Keep tomato hornworms and other common tomato pests away with the help of companion planting.
You’ll get a bigger harvest if you avoid placing related plants like peppers nearby.
Thats because these plants are susceptible to thesame pests and diseases.
Credit:Bob Stefko
Instead, try out some of the tomato companion plants listed below.
Basil
Tomatoes and basil pair beautifully together in dishes like margherita pizza and caprese salad.
Basilsstrong scent can help repelcommon tomato pests, such as thrips.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Borage also helpsdeter tomato hornworms, which can otherwise devastate your tomato plants.
Thyme
Like basil, thyme has a strong aroma that helps to keep pests away.
Thymeis a low growing plant, making it an excellent natural mulch choice.
Credit:Robert Cardillo
Planting creeping thyme around your tomato plants can help suppress weeds and prevent soil from drying out too quickly.
In contrast,tomatoes are annualsthat only last one growing season.
Planting beans and peasnear your tomato plantscan give your tomatoes a nutrient boost and enhance their growth.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
These pesky insects can cause stippling on tomato skins and other problems too.
However, cowpeas will lurestink bugsaway from your tomatoes.
Dill
Dilland other plants in the carrot family help attract beneficial insects to your garden.
Credit: Jay Wilde
From ladybugs and lacewings to parasitic wasps, these helpful critters will keep pest populations in check.
These predators feed on tomato hornworms, aphids, andseveral other common plant pests.
To get the most benefit out of your dill plants, allow them to bloom.
Credit:Kindra Clineff
As a member of the legume family, it also enriches your soil by adding nitrogen.
Collard Greens
Collard greens and other members of the cabbage family are excellent trap crops.
When planted near your tomatoes, these plants can lure pests like harlequin bugs away from your tomato plants.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Interplanting fast-growing collards with your tomatoes can also boost the productivity of your garden.
Those flowers are very popular among pollinators and beneficial insects, including parasitic wasps.
Conveniently, parasitic wasps are one of the top predators of tomato hornworms.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Credit:Denny Schrock
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
