Garlic is unusual in the companion planting world because it plays both roles: it’s one of the most useful companion plants for other crops, and it also has a short list of companions that genuinely benefit it.
Understanding both sides makes garlic a strategic tool you can deploy across your garden.
What to Plant with Garlic: Garlic benefits from: roses (mutual pest deterrence), chamomile (said to improve garlic flavor), and summer savory. It benefits its neighbors by repelling aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites through its sulfur compounds. Keep garlic away from beans, peas, sage, and parsley — it inhibits their growth.
What to Plant WITH Garlic (Garlic as the Companion)
#1 Roses — The Classic Garlic Companion
Garlic interplanted with roses is one of the oldest companion planting combinations, and it has genuine scientific backing.
Garlic’s sulfur compounds repel aphids (the primary rose pest) and Japanese beetles. Planting garlic cloves around rose bushes in fall — when you’d normally plant garlic anyway — creates a living aphid deterrent that activates in spring exactly when aphid season begins.
#2 Tomatoes and Peppers
Garlic interplanted between tomatoes and peppers deters spider mites and aphids. Plant a garlic clove between every 2–3 plants.
Allow the garlic to grow and harvest it in summer — by then the tomatoes and peppers have filled in the space. See our full companion planting guide.
#3 Carrots and Beets
Garlic and root vegetables are excellent companions — garlic repels carrot flies (a major carrot pest) and the roots occupy different soil depths with minimal competition.
#4 Strawberries
Garlic planted around strawberry beds repels aphids and spider mites that commonly affect strawberries. The garlic also deters ground-level pests. Harvest garlic in June-July, just as strawberry production ramps up.
What NOT to Plant Near Garlic
Garlic has real allelopathic effects on several crops — it produces root exudates that inhibit the germination and growth of some plants.
- Beans and peas: Garlic significantly inhibits legume growth. Keep at least 18 inches between them — or better, plant them in separate beds entirely.
- Sage: Garlic and sage are mutually inhibiting — neither performs as well when planted near the other.
- Parsley: Garlic inhibits parsley growth. Keep separate.
- Asparagus: Both are long-lived perennials that shouldn’t share space, and garlic has an inhibiting effect on asparagus crowns.
Companions That Benefit Garlic Itself
#1 Chamomile
Chamomile is consistently cited as improving garlic flavor and yield when interplanted nearby. The mechanism isn’t fully understood, but it’s one of the most consistent companion planting observations across many gardeners. Plant chamomile at the edges of your garlic bed.
#2 Summer Savory
Summer savory is said to improve garlic’s growth vigor. It also deters bean beetles — useful if you’re growing beans in nearby beds (just not immediately next to the garlic).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant garlic near tomatoes?
Yes — garlic is one of the best tomato companions. Plant cloves between tomato transplants in spring (or overwinter garlic to have established plants ready when tomatoes go in). The sulfur compounds deter spider mites and aphids through the season.
Does garlic keep pests away from the whole garden?
Garlic’s effect is localised — it’s most effective for plants it’s directly interplanted with, not for the garden as a whole. Plant it adjacent to the crops it protects, not in a separate bed expecting garden-wide coverage.
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Final Thoughts
We hope this guide helps you use garlic strategically across your garden — both as a crop and as a companion. For all our vegetable growing guides, our vegetable gardening guide links to everything.
Share this post with a fellow gardener who’s ready to get growing — and let us know in the comments which crop you’re pairing garlic with this season. Happy growing!
