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Chamomile can be a very beneficial herb to use in companion planting for other crops in your garden due to its ability to attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and hoverflies. It also has a great benefit that many humans will like, it’s scent helps keep mosquitoes away. Chamomile also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that can help certain plants or trees growing near it. In this article, we will go over what are good companion plants for chamomile and what you should not plant near chamomile in your garden.
Chamomile is a great companion plant for many of the Brassica family (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) as it releases chemicals that can help improve the flavor of these crops.
Just remember when planting chamomile with any of the vegetables from the Brassica family that you keep other members of the Brassica family separated from each other as they can attract too many of the same pests and cause issues with your harvest.
Types of Chamomile
There are two types of chamomile, German and Roman. Roman chamomile is a perennial that grows to about a foot high and can work great as a ground cover. German chamomile is an annual that grows taller than Roman chamomile (2 to 3 feet high) and is not a good ground cover, but more like a shrub. Both the German and Roman chamomile will produce beautiful blooms that look like daisies.
Good Companion Plants For Chamomile
- Apple Trees, Peach Trees, and other fruit trees
- Basil
- Beans
- Bee Balm
- Black-Eyed Susan
- Bok Choy
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Garlic
- Kohlrabi
- Lavender
- Onions
- Petunias
- Potatoes
- Roses
- Snapdragons
- Zinnias
Apple Trees, Peach Trees, and other fruit trees. Farmers for a very long time have been using chamomile as a companion plant for fruit trees. Chamomile has antifungal properties that can help prevent fungal infections of the fruit trees.
Basil will have an increased production of its essential oil when planted near chamomile.
Broccoli gets an improved flavor due to chamomile being a companion plant. Chamomile will also help bring pollinators to the area.
Cauliflower benefits as a companion crop to chamomile because chamomile can improve the taste of cauliflower.
Celery is a good companion plant for chamomile because chamomile growing nearby can help improve the flavor of celery.
Cucumbers benefit from chamomile attracting insects like ladybugs and hoverflies. These beneficial insects will help control harmful insects like aphids that can harm your cucumbers.
Garlic and chamomile make a good companion pair because chamomile can help improve the growth of garlic. Find other companion crops for garlic here.
Onions are another companion crop that chamomile can improve the flavor and the growth of onions when it is growing near them.
What Not To Plant With Chamomile In The Garden
While most companion plant lists say that there are no bad companion plants for chamomile, there are a couple of crops that you should not plant near it.
- Carrots
- Mint
- Parsley
- Parsnips
Mint is not a good companion plant with chamomile. Chamomile can prevent mint plants nearby from producing the oil that gives mint plants their minty scent. This can not only affect the flavor and aroma of the mint itself, but if you are using the mint as a companion plant for other crops to keep pests away it won’t work as well.
Carrots, Parsley, and Parsnips all attract similar pests that can harm not only themselves but also chamomile.
Frequently Asked Questions About Companion Planting With Chamomile
You can grow chamomile and lavender near each other but you would want to have one or both in a container. Chamomile prefers moist soil while lavender prefers drier soil and does not do well in moist soil. So growing at least one in a container so you can control the moisture level is essential when having these two herbs planted close together.
Chamomile can spread easily in an area. It is commonly grown as a ground cover due to its ability to grow throughout an area via rhizomes.
Yes, you can grow chamomile near lettuce. Make sure to keep the chamomile under control and not let it overtake the area your lettuce grows in. One easier way to control the growth and spread is to grow your chamomile in a container and place that near your lettuce crop.
More Companion Plants Info:
- Companion Plants for Rosemary
- Companion Plants for Thyme
- Companion Plants for Okra
- Companion Plants for Carrots
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