Benefits of Growing Herbs in Your Vegetable Garden

A lot of times herbs get overlooked when it comes to planning a vegetable garden. But they should absolutely be a part of your garden for so many reasons. From repelling the pest insects and bringing in the beneficial ones, herbs should be planted in and around your vegetables and flowers. From the tender annuals to the frost-hardy perennials, here is a list of my favorite herbs to have in the garden and why you should be growing herbs in your vegetable garden.

Did you know that many herbs can actually improve your harvests? Because herbs attract beneficial insects while also repelling pest insects, the insect pressure is less on your gardens and the veggies you are growing. Your harvests will show you that adding herbs to your garden is a good choice.

I used to grow all my herbs separately in one spot from my veggies. I am so glad that I learned a herb garden should not be isolated from the vegetable garden. They should be planted together as companions. You have most likely heard the term companion planting. It means when certain plants are near each other, they help each other out. Isn’t that great that herbs can do that for many vegetables?

Herbs to Grow in Your Vegetable Garden

Herbs are praised for not only their aromatic qualities that attract and repel the right insects, but they can help a lot of your vegetables grow stronger. And since they help with keeping away a lot of the bad bugs and attracting the good, there is no reason not to get herbs planted in your garden this year.

Besides all those benefits, I also like to have herbs on hand for cooking, and feeding to our chickens and rabbits. Of course herbs are planted in the garden so I can harvest them for fresh dishes and to store as dried herbs throughout the year. There are so many benefits to our health when cooking with herbs.

The benefits are also extended to our livestock. They love to eat the fresh herbs and the chickens also benefit from many of them placed in their nesting boxes.

Just as I plant flowers in my garden to help improve my vegetable harvests, herbs do the same. Here are the ones that I love to grow.

Annual Herbs and Perennial Herbs

When planning which herbs to plant in your vegetable garden, you will want to plan it out with knowledge of which are annuals (need to be planted each year) and perennials (will come back each year in the spring). Read the details below for which herbs fall into each category. I would suggest that the perennial herbs are planted around the edges of the garden or raised beds while the annuals can be moved each year to be closest to each vegetable they do best with.

There are also a few perennial herbs that should be planted in containers due to their tendency to spread and take over. They can then be left in one spot of the garden or you can move around each year.

Herbs to Consider Planting

My Top 10 Growing Herbs

Basil

The smell of basil in the summer garden is one of my favorite things. It just tastes like summer. Fresh basil can be used for so many things – fresh salads, on pizza, with tomatoes, and preserved as pesto.

I usually interplant it with the tomatoes. I’m not sure if true, but it is said to improve the taste of tomatoes. Fore sure the strong aroma will repel aphids, thrips, spider mites, white flies, and mosquitoes! Along with the tomatoes, basil is good to plant among the peppers, eggplant, brassicas, beans, and potatoes. Basil is a warm season crop and will not survive a frost.

Oregano

Oregano is a beautiful perennial in most climates and can be a prolific grower. It is great at deterring pests such as the cabbage moth and attracting beneficial insects and pollinators if it gets to flower. The nice things about oregano is it will keep producing the move you harvest it. So make sure you are constantly cutting from it or give it several big harvests throughout the summer.

Oregano is more flavorful when dried, so harvesting and drying for later use is a great way to preserve it. I also feed it to my chickens and rabbits when I can’t keep up with it. They love the taste.

Oregano is wonderful anywhere in the garden and you will need to plan out where to plant it since it is a perennial. Asparagus, which is also a perennial, will benefit from oregano planted near it. Cabbage, corn, and tomatoes will also like oregano near.

Chives

Chives are a favorite to have in the garden also and since they are a perennial, they will come back stronger each spring. They want to have full sun. Chives are great planted near brassicas and carrots and will deter aphids, flies, and beetles. They are also said to be good for the flavor of tomatoes. You do not, however, want to plant them near beans.

Chives are such a fun herb to have in the garden. Whenever I need some in a recipe, I take out my scissors and chop some off the top. The onion chives have beautiful purple flowers that can also be eaten. Pollinators love them. The garlic chives have a bit more a flat leaf compared to regular onion chives being more like a straw. Garlic chives also have white flowers instead of purple. If you leave the flowers on, they will self-seed and spread a bit more each year.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a tender perennial and can overwinter in some climates, but will die off in colder weather. Growing up in California, Rosemary was everywhere in nice big bushes that never died back. Yet in cold climates it won’t last, but can be overwintered in a pot you bring inside.

It is a very aromatic plant that will repel pest bugs. Rosemary does best when planted in full sun. It is great grown near brassicas for repelling the cabbage moth, beans to repel weevils and bean beetles, and also carrots to deter the carrot root flies. That’s a lot of space you should allow for some rosemary in your garden!

Cilantro

Cilantro is a lovely cool weather loving annual. It seems people either love it or hate it. I’m glad our family loves it since it is such a great addition to the garden. Best direct sown into the garden soil in early spring, cilantro is a very fragrant herb. It will bolt in the heat of the summer so make sure it gets planted early enough. Instead of pulling it all at that stage, you can let some of it go to seed to collect. The seeds are known as the spice coriander at that stage. It is also easy to save seeds for planting the next season.

Cilantro is great planted near asparagus, chervil, spinach (which are all early spring crops). They will bring in the beneficial hover flies and parasitoid wasps and repel aphids, potato beetles, and spider mites. Another benefit is that cilantro will be a nitrogen fixer to your soil.

Parsley

Parsley is a biannual which means it seeds the second year of growing. It is frost tender and will die back in most climates. Besides being a great culinary herb, parsley will attract beneficial insects such as hover flies and predatory wasps to eat the bad bugs. Plant parsley near your onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, corn, and asparagus. One of the best parts about parsley in the garden is they can attract swallowtail butterflies. Watch for them to lay eggs on the leaves.

Sage

Sage is a wonderful perennial in most climates except maybe the coldest. It likes to be planted where it can get plenty of sun and will tolerate some light frosts. Plant sage near your brassicas to repel the white cabbage moths, near your carrots to repel the carrot root flies, or near your beans or potatoes to help with the flea beetles.

Sage should not be planted near your cucumbers, onions, garlic, or strawberries.

Dill

If you grow cucumbers and are a pickle maker, you probably also have dill growing in your garden. If not, you will want to get dill into your garden this year for all the beneficial insects it will attract. It will also attract wasps and butterflies.

Plant dill near you corn, brassicas, and asparagus for the most benefit.

Mint

Mint takes me back to my childhood and the garden of a friend. Her mother had it planted in many raised beds and the whole yard smelled of this amazing herb. It is a perennial that will take over your garden if you aren’t careful. It is recommended that you plant it in containers so that it will not be able to grow through its root system.

With its flavorful aroma, mint will do a wonderful job repelling aphids, flee beetles, carrot root flies, and the onion fly. Mint can be planted near many vegetables including brassicas, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, beets, squash, and tomatoes.

Thyme

Thyme is a perennial with a great fragrance. Many people plant it as a ground cover as it can spread. It doesn’t like to be overwatered and can tolerate dry conditions.

Plant thyme near your brassicas or strawberries. It will attract the hover flies, which are good, and repel with its fragrance. It will repel moths, tomato horn worms, and flea beetles.

3 Bonus Herbs to Grow

Borage

Borage will be new to my garden this year and I am excited to add it after all I have read about it. it has a beautiful blue flower and all parts of the plant are edible. It is also a wonderful bee attractant.

You can plant borage all over the garden near tomatoes, corn, squash, melon, cucumbers, and strawberries. It will work to deter hornworms, cabbage moths, and corn worms.

Chamomile

Chamomile is such a lovely flowering herb to add to your garden. There are two types. German chamomile is an annual while the Roman chamomile is a perennial. You will find yourself enjoying the flowers in your garden and cut arrangements while also using it for a medicinal herb in teas and salves.

Chamomile is great at attracting many beneficial bugs and predatory insects while also repelling insects you don’t want. It is especially beneficial to plant near your garlic and onions.

Lavender

Most of us know lavender for its wonderful fragrance. It is a perennial herb, but you will want to know which type you are planting due to some being more winter hardy. The English lavender is best for cold climates while the Spanish and French lavender is better for the warmer climates.

Try planting lavender near your brassicas for the most benefit.

What Other Herbs Would You Add to Your Vegetable Garden?

Any herbs not on my list that you would add to your garden?