skip to Main Content

9 Herbs That Should Not Be Planted Together

You’ve probably heard of companion planting, but what about the opposite? Which herbs should be kept separated from each other, never to meet? You might be surprised to learn that some herbs just don’t get along at all and should be planted far apart.

As you plan your herb garden, be sure to check which herbs go best together and which should be kept apart. With the right spacing and companion planting, you’ll notice better growth throughout your garden.

Before we get started on specific herbs, keep in mind that you’ll want to separate herbs that prefer water from those that need drier soil. This is something that many beginning gardeners miss and it can be disastrous for plants. For example, an aloe vera plant next to chives will wilt and rot away if you keep the chives happy with the amount of watering. Likewise, the chives will dry up and die if you keep the aloe happy with minimal liquid.

Even herbs that prefer the same types of soil and water aren’t always compatible. The following plants should be placed very carefully.

Fennel

Fennel has long been touted as a cure for belly-aches and nausea, as well as easing gas and intestinal cramps. This stomach-soothing herb needs to be planted away from nearly every other plant, herbal or otherwise. It can taint the flavor of other plants, including vegetables. Unfortunately, fennel also tends to cause other herbs to fail in growing. You’ll want to plant this beneficial herb in a completely separate container far from anything else.

Rue

Often used as a natural anti-inflammatory, as well as remedy for parasites and diarrhea, rue is very useful for a range of injuries, and aches and pains. However, it doesn’t get along well with certain other plants.  It shouldn’t be planted in your vegetable garden at all, but even in your herb garden, it can cause trouble. Keep it far from any basil plants or sage that you may have growing in the herb garden, as it will cause them to grow poorly.

Mint

Mint is most often used to soothe the stomach and to boost energy naturally. It’s also useful for those suffering from bad breath and may even aid in weight loss. Anyone who has ever planted mint knows just how fast it can grow. This aggressive growth is what causes the most issues when it comes to planting it with other herbs. The mint will rapidly take over and stunt the growth of the rest of your garden. To protect your other herbs, it’s a good idea to limit mint to a container. If you do plant it in your garden, use a surround to prevent it from creeping throughout the garden.

Dill

You’re probably most familiar with dill from its unique flavor in dill pickles and its treatment of colds and flus. It’s a great companion plant for many plants, but it doesn’t allow caraway or fennel to grow well. If planted too close to the other herbs, you’ll notice that they tend to stay stunted or may even wither. You should also keep dill away from your lavender, as it can affect the herb’s growth.

Sage

Another wonderful medicinal herb, sage is usually a good option to have in your garden. It is often used to help reduce blood sugar levels and to lower cholesterol, as well as for menopause symptom relief. There are a number of reasons to include the flat-leafed herb in your arsenal. However, if you’re growing chives or onions, you should plan to keep the sage plants on the other side of the herb bed to prevent any potential problems.  

Garlic

Used for a variety of medicinal reasons, including preventing parasites, garlic is a must have in your herb garden. Most people know it best as a food flavoring, but it also has a number of medicinal benefits, including boosting the immune system and reducing the risk of heart disease. You should plant several of these plants, but keep them away from your parsley and sage. Garlic is known to stunt the growth of these plants, so it’s best planted on the opposite side of the herb bed from them.

Rosemary

You may want some rosemary in your garden just for cooking with, but medicinally, it’s been used to improve memory and protect the brain from aging effects. It’s also wonderful for digestive issues. While this great smelling herb works well with other plants like sage and bay, it doesn’t play well with all other herbs. For example, chives and cilantro won’t grow well next to rosemary. This plant needs drier soil than most and that means most other herbs grown with it will wilt and die from lack of water.

Oregano

With its natural antibiotic and antiviral properties, oregano is an important medicinal plant to keep in your garden. The leaves can be used to help reduce inflammation and may even help prevent cancer. That being said, it’s also very invasive, much like mint. If you’re not careful, it will rapidly take over everything and block out your other herbs. It’s best to keep your oregano in a pot or blocked off from the rest of the garden to prevent issues.

Basil

Best known for its use in pasta and pizza, basil is also good for stomach upsets, parasite infections, and may even ease digestion while increasing gut health. Basil can be grown with nearly anything, though is should definitely be placed next to tomatoes when possible. When it comes to other herbs, most of them do just fine next to this tasty Italian plant. However, sage will not grow well in proximity to basil, so avoid this duo in your herb bed.

If you have a dedicated herb bed, make sure it’s large enough to keep your incompatible plants at least three feet away from each other. Some plants, such as oregano, mint, wormwood and fennel, should be kept in separate beds or even pots, so they won’t cause ill effects in the other herbs you’ve cultivated.

Growing herbs may be the best way to keep your own fresh remedies at home, but you’ll get more benefit from them when you grow them correctly. By avoiding the wrong sort of companion planting, you’ll see better growth and flavor.

You may also like:

Banner MK - Stop spending money5 Medicinal Plants that My Grandmother Grew in Her Backyard

Similar to Morphine: The Best Natural Painkiller that Grows in Your Backyard (Video)

Delicious Recipes Using Cattails;The Supermarket of the Swamp

15 Common Wild Plants You Never Thought Were Edible

The Only Plant That Should Be in Your First Aid Kit

Subscribe
Notify of

45 The Lost Herbs Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Nicole, this is a great, informative article. You’ve explained why some of our herbs have thrived, and why some haven’t. Thank you!!! You have taught us so much about how to plant, how to begin learning how to heal ourselves at home (we hate Big Pharma drugs-they make us feel terrible, that we couldn’t thank you enough…

Hi Jamie,

Thank you so much for your kind words. We really appreciate it.

God bless!

I just lurched several sets of books, I have a question . I made the purchase on my phone but I want to download the digital copies on my I pad so I can see them better. Is this possible . And if I download a digital copy do I still receive the hard copy. I live in an area where the internet is not always good.
Plus nowhere did it say how long it would take for me to get my books.

I received my download link for the digital edition along with my receipt. You can download it onto your iPad by opening the e-mail on that device instead of your phone. You will only receive a hard copy if you ordered a hard copy. (The order “form” was very clear.) My hard copy was delivered promptly, within a week-10 days. Good luck!

Hi TWINKLE,

Thank you so much for purchasing the books. Dru is correct, the digital edition is sent automatically with the receipt but we have sent you an email with all the download links and also an estimate arrival date for the book.

God bless!

I really like your e-newsletter. My suggestion is to rearrange the titles and subtitles as natural health education. If not give me the permission to do it as a healthcare provider, if/as time dictates. I ordered multiple physical and digital titles and hope receiving them soon. Nature first, not second! Our habit are second to Nature! Repitition is the key. Thanks! Great Appreciation!

I always enjoy your e mails .
Grateful that you share your great knowledge.

Hi Gregg,

Thank you so much for your comment. We really appreciate your feedback.

God bless!

Great info! Thanks. Is there an article that goes into plants for companion planting more ?

Hi Nancy,

Thank you so much for your comment. This is a great idea and I am sure we will do one in the future.

God bless!

You mention Sage should be planted separately from the chives or onions. What potential problems may arise if planted near each other?
Thanks for the information – always enjoy learning on the herbal topics.

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you so much for your comment.

Onions and chives are antagonistic to some garden plants because of chemical or flavor interactions.

God bless!

Hi Kathryn,

Thank you so much for your purchase. We have sent you an email regarding your order.

God bless!

Hi Malinda,

Thank you so much for purchasing the book and for your kind words. We really appreciate it. Yes, it takes longer. We are really sorry about this. We are doing everything we can on our end.

God bless!

Hi Anita,

Thank you so much for purchasing the book. We have sent you an email regarding your order.

God bless!

thank you so much for sending the article about companion planting. Yes I had heard about acceptable companion planting abut not so much about incompatable planting. This will be very helpful. Thank you.

Hi Nancy,

Thank you so much for your comment.
We are glad that our article is helpful for you.

God bless!

This is such helpful information. I planted some sage, originally with large leaves and couldn’t understand why, after some time the leaves are so tiny and the plant isn’t thriving. As it turns out I planted several garlic bulbs right next to it. Now I know. Thank you, Nicole.

Hi Rebbesoul,

Thank you so much for your comment.
We truly appreciate that you found our article helpful.

God bless!

i purchased the book and digital download ,but got no link to download the digital

Hi Patricia,

Thank you for purchasing “The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies”.
Please check your email. We have sent you the download link.

God bless!

Where can I get Moringa seeds thank you

Hi Tony,

Thank you for your interest in our work.
You can purchase the seeds for 10 Plants You Need To Treat Over 90% of Conditions Naturally and Safely (Including Moringa) using the link below:
http://globalbro.bookofren.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=Cmail

God bless!

Great information! I ordered your book in both digital and hard copy form. The hard copy has not arrived. It was ordered January 8th. Please advise when I should start looking for it to arrive. Thanks!

Hi Leigh-Anne,

Thank you for purchasing “The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies”.
Please check your personal email.
I have sent you an email regarding your book order.

God bless!

I bought 3 books, one for myself and 2 for gifts. I bought them intending to give all the supplemental books as well but they are only digital. How can I get the downloads to the receiver for this Christmas?

Thank you for this great information! I do have question on rosemary. I try to grow this plant and it always dies. What is a useful tip for growing prolific rosemary?

I have totally loved the informational videos and content produced here. Thank you! However, I bought The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods and was thoroughly disappointed. Most of the photos are so small and with limited views of each plant – most only have 2 small photos with one being a distance photo of the whole plant and the other a photo of it’s fruit or flower. I don’t feel comfortable using it as a guide. I found the sections on poisonous look-a-likes to be too generic and with no side by side comparisons. Other resources I’ve resorted to are much more thorough and with much better photos. I hope this feedback helps to create a more helpful book for your next edition.

Hi Jan,

Thank you for your interest in our work.
Your feedback is very important to us and allows us to continually improve and serve you better.

Please check your personal email. I have sent you an email regarding your book order.

Many blessings and good health!

I have the lost book of herbal remedies. OMG, if you do not have it, I would recommend getting it. I purchased the hard copy so I can keep it without the need of a computer. It is so informative. It lists all the ailments it can help. I love this book. Anyone who wants to stay away from big pharma will absolutely love it. I think everyone should have a book like this in their arsenal. I am taking great advantage of the information in it. I have asthma and was told, nothing but pharmaceutical products can help me. Not true, this book has a few remedies for asthmatics. Thank you for producing such a great book. I really do love it.

I Received my hardcopy of my book the lost book of herbal remedies. But was wondering how I can download the digital copy of the books?? I did try downloading it on my iPhone and for some reason I can’t find it!! is there another way I can try to download it again???

Hi Jane,

Thank you for purchasing “The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies”.
Please check your email address. I sent your an email with the download link.

Many blessings and good health!

Looking for clarification on the basil planting recommendation. Is there a typo in the following ?: “..though is should definitely be placed next to tomatoes when possible.” Just want to know for sure if planting basil next to tomatoes is actually ok. Thanks!

RE: “such as oregano, mint, wormwood and fennel,” Wormwood was not mentioned in this article…..
Also: “Basil can be grown with nearly anything, though is should definitely be placed next to tomatoes when possible.”
“IT should? and want to make sure there is not a missing NOT anywhere that would indicate basil should NOT be planted next to tomatoes.
Thanks you for clarifying these points!
Also Ordered the hard copy, when should I expect it to arrive? Thanks again

Hi Carol,

Wormwood is not included in the article. It was just an example.
Basil and tomatoes are basically soulmates. Planting them together, they will share nutrients under the soil surface. The tomatoes will have enhanced flavor, and the aroma from the basil will help confuse the insects seeking tomatoes to eat.

Regarding your order, please check your personal email. I sent you an email with more details.

Many blessings and good health!

Excellent article. Love your book too. I’m glad I bought your book.

When I saw this advert, it said Hard copy Book. However when I placed my order there was no mention of having either hard Copy or Just download; neither did the advert form request my address for sending the book to. Does that mean I will not be getting a Hard Copy Book; which is what I would have prefered. I received the link for download, but would still have prefered the Book.

Hi Phillip,

Please check your personal email. I sent you an email regarding your order.

Many blessings and good health!

I have a rosemary herb in a pot. It’s showing signs of dying as dome parts have turned brown

Hello.
I have ordered a slew of books back on Oct 6th and to date I’ve only received
The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies. Can you please let me know when to expect the other books I’ve ordered.
Thank you so much.

Hi Yvette,

Thank you for your interest in our work.
Please check your personal email. I sent you an email regarding your order.

Many blessings and good health!

Wow, so grateful for your knowledge, who knew. This is vital for me as I’m starting a garden. Thanks again, still waiting for your foraging book. Excited!!!

Hi. I would like to know if medicinal garden kit can be delivered to Belgium if I ordered.

Can you please help me? I purchased your book, Nicole’s Apelin, Ph.d book, The Foregers Guide to WildFoods on 1-10-22 for $41.61 USD. Today is 1-9-22 and I have not received it yet. I tried to call the number on my credit care 800-356-9747, it asked me 3 questions to buy things, 2 of which were Medicare related then disconnected me. I called the number 3 times with the same response. I love this daily email but would like my book, can you tell me when I should expect it and how it is being mailed out?

How to treat acne during pregnancy? Which herb is best for acne and how to take it?
Thank you!

Back To Top
Search