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Companion Planting with Oregano

Companion planting is nothing more than placing plants in close vicinity to one another for the benefit of one or both. Companion planting can be used to encourage the growth of nearby plants, enrich the soil, or deter pests, the latter of which oregano performs quite well. Deterring a variety of garden pests, oregano benefits many plants.

How Companion Planting Works

The goal of companion planting is to either repel garden pests or attract beneficial insects. The strong odor of some plants repels some insects while masking the odor of the nearby plant that the insect finds succulent. That same pungent odor that detracts many pests, in tandem with the brightly colored flowers of many companion plants, attracts beneficial insects creating a double ambush for the damaging pests.

What Plants Love Oregano?

Though most plants would benefit from the oregano plant's pest deterring qualities, several stand out for specific pest problems. The cucumber beetle, so named for its destructive behavior to cucumber plants, despises oregano. Planting a few oregano plants among your cucumber plants will help to keep them at bay.

Oregano plants also repel the cabbage butterfly making them perfect companion plants for cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Additional plants that benefit from being planted next to oregano include grapes, beans, brassica, melon, and squash.