15 Easy-To-Grow Herbs That Help Keep Pests Out Of Your Tomato Garden

Tomatoes are a satisfying garden crop, and most gardeners enjoy growing them either in vegetable beds or in containers. Depending on the variety, some tomatoes can have growing challenges, including various insect pests like aphids, whiteflies, thrips, and tomato hornworms, among others. While some pests can be removed by hand, and others can be deterred with various insecticides, one effective non-toxic approach to controlling pests is using companion plants. This list of easy-to-grow herbs features plants that help deter various insect pests from attacking your tomatoes.

Planting herbs to help deter insect pests in the vegetable garden can work in several ways. Some herbs have strong scents that repel insects (example: mint repels aphids and cabbageworms). Some herbs attract beneficial insects that act as predators to the undesirable insect pests (example: yarrow attracts ladybugs and hoverflies, whose larvae devour aphids and thrips). Finally, some herbs act as "trap plants" to lure insects away from vegetables (example: nasturtiums attract lacewings, whose larvae feed on whiteflies).

A number of herbs that are simple to grow in and around the vegetable garden can help protect your tomatoes from various insect pests. While many gardeners plant marigolds (Tagetes) to deter tomato hornworms and beetles, adding some additional herbs is a good strategy. Planting an assortment of herbs is not only a way to increase your garden's biodiversity (an effective pest deterring strategy), but specifically targets bugs that attack tomatoes, and attracts beneficial predators to keep insect pests at bay. Most of the herbs in this list, including basil and borage are tender annuals grown from seed, but there are several perennials that are cold hardy for northern gardens.

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is a popular culinary herb that grows easily from seed. Like many garden herbs, it is most commonly grown as an annual due to not being very cold hardy in most growing zones. Cilantro, also commonly called coriander, can be planted from seed throughout the growing season. The herby scent of cilantro attracts beneficial pollinators and repels aphids, which are a common pest of tomatoes.

For an attractive medicinal herb with colorful flowers, you may want to plant yarrow (Achillea millefolium), which is often seen in pollinator and cottage gardens. The flat flower heads bloom for weeks, and this perennial spreads easily but not invasively. Hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, yarrow is easy to grow from seed or from cuttings. The strong scent of yarrow repels mosquitoes but attracts beneficial predatory insects like ladybugs, which are a natural enemy of Colorado potato beetles — noxious pests that feed on tomato leaves. 

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum) is a popular garden annual that produces attractive edible flowers and grows easily from seed in containers or window boxes. This flower is considered a "trap plant" for flea beetles and aphids, which means it helps lure these pests away so they won't can attack your tomatoes. That's why nasturtiums are often planted at the edges of vegetable gardens. Nasturtium flowers also attract beneficial pollinators to their colorful blooms.

A favorite Mediterranean herb that is commonly grown as an annual from seed, basil (Ocimum basilicum), grows well in sunny beds or in containers, and can be direct sown in the garden after the last spring frost. The flowers attract beneficial pollinators, so even though it's good to deadhead them to promote more leafy growth, leaving a few flower stems intact will draw butterflies. Basil's heady, spicy fragrance has excellent insect deterring qualities also: It protects your tomatoes by repelling fruit flies and hornworms.

This flowering herb is a handsome plant, with sky-blue flowers from deep purple buds that appear in late summer. Borage (Borago officinalis) has many medicinal uses, and its fragrant flowers repel several insect pests that feed on tomatoes, including tomato leafminers, hornworms, and cutworms. It's easy to grow from seed (direct sow) in spring, will often reseed itself, and can become perennial in zones 6 through 10. As the clumps grow larger, they also make good companions for vegetables that like a bit of shade, like tender lettuces.

This pretty daisy-like flower is well known for its medicinal value. There are a number of varieties: Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a dainty plant with feathery leaves that is hardy in zones 4 through 11. It is known to attract beneficial predators like ladybugs (which prey on aphids), hoverflies (which feed on a number of tomato pests including thrips and leafhoppers), and parasitic wasps, which help control tomato hornworms. 

Oregano is a perennial herb (hardy in zones 4 through 10) that likes full sun. It's not fussy about soil, and can be planted from seed to eventually form large, robust perennial clumps in the garden. The tiny white or purple flowers attract beneficial pollinators, while the strong scent of the leaves repels various insect pests, including mosquitoes, and also deters aphids from destroying tomato plants.

Dill is a popular culinary herb with an unusual scent that many people find appealing. It forms attractive yellow flowering seed heads, and depending on the variety, will sometimes reseed itself in the garden to become a sort of perennial presence. The herby smell of the dill plant repels aphids, while it attracts ladybugs and hoverflies (which eat the larvae of leafhoppers and thrips), so it's an excellent protector of tomato plants from these common pests.

Savory (Satureja hortensis) is not very commonly grown in American gardens, but it's a nice culinary herb to try. Summer savory is an attractive herb that produces small spikes of pale purple blooms. This aromatic plant is not too fussy about soil and grows easily from seed, as long as it has full sun. It's a good natural insect repellent, protecting tomato plants by repelling black aphids.

For a fragrant culinary herb that attracts beneficial predatory insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and hoverflies, all of which help devour tomato pests, you might like to grow parsley. Both the curly and flat leaf varieties are vigorous in the garden, and once you know how to grow and care for parsley, you'll find that it's easy to grow from seed. This herb prefers a slightly acidic soil and full sun, and does well in either garden beds or in containers. 

Mint is the common name for a large family of plants (Lamiaceae) that includes bee balm, lavender, and many herbs. But most plants grown as "mint" are the specific Mentha varieties including peppermint (Mentha x piperita), spearmint (Mentha spicata), and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens). Mint plants repel many insects, including tomato pests like aphids and flea beetles. This herb is cold hardy, perennial in zones 3 through 11 and easy to grow. However, it has a reputation for being invasive and tough to eradicate, so it's best to grow it in pots.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a popular culinary herb that is low growing and aromatic. Some gardeners like to plant creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) to fill in cracks between stone pavers, and it is one of many varieties that are easy to grow from seed. It's perennial in zones 5 through 9, and will form low shrubby plants with woody stems over time, but you can also easily grow it as an annual in containers. Thyme's tiny flowers attract pollinators, and also repel tomato pests including tomato hornworms and whiteflies.

As a type of allium, chives (Allium schoenoprasum), produce slender leaves topped with spiky pale purple flower spheres in summer. Chive flowers are attractive to beneficial pollinators like honeybees and butterflies. After deadheading the flowers, you can continue to harvest the leaves for cooking by snipping them. Like other alliums with strong odors of onion or garlic, chives are also an effective insect repellent against various pests, including mosquitoes and tomato-eating aphids. 

Calendula is also known as pot marigold, and produces colorful orange and yellow flowers, with some new hybrids in shades of pale pink and cream. These sun-loving annuals can be grown easily and quickly from seed in beds or containers. Calendula repels tomato hornworms, and attracts ladybugs and lacewings, whose larvae feed on whiteflies and aphids, making them an excellent companion to protect your tomato plants.

Anise hyssop (Agastache), also called hummingbird mint, is a low-maintenance perennial that is hardy in zones 4 through 9. There are many cultivars in a range of sizes and colors including blue, purple, white, and pink. The spiky, fragrant flowers have plenty of nectar to attract pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Anise hyssop also attracts beneficial predatory insects that devour aphids and other tomato pests.