Smarter Than the Average Garden Planner...

No doubt you’re already poring over seed catalogs, measuring, and scheming for your Spring garden. If not, get to it! And while you’re at it, be sure to consult Carla Emery’s helpful notes on companion plants. The plants and herbs listed here will help other plants by improving the growth or flavor or by repelling pests. That means including them thoughtfully makes you smarter than the average garden planner!

Anise helps coriander.

Basil helps tomatoes; repels flies and mosquitoes.

Beebalm helps tomatoes.

Borage helps tomatoes, squash, and strawberries; deters tomato worm.

Calendulas deal with asparagus beetles, tomato worms, etc.

Camomile helps cabbages and onions.

Caraway loosens soil.

Castor bean plant kills plant lice, repels moles (poisonous seeds).

Chervil helps radishes.

Datura is disliked by Japanese bee- tles (poisonous seeds).

Dead nettle (Lamium) holds back potato bugs.

Dill helps cabbage, harms carrots.

Fennel deters other plants; plant away from garden.

Garlic helps raspberries and protects roses from aphids, Japanese beetles, and rose bugs.

Geranium is avoided by Japanese beetles.

Horseradish deters potato bugs; plant at corners of potato patch.

Hyssop is friendly with grapes and cabbage; deters cabbage moth; keep away from radishes.

Lovage helps other plants.

Marigold is the workhorse of the pest deterrents; plant it throughout the garden; it discourages Mexican bean beetles, nematodes, and other insects.

Nettles are good near broccoli.

Parsley is good near tomatoes.

Petunia is good with beans.

Rosemary is good with sage.

Sage (and rosemary) is good with broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and peas.

Summer savory is good with beans (repels bean beetle).