Essential to the decor and beauty of any garden, flowers have always been treasured for their looks. However, there are many different types that can be planted near a vegetable patch or simply bloom on its own in an arborium bed.
Flowers can be a wonderful addition to any garden, from the largest of spaces all the way down to your smallest container-sized plot.
There are many benefits that come with planting flowers and other plants near vegetables like preventing erosion by keeping runners off dirt surfaces or attracting beneficial insects such as pollinators who help make sure our crops grow healthy without pests!
If this sounds like something you might be curious about, then there are some great flowers and vegetables that can potentially grow in your garden!
Why You Should Always Plant Flowers In Your Vegetable Plot?
Once a vegetable garden is established, the flowers in it are typically used to attract beneficial insects as well repel harmful ones. Some even plant them at their edge so they can create an aromatic border that discourages certain animals from eating those veggies!
Attracting Insects – One of the best ways to attract insects like bees and butterflies is by planting fragrant flowers near your vegetable beds. These critters will find these spots, which in turn improves their chance for finding food!
Repelling Insects – Some flowers emit an odor that harmful insects like night moths, flies and aphids dislike. They can be planted near specific vulnerable plants or as a border around raised beds of vegetables for protection from these pests – especially when growing them in your garden space where there’s no natural predators present!
Animal Repelling Borders – Planting flowers near garden borders can help to reinforce the perimeter and keep soil in place on gradual slopes. Many of these plants are toxic or distasteful for animal pests, meaning they won’t eat them which makes it harder for animals like deer, rabbits and raccoons try eating your vegetables!
Can Flowers Be Used For Crop Rotation?
One of the most important things for any gardener to do is rotate their plants regularly. This will prevent nutrient depletion and help them avoid planting beds that are more prone to common plant diseases or fungal infections, which can have a significant impact on yields over time.
Planting flowers as part of a garden rotation plan is an excellent way to reduce soil loss while also giving you something attractive and fragrant for kitchen bouquets.
11 Of The Best Flowers To Benefit A Vegetable Garden
Flowers are a great way to liven up your garden and make it more beautiful. Planting flowers in or as a border surrounding your vegetable gardens can have any positive sides like repelling pests, attracting the best garden pests like butterflies, boosting the soil nutrients around their roots, etc.
Here are 11 of the best variety flowers to grow as companion plants in or near your vegetable garden, so you can deter pests and attract beneficial insects. Better yet? These arrangements improve soil too!
1. Marigolds
Marigolds are a very diverse family of flowers that have been used for centuries to keep pests away. African marigold, despite their minor aesthetic value in the garden or landscape will repel many types of insects from tomato plants such as carrot flies, who love nothing more than chowing down on fresh tomatoes!
French Tashkent varieties however, offer better moth protection and also make your home smell nice when burned at night, making them one our favorite flower choices!
A study found that French marigolds are effective in repelling a wide range of insects. They include aphids, cabbage maggots (a pest associated with potatoes), potato beetles and cutworms among others!
These are the most common crops that love being next to Marigolds:
- Basil
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Gourds
- Kale
- Potatoes
- Squash
- Tomatoes
NOTE: Avoid planting marigolds next to beans!
2. Calendula
One of the most popular flowers grown in gardens is Calendula. This bright yellow flower can grow up to 24 inches tall and has sticky sap that first attracts smaller insects like aphids or whiteflies, who then stay away from nearby crops as they fall victim to their own trap!
The healing properties of these flowers make them a perfect addition to any garden. They attract pollinators, which are essential for seed production and quality fruit/vegetables in your home!
Bees also benefit from calendula’s lovely scent as they assist with keeping things pest free by targeting other unwanted guests like thrips or aphids that love ruining gardens alike!
Best crops to have next to Calendula are:
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peas
- Carrots
- Asparagus
- Spring Salad Vegetables
- Mesclun Greens
3. German Chamomile
German chamomile has many benefits for vegetable gardens, including attracting beneficial insects and pollinators while also improving drainage. It’s been known to hold water well in dry weather because of its deep roots that can help pull nutrients from the soil so your plants have what they need!
Planting a border or allowing it grow between rows will make this herb more effective at drawing beneficial insects and pollinators near.
5. Nasturtium
Nasturtium is an annual herb that has peppery leaves as well vibrant edible flowers. It’s known for giving off a strong odor which helps repel pest insects and also sprawls when trained, making it good companion to vegetables like cucumbers or other ground crops in your garden!
Did you know that nasturtium plants grow in rich, black soil and help retain water for taller vegetables like tomatoes? They also add nutrients when they die back after providing shade.
These are the best companions of Nasturtium:
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Eggplants
- Okra
6. Borage
Borage is an annual flower that can add color, flavor and even help with pollination to your garden. The plant itself has been known by many cultures throughout history for its medicinal properties in addition to being delicious!
Borages are easy enough to grow without much care – just make sure they get plenty of water during dry periods, but not too much sun since this could cause seeds or leaves to burn easily if left unattended.
Borage is an excellent plant for attracting bees and other beneficial pollinators. Not only does it help the garden’s yield, but borages can trap aphids while also making delicious fruit that birds love!
Borage is a dynamic accumulator of nutrients that can be harvested at the end of its season to add key elements into your fall and winter compost pile.
These garden vegetables are great companions to borage:
- Tomatoes
- Cabbage
- Strawberries
- Summer Squash
- Winter Squash
- Pumpkins
7. Sunflowers
If you want to attract beneficial pollinators and have late summer or early fall greens, then consider planting sunflowers in your vegetable garden.
The flowers can provide great coverage with their beautiful petals while also providing shade for nearby plants during hot hours of the day!
Sunflowers can also serve a dual purpose of being both an ornamental flower and for vining vegetables. They have been known to inhibit plant growth when grown too closely, so avoid planting them with pole beans or bush beans, or potatoes.
Sunflowers grow great with:
- Lettuce & Mesclun greens
- Summer Squash Like Zucchinis
- Onions
- Kale
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
But, you should avoid planting them with:
- Potatoes
- Pole Beans
- Bush Beans
8. Lavender
Lavender is a flower with edible and medicinal benefits used the world over. This makes it an excellent addition to your garden on its own, but lavender can also help attract in beneficial pollinators including honey bees or bumblebees that move from one blossom to another!
One of the best ways to get bees in your garden is with lavender. The flowers are perfect for pollinating, and their pleasant scent will keep them coming back again soon!
Plant your Lavender near these crops for growing healthy vegetables:
- Brassicas
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Marjoram
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Lemon Balm
- Winter Squash
- Summer Squash
Avoid planting lavender near mint.
9. Lupins
Lupins are a great flower to plant next to your vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and greens. They help fix nitrogen very much like how legumes do!
It essentially captures the atmospheric nitrogen in nodules near its roots that helps restore depleted fields during crop rotation cycles or as companions for heavy-feeding plants such as sweetcorn with high requirements of these crucial nutrients.
Plant Lupins alongside these plants:
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Other plants that need nitrogen
10. Comfrey
Comfrey is a plant that can be used as both ornamental and medicinal. It has deep roots, which makes it better suited for borders than the interior of your home or garden beds – this way you have plenty of room to grow all sorts!
The flowers attract beneficial insects while also attracting pests like slugs and snails in order help control them when necessary (although these animals typically aren’t interested if there’s no food around).
Comfrey is a great plant for adding nutrients to your garden. In the fall, cut back comfrey plants that are growing too tall and add their leaves in order make an organic fertilizer liquid with which you can fertilize other areas of the garden.
Comfrey grows great alongside:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Summer Squash
- Winter Squash
- Cucumbers
- Melons
11. Cosmos
Cosmos are a beautiful cutting flower that also helps attract pollinators. They make an excellent addition for areas with low natural bee populations, as these wild bees may be more attracted to your garden due to the Cosmos blooms!
These flowers also repel insects such aphids from attacking other plants in their area – helping keep things pest-free.
Including cosmos is another great way you can help enhance biodiversity by providing habitats and food sources so many different kinds of bugs will come visit when they’re hungry.
Plant Cosmos with these crops:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Summer Squash
- Winter Squash
- Melons
- Strawberries
What Flowers Should Not Be Planted Near Vegetables?
There are certain plants and flowers that can be pesky in the garden. You should avoid planting these near your vegetables, as they may steal vital nutrients or crowd out other plant life with their rampant growth: Clover, Golden Creeping Jenny (or Moneywort), Mazus Reptans Phlox , Red creeping thyme.