The chief joy of growing oregano is in harvesting it in big bunches, either for immediate use in the kitchen or for drying and storing. But beyond its culinary (and health) benefits, companion planting with oregano can be hugely beneficial in the vegetable garden-- and not just by attracting masses of bees.
As a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), oregano can spread voraciously. This is sometimes a concern for vegetable gardeners, and understandably so; too much vigorous spreading can inhibit nearby, slower-growing plants. But frequent harvesting will keep oregano in check, and strategic interplanting can even take advantage of its sprawling habit.
This guide walks through how to companion plant with oregano for the best effect, why it grows well with certain vegetables and herbs, and what plants generally don't grow well with it.
Skip Ahead: Companion planting benefits • Best oregano companion plants • What not to plant with oregano • Common oregano pests
Benefits of companion planting with oregano
Like most aromatic herbs, oregano can benefit a wide range of vegetables and fruits by attracting and deterring certain insects. Its fantastic aroma and sweet purple flowers aside, here are some of the more practical benefits of planting oregano around your vegetable garden:
- Covering soil: Oregano will grow quickly to form an aromatic mat over the soil. It's easily cut back, but letting it grow will shade the soil, improving both moisture and nutrient retention.
- Improving soil condition: Oregano's sprawling, shallow roots are excellent for breaking up and aerating the soil. If you pull up an oregano plant, you're likely to see healthy soil with lots of insect life.
- Deterring pests: Oregano's strong scent can actively repel whiteflies, stink bugs, and cucumber beetles. It may also mask nearby plants' scents, confusing pests like aphids, mites, and thrips.
- Attracting pollinators: Flowering oregano is beloved by honeybees and some butterflies.
- Attracting beneficial insects: Oregano's small flowers support predatory insects like hoverflies, ladybugs, and lacewings, as well as parasitic wasps and flies that kill aphids and caterpillars.
The best oregano companion plants
The plants that benefit the most from interplanting with oregano are generally those that struggle with pests that oregano deters: cucurbits, brassicas, strawberries, and peppers. That said, planting oregano in appropriate conditions (full sun, well draining soil) will benefit the vegetable garden as a whole, as you'll be supporting more biodiversity-- especially among predatory insects-- and improving the soil.
Oregano is more flexible than some other Mediterranean herbs when it comes to soil needs. While it tends to develop a stronger flavor in poorer soils, oregano can thrive in rich, well draining soil alongside main crop vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, and kale.
If you want to try to grow oregano as a perennial, it's worth experimenting to see what your climate will support. Even in cooler zones (zones 7 and 6), oregano can often overwinter in well prepared ground or raised beds, whose soil stays slightly warmer year-round. Alternatively, planting oregano in pots dotted around the garden can still have a positive effect.
However you decide to grow it, consider situating your oregano plants near these companions:
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1. Brassicas
Brassicas are particularly susceptible to pest infestations, so companion planting them with aromatic herbs like oregano is a useful trick for organic gardeners. Along with thyme, sage, rosemary, and dill, oregano is effective at preventing pest problems by masking brassicas' scent.
Planting oregano with brassicas like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale also supports parasitic wasps and tachinid flies. These beneficial insects in turn will keep cabbage looper, cabbage worm, aphid, and mite populations in check.
Read More: The 10 Best Companion Plants for Broccoli
2. Squash
Squash plants often suffer from extensive damage by stink bugs, which companion planting with oregano may help prevent. Oregano can also help improve yields by attracting bees and beneficial insect predators like lacewings and hoverflies.
Give both plants a full sun position in well draining, rich soil. Planting oregano and squash in a north-south orientation will help ensure that they get consistent sun throughout the day.
3. Cucumbers
Planting oregano with cucumbers can help repel stink bugs, cucumber beetles, and aphids, and it may help prevent melonworm infestations. As both plants need full sun, oregano may do best grown next to cucumbers or at the base of trellised cucumbers, as opposed to interplanted between cucumber plants.
Read More: The 15 Best Companion Plants for Cucumbers
4. Watermelons
Watermelons are some of the heaviest feeding plants you could grow. They need ample compost in the soil, regular waterings, support, and (often) organic fertilization midsummer with a compost tea or comfrey tea.
Flowering oregano will support a watermelon harvest by repelling aphids, mites, stinkbugs, and melonworms, as well as suppressing weeds around the base of watermelon plants. Its small flowers will also attract and support a host of beneficial insects: lacewings, hoverflies, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and tachinid flies.
5. Peppers
Peppers need full sun and rich soil that's consistently moist. Oregano is an excellent companion plant for peppers for two reasons: it will help keep pests like aphids, whitefly, and flea beetles at bay, and it will shade the soil, improving water retention.
If you plant the two together, be sure to give them lots of drainage in the soil, whether it's perlite, vermiculite, or grit. Pepper plants don't like the soil to dry out, while oregano does; the compromise is ensuring that the soil drains quickly around oregano's roots.
6. Strawberries
Strawberries are hungry, thirsty, and prone to pest damage. Planting oregano with strawberries can help by improving moisture retention in the soil, suppressing weeds, and repelling soft-bodied pests that would prey on strawberries. Allowing the oregano to flower will also attract pollinators and syprhid flies, which will hopefully result in more strawberries and fewer aphids.
Strawberries are often grown in their own containers or beds, as interplanting with other fruiting plants can make them more susceptible to verticillium wilt.
7. Thyme
Thyme and oregano both repel pests like aphids, attract beneficial insects like lacewings, and support parasitic wasps and flies while flowering. Both plants are fantastic companion herbs for heavy feeding vegetables like peppers and brassicas, thanks to their ability to cover the soil and help keep pests in check.
Companion planting with thyme will also keep oregano in check, as it also spreads aggressively. Plant these herbs together in moderately rich soil with lots of drainage and give them a position in full sun, ideally near your vegetables.
8. Sage
Sage and oregano planted in well drained soil will thrive together. They'll also create an effective barrier for pests, as their strong aromas combine to mask those of other plants.
Plant sage with oregano in a full sun position, give them plenty of drainage, and let top of the soil dry between waterings. Both are good companion plants for strawberries or brassicas.
9. Marjoram
Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is a close relative of oregano's, with a slightly sweeter flavor. Both plants enjoy the same conditions and provide many of the same benefits. Because both are non-fruiting perennials, you don't have to worry about cross pollination dulling their flavors.
Plant marjoram and oregano together in a soil with some added compost and drainage, place them in full sun, and harvest them just before the flowers start to bloom.
10. Rosemary
Nearly all of rosemary's companion plants are other Mediterranean herbs, as few other plants can cope with its growing conditions: sharp drainage, harsh sun, infrequent watering. While oregano likes a bit more richness in the soil than rosemary, the two will thrive together in the right conditions.
Rosemary and oregano share a few companions in common: sage, marjoram, thyme, and lavender. Whether for a pot near the kitchen or for deterring pests, these are some of the best herbs to grow together in peak summer.
11. Lavender
Oregano allowed to flower at the base of lavender will attract a wide range of pollinators and beneficial insects, from butterflies and honey bees to parasitic wasps. Lavender needs roughly equal parts drainage, soil, and compost in its planting mix, making it better for planting next to a vegetable garden than for interplanting with vegetables.
What not to plant with oregano
Though oregano is fairly adaptable, there are a few vegetables and herbs that tend not to grow well alongside it. Whether because they're growing requirements are too different or they actively affect each other's growth in a more direct way, here are a few (generally) bad companions for oregano:
1. Radishes
Though radishes and oregano would make a fantastic pest-deterring, space efficient companion pairing, they have slightly different needs. While oregano likes the soil to dry between waterings, radishes need moist soil to avoid becoming woody.
2. Tomatoes
Oregano can grow well with some heavy fruiting vegetables, but they're not the best companion for tomatoes. The two might grow well enough together-- provided oregano isn't planted in the tomatoes' shade-- and it would be worth trying in a small space. But if you're looking for a good tomato companion plant, there are just better options: basil, marigolds, and nasturtiums top the list.
3. Mint
Mint grows aggressively in almost any soil, making it hard for neighboring plants to keep up. Oregano spreads pretty well itself, but it'll be at a disadvantage when interplanted with mint.
4. Fennel
Fennel likes more water than oregano, but it's also an allelopathic herb with the ability to suppress the growth of nearby plants.
That said, fennel is a fantastic plant to grow if you're looking to attract beneficial insects and support pollinators in your garden. It's also easy to grow from seed and fairly low maintenance-- but it does better in its own pot or in a flower garden than companion planted with herbs and vegetables.
5. Cilantro
Cilantro is a cool weather herb that needs lots of moisture. Growing cilantro in the summer is a challenge, as the plants bolt at the merest hint of heat. In addition to their growing seasons not aligning well, oregano and cilantro have too dissimilar of requirements to grow well together.
Read More: The 9 Best Companion Plants for Cilantro
6. Chives
Like cilantro, chives grow best in cool weather with plenty of water. They could do well in an herb garden situated in full sun, but they'll struggle through the summer without consistent watering to keep their roots cool.
Chives and oregano could maybe be coaxed into growing together, but it'd be much more enjoyable to grow them in separate areas with more fitting companion plants.
Read More: The 12 Best Companion Plants for Chives
Common oregano pests
Oregano doesn't often suffer from serious pest damage. It can sometimes host aphids, spider mites, thrips, and spittlebugs, but healthy plants rarely suffer from infestations. If you notice any of these pests on your oregano, the solution may be as simple as giving the plant a good blast with a hose.
To prevent pest issues, give oregano the conditions it needs: full sun, well draining soil, occasional waterings (when the soil has dried), and regular harvesting.