area to know whether annuals are likely to self-seed in your growing space.
Herbs with Similar Scents, Flavors, and Uses
Themed herb gardens offer fun ways to group herbs by their uses. An excellent example of this is growing a pizza garden. This is an excellent project to help get kids excited about gardening, too.
Plant basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, onions, spinach, peppers, and tomatoes, and you’ll have all the fixings you need to make a delicious pizza except for the crust! A tea garden with mint, lemon balm, chamomile, lavender, catnip, and echinacea is another common example of a themed herb garden.
You could also group herbs together by scent or flavor. Give a variety of different mints their own spacious area in the garden without worrying that they will take over.
A few mints you could try growing together include:
- Peppermint
- Spearmint
- Orange mint
- Apple mint
- Chocolate mint
- Pineapple mint
- Horsemint
How lovely would it be to walk through a lemon-scented garden in the summertime? Grow these herbs together, and you’ll have an abundance of lemony herbs to enjoy.
- Lemon balm
- Lemon verbena
- Lemongrass
- Lemon thyme
- Lemon basil
Give yourself room to be creative in the garden. It’s fun to try out different pairings and come up with new themes!
Companion Planting with Herbs
Because of their aromatic properties, herbs make excellent companion plants. Companion planting is a garden planning practice where you place beneficial plants close together and plants that deter growth in some way away from each other.
It’s a broad topic. But that shouldn’t stop you from incorporating these well-known combinations of herbs that grow well together into your garden as companion plants.
- Oregano, parsley, basil, and tomatoes
Basil and oregano are excellent herbs for repelling pests, while parsley entices beneficial insects.
- Chives, parsley, dill, and carrots
In this combination, dill is used as a trap crop while chives help to repel pests. And parley draws ladybugs and other beneficials in to help your carrots thrive.
- Dill, chives, thyme, and cabbage
Drive cabbage worms and other common pests away from cabbage with dill, thyme, and chives.
- Basil, oregano, and peppers
Keep your peppers from being devoured by aphids and other pests by planting these two aromatic herbs that grow well together nearby.
If you’re new to gardening, these herb and vegetable combinations are an excellent place to start with companion planting.
Take careful notes of which combinations worked well and which ones didn’t. Each season, tweak these combinations until you find the best pairings for your area!
Grow Your Herb Gardening Experience
Knowing what herbs grow well together isn’t an exact science. Don’t worry about growing the perfect combination. Instead, become a keen observer and take note of what’s working and what isn’t.
Your greatest teacher is personal experience when it comes to gardening. So, get outside and start planting today!
What herb combinations will you try to grow this season?
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