Top 11 'Pest-Repelling-Partnership' Companion Planting Guilds to start in Your Veggie Patch in 2025 - Goh Ling Yong
Picture this: It’s a perfect summer morning. You step out into your garden, mug in hand, ready to admire the fruits (and veggies) of your labour. But instead of vibrant, thriving plants, you find hole-punched leaves, wilting stems, and the tell-tale signs of a full-scale pest invasion. It’s a heartbreakingly common story for gardeners everywhere.
For years, the go-to solution was a bottle of something chemical. But what if there was a smarter, more elegant way to protect your precious produce? A method that works with nature, not against it, to create a balanced, self-regulating ecosystem right in your backyard. This is the magic of companion planting, but we’re going to take it a step further. We’re not just pairing plants; we’re building powerful teams, or "guilds," designed specifically to form a pest-repelling partnership.
These guilds are communities of plants that support each other by deterring pests, attracting beneficial insects, and improving soil health. It’s like assembling a superhero team for your veggie patch! By strategically placing these allies together, you can significantly reduce pest pressure and grow healthier, more resilient plants. Ready to transform your garden into a fortress of flavour? Let’s dive into the top 11 pest-repelling guilds to get you started in 2025.
1. The Classic Defender: Tomato, Basil & Marigold
This is perhaps the most famous companion planting trio, and for good reason—it’s an absolute powerhouse. Tomatoes are a garden favourite, but they are also a magnet for the dreaded tomato hornworm and pesky whiteflies. This is where the guild comes into play.
Basil is the tomato's best friend. Its strong, aromatic oils are believed to confuse and repel both tomato hornworms and whiteflies. Many old-school gardeners, including myself, swear that planting basil nearby also improves the tomato’s flavour, making it sweeter and more robust. On the other side, you have the cheerful marigold. This isn't just for looks; French Marigolds release a chemical from their roots that is toxic to root-knot nematodes, microscopic pests that can devastate tomato root systems. Above ground, their pungent scent deters a host of other garden villains.
Pro-Tip: Plant basil in between your tomato plants to create a fragrant barrier. Ring the entire bed with a border of French Marigolds for maximum nematode protection. This creates a multi-layered defense system that works from the soil up.
2. The Brassica Brigade: Cabbage, Onion & Nasturtium
If you’ve ever grown cabbage, broccoli, kale, or any member of the brassica family, you know the despair of finding them skeletonized by cabbage worms. These green caterpillars, the larvae of the Cabbage White butterfly, can decimate a crop in days. The Brassica Brigade is your first line of defense.
The strategy here is scent confusion and diversion. Onions, leeks, and other alliums have a very strong, pungent smell that masks the scent of the brassicas, making it much harder for the Cabbage White butterfly to find a place to lay its eggs. Surrounding your cabbage patch with a border of onions is a simple and highly effective tactic. Then, add the secret weapon: Nasturtiums. These beautiful, edible flowers act as a "trap crop." Aphids and cabbage worms are often more attracted to the nasturtiums, luring them away from your precious harvest.
Pro-Tip: Check your nasturtiums regularly. If you see them covered in aphids, you know the trap is working! You can then simply remove the infested leaves or give them a sharp spray with a hose, dealing with the pests before they ever reach your broccoli.
3. The Root Guardian: Carrot, Rosemary & Leek
Pests don't just attack what's above ground. The carrot rust fly is a sneaky villain that lays its eggs near the base of carrot plants, leading to larvae that tunnel through the roots, ruining your crop. The Root Guardian guild creates an aromatic shield to protect your carrots.
This partnership is a beautiful example of mutual protection. The powerful, piney scent of rosemary is excellent at confusing and repelling the carrot rust fly. At the same time, the scent of leeks (and other alliums) also helps to mask the carrot's aroma. In return, the carrots help their companions by repelling the leek moth. It’s a perfect symbiotic relationship where everyone looks out for each other.
Pro-Tip: Plant a row of carrots, then a row of leeks, and place a rosemary plant at each end of the bed. This interplanting method ensures the protective scents are well-distributed throughout the entire patch.
4. The Aphid Annihilator: Lettuce, Chives & Mint
Tender, juicy lettuce leaves are an aphid’s dream come true. A small infestation can quickly get out of hand, leaving you with sticky, distorted leaves. This guild is designed to stop them in their tracks before they even get started.
Chives, garlic, and other alliums are fantastic aphid repellents. Their strong scent is offensive to the delicate senses of an aphid. Interplanting chives among your rows of lettuce creates a confusing scent barrier that makes your salad greens much less appealing. Mint is another incredibly powerful aromatic pest repellent. However, a word of caution is essential here.
Crucial Tip: NEVER plant mint directly in your garden bed unless you want a mint-only garden. It is incredibly invasive. Plant it in a pot and sink the pot into the ground near your lettuce. This gives you all the pest-repelling benefits without the hostile takeover of your entire veggie patch.
5. The Three Sisters: Corn, Beans & Squash
This is the original North American companion planting guild, a masterpiece of agricultural design practiced by Indigenous peoples for centuries. It’s a perfect example of a plant community where each member plays a critical role in supporting the others.
The corn provides a tall, sturdy stalk for the pole beans to climb, eliminating the need for trellising. The beans, being legumes, are nitrogen-fixers; they pull nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form that the heavy-feeding corn and squash can use. The large, sprawling leaves of the squash act as a living mulch, shading the soil to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Its prickly vines also help to deter pests like raccoons and other critters. This isn't just a pest-repelling guild; it's a complete, self-sufficient ecosystem.
Pro-Tip: Plant the corn first. Once it's about six inches tall, plant the beans and squash seeds around the base of the corn stalks. This timing ensures the corn is strong enough to support the beans when they start to climb.
6. The Cucumber Shield: Cucumber, Radish & Dill
Cucumber beetles are the bane of any cucumber grower's existence. They can damage the plants and, worse, transmit bacterial wilt, a disease that can wipe out your entire crop. This guild provides a multi-pronged defense against this destructive pest.
Radishes, when planted near cucumbers, are known to deter cucumber beetles. They work best when you let a few go to seed, as the flowers are also beneficial. The real hero, however, is dill. This fragrant herb is a magnet for beneficial insects. It attracts lacewings, ladybugs, and predatory wasps, all of which are voracious predators of aphids, spider mites, and the eggs of cucumber beetles. Borage is another fantastic companion, known to deter many cucumber pests while also attracting pollinators.
Pro-Tip: Plant your cucumbers on a trellis for better air circulation and to make harvesting easier. Plant radishes at the base of the trellis and allow a few dill plants to grow up and among the cucumber vines to maximize the attraction of beneficials.
7. The Potato Protector: Potato, Horseradish & Bush Beans
The Colorado potato beetle is a formidable foe. Both the adults and the larvae can defoliate potato plants with alarming speed. This guild leverages strong scents and decoy plants to keep your spuds safe.
Horseradish is a traditional companion for potatoes, with its potent aroma acting as a strong deterrent to the potato beetle. A single plant at each corner of the potato patch is often enough to do the job. Bush beans are another excellent partner. They are known to repel the Colorado potato beetle, while the potatoes, in turn, help to repel the Mexican bean beetle. It’s another great example of mutual protection. As I've learned in my own gardens, following the principles Goh Ling Yong often discusses about creating diverse ecosystems is key to this kind of success.
Crucial Tip: Like mint, horseradish can be very aggressive. If you're concerned about it spreading, plant it in a large, buried bucket with drainage holes to keep its roots contained.
8. The Nightshade Alliance: Eggplant, Peppers & Borage
Eggplants and peppers belong to the same nightshade family as tomatoes and often face similar pests, like aphids and hornworms. This guild brings in floral firepower to protect them.
Borage is a superstar in the vegetable garden. Its beautiful blue, star-shaped flowers are not only edible but also highly effective at repelling the tomato hornworm. Furthermore, it's a magnet for pollinators and predatory wasps, which will help keep other pest populations in check. Petunias, surprisingly, are another great companion. Their sticky residue can trap aphids and flea beetles, and they release a chemical that repels a variety of pests, including the hornworm.
Pro-Tip: Plant borage on the sunny side of your eggplants and peppers. It can get quite large and you don't want it to shade out your sun-loving nightshades. The petunias can be tucked in between the plants as a colourful, functional groundcover.
9. The Asparagus Ally: Asparagus, Tomato & Parsley
Asparagus is a long-term investment, a perennial that will reward you for years. Protecting your patch from the asparagus beetle is crucial for its longevity. This guild uses a clever chemical defense.
Tomatoes are the perfect annual companion for a perennial asparagus bed. They produce a chemical called solanine, which is toxic to the asparagus beetle. Planting a row of tomatoes alongside your asparagus can significantly reduce beetle damage. Parsley is another great friend, as its flowers attract a host of tiny predatory wasps and other beneficial insects that will happily feast on asparagus pests.
Pro-Tip: Since asparagus is one of the first things to be harvested in spring, you can plant your tomato seedlings in the bed right after you've finished your asparagus harvest. The tomatoes will then grow and protect the asparagus ferns throughout the summer.
10. The Strawberry Sentinels: Strawberry, Spinach & Borage
Fresh, homegrown strawberries are a true delight, but slugs, snails, and other pests think so too. This guild protects your precious berries while also improving their health and flavour.
We've already sung the praises of borage, and it's a champion here as well. It’s known to deter many common strawberry pests and is reputed to enhance the strawberry's growth and sweetness by attracting pollinators. Spinach is an excellent partner because it doesn't compete for resources. Its roots occupy a different soil level, and its leaves act as a living mulch, helping to keep the soil cool and moist for the shallow-rooted strawberries.
Pro-Tip: Plant spinach in between your rows of strawberries. It will be one of the first things you harvest in the spring, which opens up the space and gives the strawberries more room to spread out during the summer.
11. The Polyculture Powerhouse: A Mix-and-Match Guild
The final "guild" isn't a specific recipe but a philosophy. Instead of planting in monoculture blocks (all tomatoes here, all lettuce there), embrace diversity. A polyculture patch, where several mutually beneficial plants are mixed together, is the ultimate pest deterrent. As Goh Ling Yong often advocates, a diverse garden is a resilient garden.
Imagine a single bed with a tomato plant, surrounded by a few basil plants, with lettuce growing in the shade beneath it, a border of chives, and a marigold in the corner. This complex mix of scents, shapes, and root systems creates a confusing environment for pests. They can't just "lock on" to a huge block of their favourite food. It also attracts a much wider variety of beneficial insects, creating a stable, self-policing ecosystem.
Pro-Tip: Start small with one 4x4 foot bed. Try planting a tall crop (like a staked tomato), a root crop (carrots), a leafy green (lettuce), and a beneficial flower/herb (borage or marigolds) all within that small space. Observe how they interact and the lack of pest pressure you'll experience.
Your Garden, Your Ecosystem
Moving away from single-minded pest control and towards building cooperative plant communities is one of the most rewarding shifts you can make as a gardener. It transforms your veggie patch from a battlefield into a vibrant, collaborative ecosystem that is more resilient, productive, and beautiful.
Don't feel like you need to implement all of these at once. For 2025, pick one or two guilds that feature vegetables you love to grow. Start there, observe the results, and have fun experimenting. You’ll be amazed at how a little strategic partnership can lead to your healthiest and most bountiful harvest yet.
Now it's your turn! What are your favourite pest-repelling companion planting combinations? Share your go-to guilds and success stories in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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