Basil -- The Powerhouse of Companion Planting

I didn't do very much companion planting this year in our first garden, but I'm pretty sure what we did do has paid off. Companion planting, if you're unfamiliar, is planting plants that benefit each other together. This isn't just for vegetable gardening, either, but this post is about the veggie garden.

For our first veggie garden at our home, we decided to plant basil and tomatoes together. Basil is a powerhouse in the garden, especially for tomatoes. It not only improves the growth and flavor, but also repels several pests of tomatoes (and other fruits and vegetables). Basil repels white fly, tomato hornworms, aphids, flies and mosquitoes.


I had heard of basil's repellent properties quite a few years ago when I asked my grandma about natural items to spray on fruit trees to repel insects. I can't remember why I asked; I'm pretty sure my husband and I were engaged at the time and maybe I was looking at houses -- or maybe I was curious about my parents' fruit trees. Anyway, my grandma told me "basil water."

You're supposed to plant three basil plants per tomato plant for the best results, but we didn't go that far. Although I love basil, especially in homemade sauces, I bought the basil specifically for it's pest-repelling capabilities.

We planted 12 tomato plants on the NE side of our garden in 4 rows. To the south of the tomatoes, I planted 4 basil plants, 1 at the end of each row of tomatoes. I haven't had ANY pests on my tomatoes, or the rest of my garden from what I've seen. There are some ants on my zucchini, but they aren't doing any damage. I haven't seen any aphids or other "ant prey" on my zucchini, so who knows.

I've let my basil bud out -- which if you didn't know makes the basil more bitter. I do have a container of basil in the freezer, enough to get us through I'm sure.

Because it repels flies and mosquitoes, it's also useful in the kitchen. You can cut stalks of basil and put them in a glass of water. They'll stay fresh for quite a while this way. It also works as a fungicide and can slow the growth of milkweed bugs. Who woulda thought?

As for improving the flavor and growth of tomatoes, I can't say because I don't have a "control" garden to see if it's working or not. I've just picked my first three tomatoes, and we're having them for dinner tonight.

I'm sure they're wonderful. Pest- and pesticide-free tomatoes. The perfect compliment to any meal, alone or in a sauce or salad!