what flowers repel pests in vegetable garden

10 plants to help keep pests out of your vegetable garden

• Marigolds. Marigolds are great for helping repel aphids and mosquitoes, as well as small animals like rabbits. ...
• Petunias. Petunias help repel aphids, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and tomato hornworms. ...
• Geraniums. ...
• Lemongrass. ...
• Rosemary. ...
• Nasturtiums. ...
• Chrysanthemums. ...
• Pitcher plants. ...
• Alliums. ...
• Garlic chives. ...

More items...

Full Answer

What plants naturally repel insects?

Which plants will repel pests?

1. Lavender. Repels mice, moths, and beetles. ...
2. Marigolds. Marigolds are well known for their pest repellent stink. ...
3. Catnip. Cats love catnip, but most other creatures don’t. ...
4. Garlic. Most bugs simply detest the smell of garlic, and will avidly avoid any area in which it’s planted. ...
5. Chrysanthemums. ...
6. Citronella grass. ...
7. Lemongrass. ...

What flowers repel insects?

Nasturtium flowers repel insects such as:

• Beetles
• Aphids
• Squash bugs
• Whiteflies
• Cabbage loopers

What flowers keep bugs away?

How To Control Bugs

1. Marigolds. Plant lice, mosquitoes, and even rabbits can be deterred by the scent of marigold. ...
2. Chrysanthemums. This might be the best plant to keep bugs away. ...
3. Mint. Mint plants can repel spiders, ants, and mosquitoes. ...
4. Citronella grass. ...
5. Lavender. ...
6. Chives. ...
7. Petunias. ...
8. Garlic. ...
9. Rosemary. ...
10. Sage. ...

What are the best plants to repel bugs?

Plants That Deter The Bugs

• Sage Bush. Sage bushes are the best plants to have around the house; they act as a useful insect repellent.Smoke created by burning sage is super useful to repel the ...
• Basil. Basil has a delicious smell when it is used in a tomato sauce, but it has a terrible smell for bugs.
• Chives​. ...
• Citronella Plant. ...
• Catnip. ...
• Lavender. ...
• Rosemary. ...
• Marigolds. ...

What can I plant in my vegetable garden to keep pests away?

11 Garden Plants to Help Keep Bugs Away!Marigolds. The scent of a marigold will deter plant lice, mosquitoes, and even rabbits. ... Chrysanthemums. This might be the best plant to deter bugs. ... Mint. Mint plants can repel spiders, ants, and mosquitoes. ... Basil. ... Citronella grass. ... Lavender. ... Chives. ... Petunias.More items...•

What flower keeps bugs away from vegetables?

Marigolds The marigold is one of the most well-known insect-repelling plants and with good reason — they have a scent that will keep pests like mosquitoes, nematodes like cabbage worms, and other pests away.

What flowers keep bugs away from tomato plants?

More Herbs & Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes to Keep Bugs Away: Don't just stop at planting Marigolds with your tomatoes. For further protection from pest bugs, you can also plant basil, beans, bee balm, borage, sweet alyssum, chives, garlic, nasturtium, mint, anise, onion, and parsley.

What flowers keep bugs away in a garden?

Lavender is a favorite among many beneficial insects and also repels fleas and moths. Marigolds – The marigold is probably the most well-known plant for repelling insects. French marigolds repel whiteflies and kill bad nematodes.

How do I keep my vegetable pest free?

6 Simple Secrets for a Pest-Free GardenGrow in a good location. Successful pest prevention begins before you even plant a seed. ... Choose the right crops. ... Start with strong seedlings. ... Harvest from your garden frequently. ... Scout for signs of trouble often. ... Spray plants when necessary.

Do marigolds help vegetable gardens?

In addition to the cheery flowers that marigolds bring to your garden, they also attract beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, hoverflies and parasitic mini-wasps, that prey on garden pests. If you sow the marigolds as a cover crop and plow them under before planting, they will repel harmful nematodes.

Should you plant flowers in your vegetable garden?

Growing flowers in your vegetable bed attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. These helpful bugs help spread pollen around, which encourages your vegetable plants to grow, breed, and produce food.

Do marigolds repel tomato worms?

The essential oils in the marigold act as a repellent to many insects, including the moth that lays the tomato hornworm. Plant marigolds around crops that attract tomato hornworms, as well as throughout the garden. Beneficial insects are the most effective means of keeping tomato hornworms in check.

Do marigolds keep squash bugs away?

Companion planting is also worth a try, using repellent plants that deter the squash bug. They include catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm and mint.

Do marigolds keep animals away?

They Don't Work. In reality, marigolds don't repel rabbits, deer or any other animals from gardens, said horticultural experts at Iowa State University and Texas A&M University. Rabbits may actually eat marigolds while deer simply ignore them.

What insects do marigolds keep away?

Although it hasn't been proven, many long-time gardeners claim that marigolds also control pests like tomato hornworms, cabbageworms, thrips, squash bugs, whiteflies, and others.

Do marigolds keep ants away?

Marigolds bring ant-repellent aromatics as well as a pretty splash of orange color to your home. Compared to the other plants, these can be a little tougher to keep as houseplants. Marigolds need warm temperatures and a lot of sun to stay healthy.

Top 10 Plants That Repel Vegetable Garden Pests

Here is a list of plants that work wonderfully as natural pest repellents in your garden. Plant them among your vulnerable crops to save them from pest damage.

Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects

An indirect approach to cater to your pest problem is to grow plants that attract beneficial insects into your garden. Beneficial insects not only increase pollination and resulting fruiting in your garden, but they also feed on pests to keep their population under control.

Conclusion

Now that you have a list of plants that repel vegetable garden pests to choose from, grow some of these in your garden to bring diversity and keep the pest population down. With these pest repellent plants you can naturally ward off pests without the need to resort to chemical means.

Does lavender repel moths?

Lavender. This herb has many useful properties but as this post is about flowers that repel pests, let’s stick to those. The strong scent of lavender repels fleas and moths and since medieval times sprigs of lavender have been placed indoors as a repellent. For more on companion planting lavender click here.

Is larkspur a pesticide?

So use larkspur as an insecticide, it’s 100% natural and will only affect the pests who bother it.

What flowers repel bugs?

Flowers that Repel Insects in a Vegetable Garden. Marigolds – Marigolds give off a scent that repels mosquitoes, aphids, and even rabbits. Additionally, the roots of marigolds ward off nematodes. Marigolds are annuals. They are most effective when placed along the border of flowerbeds and throughout the vegetable garden.

What plants repel squash bugs?

They also repel squash bugs, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, tomato horn worms, and aphids.

What plants do alliums protect?

When grown in a vegetable garden, alliums help protect kohlrabi, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and peppers, to name a few. Nasturtiums – Nasturtiums release a chemical in the air, which repels many types of beetles, cabbage loopers, aphids, squish bugs, and whiteflies. Nasturtiums are grown best as a companion plant – along ...

What insecticides are safe for vegetable gardens?

Therefore, before making the insecticide, it’s critical to learn how to make it the safe way. Alliums – Plants in the Allium family repel a variety of insects that invade vegetable gardens. For example, alliums repel cabbageworms, slugs, carrot flies, and aphids. When grown in a vegetable garden, alliums help protect kohlrabi, carrots, potatoes, ...

What is companion planting?

Companion planting involves grouping a variety of plants close to one another. Each plant group helps the plants in the other group. Additionally, nasturtiums stave off insects from vegetables, such as kale, collards, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and kohlrabi.

How to get rid of rosemary smell in refrigerator?

Strain the liquid in no less than a half-gallon container that includes a quart of cold water. Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator. Add the mixture in small spray bottles when going outdoors. When the container in the refrigerator loses its rosemary smell, the remaining repellant can be discarded.

How to get rid of mosquitoes and house flies?

Place the containers of basil by house doors and outdoor leisure areas to help repel houseflies and mosquitoes. Fresh basil can also be used as an insect repellent. Pour 4 ounces of boiling water into a container that has 4 to 6 ounces of clean, fresh basil leaves (stems attached.)

Marigolds

Marigolds are great for helping repel aphids and mosquitoes, as well as small animals like rabbits. Because they’re on the smaller side, they can easily be mixed throughout your garden without too much concern about them getting too big.

Petunias

Petunias help repel aphids, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and tomato hornworms. If you love growing tomatoes, you can plant petunias alongside basil interspersed throughout the tomatoes to increase natural pest prevention.

Geraniums

Geraniums can repel leafhoppers and other types of insects. When taken care of properly, they’ll reward you with beautiful blooms and add a lovely pop of color to an otherwise mostly green garden.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass plants help repel mosquitoes, which makes working in the garden a nicer environment –– especially during the more humid days when bugs are out in abundance. Nobody wants to get bitten to pieces while tending to their veggies, so this plant is really more for you than it is for the health of your crops.

Rosemary

Rosemary is another plant that helps repel mosquitoes and other insects. At the very least, it will make your gardening environment more pleasant (and when it comes time to harvest, you’ll have some nice, fresh herbs for garnishing your dishes).

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums can potentially repel aphids, cabbage loopers, squash bugs, whiteflies, and a variety of beetles.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums (or mums) are great for repelling ants, cockroaches, Japanese beetles, ticks, and more. This flower can help repel bugs that others don’t, and they may be good to plant alongside ones like petunias or marigolds to cover a wide variety of pests.

What plants repel aphids?

Onions (allium cepa) Marie Iannotti / The Spruce. Onions repel aphids, carrot rust flies, and flea beetles. The combination of carrots and onions has done well in testing. To foil flea beetles on eggplants, you can try tossing onion peelings around them, although the actual onion plants work better.

How do plants repel insects?

Plants that repel insects are often used for natural pest control through companion planting, the practice of growing different plants together to achieve specific results. Like humans, insects have their preferred foods, and they usually find these foods by scent. You can make it harder for insects to locate the buffet by mixing in plants ...

What is the best plant for asparagus beetle?

Calendula, or pot marigold, repels asparagus beetle. It also attracts beneficial insects, so this edible flower is useful throughout your garden. USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 11. Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade.

How to get rid of potato beetle in Colorado?

Use horseradish to repel Colorado potato beetle. This can be tricky because it is hard to plant a perennial like horseradish with a crop like potatoes, which needs to be dug every season, but it should have some effect if grown in the general vicinity.

How to make it harder for insects to find the buffet?

You can make it harder for insects to locate the buffet by mixing in plants that will confuse their sense of smell, such as planting onions between cabbages . This means you won’t be able to plant in tidy rows and large blocks of a single vegetable, but it doesn’t take a lot to have an effect.

Is dill good for cabbage moths?

Dill is excellent for repelling cabbage moths. Dill is also a good plant for attracting beneficial insects and is a host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. You will lose a little dill while the larvae feed, but they are not around for long, and the butterflies are lovely. USDA Growing Zones: Annual plant.

Does catmint repel aphids?

Catmint repels aphids, asparagus beetle, Colorado potato beetle, and, squash bugs. The one drawback with catnip is that some varieties can be aggressive spreaders and quickly take over large parts of the garden.

What flowers repel bugs?

2. Lavender. Considered one of the best flowers for garden pests, lavender keeps away all kinds of bad insects. It repels rodents, flies, fleas, mosquitoes, no see ums, caterpillars, and moths. Additionally, it adds a splash of color to your garden or windowsill.

What plants keep worms away?

Other examples of these pest and bug repellent plants include garlic, leeks, and shallots. Chives keep away rabbits, carrot fly, Japanese beetles, and mites.

How to keep bugs away from my garden?

However, an easy way to naturally deter them is by planting the right herbs, flowers, and plants that repel pests.

What herbs repel earwigs?

Bay Leaves. Bay leaves are great at keeping away flies, weevils, rats, and moths. They also repel earwig insects. Therefore, place the leaves (fresh or dried) in areas where these pests might show up. 7. Dill. Among the herbs that repel bugs, dill is an excellent pick.

What plants are good for squash bugs?

Nasturtium. If your garden seems to be loved by squash bugs, beetles, whiteflies, or cabbage loopers, you’ll definitely want to companion-plant some nasturtiums. Nasturtiums release a scent in the air that naturally keeps off many insects without harming any other plants or even the beloved bee.

How to make a natural repellent spray?

To make a homemade spray, simply add some dried rosemary to boiling water for half an hour. Next, strain into a container that contains equal parts of cool water. Finally, store the mixture in the fridge in a spray bottle and use it when needed.

How to keep mosquitoes out of house?

In addition to growing it in your garden or a pot, you can also tie small bundles of the herb over doorways and near windows to keep insects out of the house. Order lavender seeds online. 3. Lemongrass. Among the plants that repel mosquitoes, lemongrass is a key ingredient in many mosquito-repellent candles and oils.