Companion planting is when two or more plants near each other have some type of benefit like higher yield, or organic pest control. Other plants close together have an adverse effect like attracting predators or common diseases and pests. For instance, hills of garlic chives around rose bushes tend to keep aphids away. Here is a vegetable love/hate list to get started today.

Beans

Love: Herbs, vegetables

Hate: Onion

Cabbage

Love: Chard, garlic, onion, spinach

Hate: Dill, Strawberry, tomato

Cucumber

Love: Sunflower, beans, peas, radish

Hate: Potato, aromatic herbs

Lettuce

Love: Cucumber, radish, strawberry, carrot

Hate: Parsley

Peas

Love: Cucumber, beans, turnip, radish, carrots

Hate: Onions, potato

Potato

Love: Horseradish, marigolds, beans, cabbage

Hate: Tomato, cucumber, sunflower

Spinach

Love: Fava beans, strawberry

Hate: Potato

Tomato

Love: Marigold, asparagus, onion, cucumber, carrot, parsley

Hate: Fennel, cabbage, potato

Turnip

Love: Pea

Hate: Potato

Other General Organic Garden Pest Controls

Chrysanthemums: Used as botanical pesticides for centuries (pyrethrum), the flowering, white chrysanthemums will repel Japanese beetles.

Comfrey: Comfrey is beneficial to most fruit trees like avocado. Comfrey is an excellent crop to grow in order to trap slugs

Elderberry: A spray from the leaves is used against aphids, peach borers, carrot root fly, and cucumber beetles. The leaves speed up compost pile decomposing.

Garlic: Garlic emits sulfur: a naturally occurring fungicide that helps the garden with general disease prevention. Time-released garlic capsules planted at the bases of fruit trees have been noted to actually repel deer

Geranium: -Repels cabbage worms and Japanese beetles.

Kelp: Sprays made with powder and water will repel aphids, Japanese beetles and at the same time will you’re your plants. If you live near the ocean or have other easy access to seaweed, try putting it down as mulch and watch it keep destructive slugs away.