Thyme is worth growing just to have in the kitchen, but it earns its keep in the garden, too. As a companion plant, thyme's low-growing habit, tiny flowers, and strong aroma make it uniquely useful for managing pests and increasing yields among certain herbs and vegetables. Research shows that it may even be effective at preventing the spread of fungal diseases in the soil.
Thyme doesn't have to be relegated to a pot or planted exclusively with other Mediterranean herbs-- although it will grow happily in those conditions, too. This guide will cover the many benefits of using thyme as a companion plant, which plants grow well with thyme (and lemon thyme), and how to plant thyme with those companions to help them all grow strongly throughout the summer.
Skip Ahead: Benefits of companion planting with thyme • The best thyme companion plants • Bad companions for thyme • Thyme pests
Benefits of companion planting with thyme
Thyme's aroma and usefulness in the kitchen are reason enough to plant it. But as a companion plant, thyme offers additional benefits that can help grow more productive crops and contribute to the overall health of an organic garden:
- Covering soil: All varieties of thyme are low growing and spread, making them a fantastic groundcover for flower beds or raised beds.
- Maximizing space: Thyme enjoys full sun, but it can still thrive when planted at the base of tomatoes.
- Improving soil condition: In addition to aerating the soil as it spreads, thyme protects soil from the sun, resulting in fewer weeds, better water retention, more nutrients in the soil, and more nutritious crops.
- Deterring pests: As an aromatic herb, thyme is fantastic for deterring pests like aphids and mites.
- Attracting pollinators: Thyme's small flowers attract honey bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
- Attracting beneficial insects: Thyme attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings, which will prey on soft-bodied pests like aphids and mites. It can also attract parasitic wasps and flies, which prey on aphids and caterpillars.
The best thyme companion plants
Plants that grow well with thyme usually enjoy full sun, good drainage, and soil that isn't too rich in nitrogen. This includes other Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and sage, as well as main crop vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, and kale.
Companion planting thyme with other herbs can be very effective for deterring pests and attracting small, predatory insects that prey on pests like aphids and mites. Some gardeners will have success planting these herbs together in raised beds or in the ground, in places where the soil isn't too rich or clay. Otherwise, potted herbs can still make fantastic companions for nearby vegetables.
Thyme is fairly adaptable when compared with other Mediterranean herbs; it can grow beautifully in a standard raised bed mix along with brassicas, tomatoes, and oregano. This makes it much better suited to companion planting with vegetables in the soil, where it can be allowed to spread as a groundcover.
However you grow it, here are the vegetables and herbs that will benefit most from companion planting with thyme:
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1. Potatoes
Planting potatoes with thyme can help prevent fungal diseases, repel pests, and improve the soil. Thyme has been found to kill the soil-dwelling bacteria that causes potato scab, and thyme essential oil can even stop the spread of late potato blight. Fragrant varieties of thyme can help repel potato pests like armyworms and hornworms. And finally, planting thyme next to your potatoes will support ladybugs and hoverflies (or syrphid flies), which prey on aphids. Along with basil, parsley, and cilantro, thyme is one of the all-around best potato companion plants.
2. Tomatoes
Tomatoes planted with thyme are likely to see fewer fungal diseases and less pest damage. In fact, along with marigolds, thyme is one of the most effective tomato companion plants for repelling pests.
Thyme helps repel whitefly and tomato hornworms and reduce damage from aphids and other garden pests by attracting predators like hoverflies and ladybugs. When it comes to fungal diseases, thyme essential oil has been found to be an effective treatment against early tomato blight. Thyme essential oil can even kill nematodes in the soil.
3. Brassicas
Thyme is one of a perfect companion plant for reducing pest damage in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. Growing thyme can also reduce diamondback moth infestations, one of the most damaging brassica pests worldwide. As with its other companions, thyme can also help improve brassica yields by attracting predatory insects that mites, aphids, and cabbage worms in check.
4. Rosemary
Thyme is one of the few rosemary companion plants that can share the soil with it, and the two make for a powerful pest-deterring combination. Rosemary is known to repel whiteflies, thrips, aphids, most common pepper and brassica pests, and help prevent carrot fly infestation. Growing upright rosemary in a pot and underplanting it with thyme would be a fantastic way to incorporate these benefits into the vegetable garden.
5. Sage
Along with thyme, sage can reduce diamondback moth infestations on brassicas and repel carrot flies, cabbage moths, and flea beetles. Provided they get full sun and good drainage, thyme and sage will attract pollinators, support predatory insects, and deter pests all summer.
6. Oregano
Along with other Mediterranean herbs, oregano's strong aroma and small flowers can deter pests and attract beneficial insects like lacewings. These generalist predators will prey on soft-bodied garden pests like aphids and mites and are a crucial component to a healthy garden.
Plant oregano and thyme together in a pot or in a raised bed (with plenty of drainage) to protect tomatoes and other fruiting vegetables from pest damage. They share similar growing conditions, so one is likely to do well where the other has.
7. Marjoram
A close relative of oregano, marjoram is a sweeter, less spicy alternative that offers the same benefits as a companion plant: deterring pests, attracting pollinators, and supporting predatory insects. Plant marjoram with thyme as you would plant oregano-- or plant all three together-- for a useful companion planting combination and a steady supply of herbs all summer.
8. Lavender
Lavender and thyme are both drought tolerant plants like intense sun, sharp drainage, and relatively poor soil. They'll also both endure a drought, making them a water-wise companion pairing for the summer garden. Planting thyme as a ground cover around lavender plants will create a pollinator-friendly border that also improves the soil and creates habitat for beneficial insects.
Bad companion plants for thyme
Thyme isn't known to be particularly harmful to any garden vegetables or herbs, but it won't grow well with plants that have very different growing requirements. A few herbs to avoid planting with thyme are basil, cilantro, chives, parsley, dill, fennel, and mint. Vegetables that don't grow well with thyme include peppers and cucumbers.
Herbs like thyme and basil shouldn't be grown together because their soil needs are too different. Both herbs love full sun, but basil needs richer soil that's more moisture retentive. The same goes for cilantro, chives, and parsley, all of which also benefit from partial shade during the peak of summer. Mint is more adaptable, but like other mint family plants, it will spread aggressively if not planted in a container.
Dill and fennel, two more carrot family plants, are excellent for attracting beneficial insects but won't grow as well in thyme's poorer, faster draining soil.
Finally, cucumbers and peppers both need more of a moist soil than thyme likes. Planting cucumbers with thyme may negatively impact their flavor, as well. The same holds for cucumbers and most aromatic herbs.
Common thyme pests
Thyme doesn't typically suffer from pest damage, as it's generally better at repelling pests than attracting them. The most common thyme pests are aphids and mites, though this generally doesn't cause severe damage. More common for thyme is damage from diseases, which you can prevent by giving the plants adequate spacing and planting them in well-draining soil.
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