10 Insect Repellent Plants for Your Garden
Insect repellent plants are often used for natural pest control through intercropping, the practice of growing different plants together to achieve specific results, based largely on anecdotal evidence. Like humans, insects prefer food and often find it by smell. You can make it harder for insects to find the buffet by mixing in plants that confuse their sense of smell, such as planting onions among cabbage. This means you won’t be able to plant neat rows and grow large blocks of one vegetable at a time, but it won’t require much work either.
Pungent-smelling plants are some of the most effective insect repellents,1 and many are herbs, so the plants have a dual purpose. Additionally, some repellent plants attract beneficial insects that you want in your garden. This is another type of companion plant that is very useful to gardeners.
01 Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Basil repels asparagus beetles, carrot flies, flies, mosquitoes and whiteflies.2 This scent repels insects, so touch the leaves gently to release the oils as you walk to increase its effectiveness. Annual.
02 Borage (Borago officinalis)
Borage repels imported cabbage worms and tomato worms2. It also attracts beneficial insects and pollinators such as native bumblebees. Let it self-sow and it will always be in your garden. Prefers cooler temperatures.
03 Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Calendula, or marigold, repels asparagus beetles, nematodes and tomato worms.2
Leading
It also attracts beneficial insects, making this edible flower very useful in your garden.
04 Catmint (Nepeta)
Catnip repels aphids, cabbage worms, Colorado potato beetles, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, Japanese beetles and squash beetles. One of the disadvantages of catnip is that some varieties can spread quickly and quickly take over large areas of the garden. Perennial.
05 Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
Green onions repel aphids and Japanese beetles. Be sure to harvest the onions as they will quickly disintegrate if you leave the seeds behind. Even beautiful flowers can be eaten.
06 Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Dill perfectly repels cabbage moths and spider mites. Dill is also a good plant for attracting beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps that lay eggs for tomato hornworms and is a host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. You’ll lose some of the dill as the larvae feed, but it doesn’t last long and the butterflies are just adorable. Biennial, hardy up to 25 degrees.
Garlic repels aphids, cutworms, caterpillars, Mexican beetles, stem borers, Japanese beetles, and rabbits. Planting garlic under roses to repel Japanese beetles is a classic companion planting method. Annual.
08 Hyssop (Agastache rupestris)
Beautiful, fragrant marjoram repels cabbage moths. Hyssop is an excellent companion for all brassica crops, as they are all susceptible to attack by caterpillar larvae. Perennial.
09 Mint (Mentha)
The scent of mint repels aphids, cabbage moths, fleas, stink bugs, whiteflies and even ants. To prevent this invasive gardener from taking over your garden, you can simply place mint sprigs between the plants you want to protect, but these sprigs must be replaced regularly. Or plant a pot of mint and place it among the vegetables to support the plant.
10 Onions (allium cepa)
Onions repel aphids, cabbage borers, carrot flies, Colorado potato beetles and rabbits. The combination of carrots and onions showed good results in testing. Annual.