The Best Mint Companion Plants Plus An Important Warning
Mint is an excellent addition to your herb garden, but did you know it’s also beneficial to plant around your flower and vegetable garden? There are so many fantastic mint companion plants to choose from, and we compiled the entire list for you to use while planning your garden this summer.
We have the full list of mint companions, their not-so-great companions, as well as information about companion planting and the benefits in this article.
The Best Mint Companion Plants For your Gardens
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Eggplants
- Peas
- Pole beans
- Bush beans
- Zucchini
- Winter squash
- Peonies
Carrots
Mint can help prevent infestations of carrot root fly. The scent of the mint will help confuse the fly and protect the carrot crop. Carrot flies will lay eggs on the carrots, and the larvae will feed on the carrot root. Companion planting mint close to the edges of your carrot beds will help ward off those pesky carrot flies.
- Related: Did you know that you can grow carrots in containers and turn a wonderfully healthy crop? We have an article dedicated to the healthy container-grown carrot you might want to check out!
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Broccoli
Mint is a great companion plant for brassica family members like kale, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. The strong, pungent scent of mint will deter white cabbage moths (cabbage looper). Mint is also said to help improve the flavor of cabbage family plants.
Many people claim that planting mint near brassicas will help deter flea beetles, but in my experience, I’ve found that mint attracts flea beetles.
Learn More: We have a few more articles about companion planting with brassicas:
Tomatoes, Pepper Plants, and Eggplants
Members of the nightshade family like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant make good companion plants for mint. They say that mint will help improve the vigor and growth of tomato plants and improve their flavor. Adding a mint plant to your garden bed can also help deter pests like tomato hornworms.
Mint also helps repel aphids and spider mites, two primary insect pests that attack members of the nightshade family.
Learn More: Check out these posts to learn more about tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants:
- Companion Plants to Grow with Eggplant
- How to Pickle Jalapenos
- What to do With a Bumper Crop of Jalapenos
- Companion Plants to Grow with Peppers
- How to Can Tomatoes Whole
Peas, Pole Beans, Bush Beans
Companion planting mint near beans and peas will help keep away mice and rats. The small mammals do not like the scent of mint and it will keep them away from your crops. Mint is also said to help repel Mexican bean beetles.
Zucchini & Squash
The mint plant attracts beneficial insects and pollinators to your zucchini, pumpkin, and squash beds.
- Learn More: We have articles for the best companion plants for pumpkins you may want to check out. Mint makes a good companion for squashes like pumpkins, but there are many more GREAT companions.
Peonies
If you have a problem with ants and your peony flowers, try growing mint around the base of the plants. Spearmint is an excellent repellant for ants and will help keep the ants off your precious flowers.
- Related: Check out the article we wrote about planting and growing healthy and vigorous peonies in your gardens.
Warning: Mints are Invasive Garden plants!
When you plant mint in your gardens, be sure to isolate the plants.
Mint is a strong vigorous grower that will spread quickly and be challenging to manage if not contained.
The best way to control mint in your garden is to plant it in containers. You can place the containers of mint around your garden or bury the entire container in the garden bed. The pot will help contain the roots and limit the mint’s ability to spread.
Avoid Growing Mint Next To These Plants:
- Strawberry Plants
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Basil
Strawberry Plants
Strawberries and mint plants are vulnerable to a disease called verticillium wilt. When planted together it increases the risk of the disease spreading quickly through the entire garden bed. It’s best to avoid planting all varieties of mint away from your strawberry plants.
Learn More: There are so many excellent strawberry companion plants. We created a great checklist for you to use while planting your strawberry beds. Strawberries also pair extremely well with asparagus – read here to learn more about what to plant with your asparagus.
Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, and lavender
Oregano, rosemary, basil, and mint all enjoy different watering schedules and when planted together it makes watering challenging to manage. If planting mint near these other herbs keep them in a separate container so you can control the moisture levels.
Learn More: You can grow excellent oregano, rosemary, and basil indoors and outdoors. We have all the growing information you need in these articles:
- Basil Plants: How To Grow, Harvest & Use Them
- Rosemary Plants: How To Grow, Harvest & Use Them (2022)
- Oregano Plant: How To Grow, Harvest, And Use Them
- How To Grow Lavender In Pots Successfully!
- Lavender Companion Plants
Tips for Planting Mint plants Outdoors
- Planting out: Start seeds 4-6 weeks indoors before the last frost in your area. You can plant mint seedlings in the garden when the soil has warmed and the last possible frost of the season has passed. Not sure when your last frost is in your area? You can check out this handy chart to find your zone and frost dates.
- Sun Requirements: Partial shade to full sun
- Soil requirements: Mint likes well-draining fertile soil
- Water requirements: Consistently moist soil
Learn More: See our detailed post about growing healthy, vigorous mint plants indoors and out! And if you’re looking for more plants that will thrive in the shade, check out this list of shade-loving vegetables!
THE BENEFITS OF COMPANION PLANTING
Companion planting brings a whole host of benefits to the organic home garden. All plants have beneficial partners who, when planted nearby, can help improve growth, taste, yield, and help control pests and diseases. Companion plants can help:
Attract Pollinators
Colorful flowers with strong scents and abundant food sources attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. Pollinators are beneficial for increasing yields.
- Learn More: If you are interested in attracting pollinators like butterflies or simply giving the bee population a helping hand, we created a list of the best flowers to plant in your gardens to attract and feed the bees from spring until fall.
Attracting Beneficial Insects
Marigolds attract helpful bugs like parasitic wasps, hoverflies, and ladybugs. These beneficial insects will help curb pest infestations.
Repel Harmful Insects
Like mint and lavender, some plants work well to deter common garden pests, such as squash bugs, asparagus beetles, spider mites, corn earworms, and tomato hornworm. Or the plants will attract harmful pests and work as a trap crop to keep these pests away from your veggies.
Help Improve the Soil
Some flowers like marigolds help destroy root-knot nematodes that live in the ground and destroy plants from the roots. Other plants can act as a living mulch to help control moisture in the soil. In other cases, plants with large taproots like carrots can help break up heavy soils and increase aeration.
Help Control Weeds
Densely planted leafy greens or low-growing flowers can act as a living mulch to prevent weeds and help retain moisture in the soil.
- Learn More: Weeds are the gardener’s nemesis. Learn how weeds grow to understand better how to deal with them in your gardens.
Companion Planting Can also Help with Disease Issues
Diseases are spread more quickly through your garden when large groups of the same plant are grown together. Adding different plants can help break up groups and slow the spread of diseases like powdery mildew or blight.
For more information on companion planting, check out our articles on companion planting with vegetables and flowers.
