Easy Flowers to Plant in Your Veggie Garden to Help Keep Pests Away

Interplanting flowers with your vegetables—a practice known as companion planting—is one of the oldest and most effective secrets of successful organic gardening. While a monoculture of just vegetables can act as a magnet for hungry insects, adding specific flowering plants creates a diverse ecosystem that confuses pests and attracts beneficial predators. Here are nine easy-to-grow flowers that act as natural bodyguards for your food crops.

1. Marigolds (Tagetes)

Marigolds are the workhorses of the vegetable patch. Their distinctive, pungent scent is off-putting to many common pests, including cabbage worms and Mexican bean beetles. Most importantly, certain varieties of marigolds release a chemical into the soil that repels root-knot nematodes, which are microscopic pests that can devastate the root systems of tomatoes and peppers.

2. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are often used as a "trap crop." They are highly attractive to aphids; by planting them near your beans or broccoli, the aphids will congregate on the nasturtiums instead of your veggies. They also emit a scent that deters squash bugs and whiteflies, making them the perfect companion for cucumbers and pumpkins. Plus, the leaves and flowers are entirely edible!

3. Calendula (Pot Marigold)

Not to be confused with common marigolds, Calendula is a powerhouse for attracting beneficial insects. Its sticky sap traps some pests like a natural flypaper, but its real value is attracting hoverflies and ladybugs. These "good bugs" are voracious predators of aphids and thrips. Plant them near your leafy greens for an extra layer of protection.

4. Sunflowers

Sunflowers do more than just look cheerful; their tall, sturdy stalks act as natural trellises for climbing peas and beans. They are also excellent at drawing aphids away from more delicate crops. Because they produce massive amounts of pollen, they attract a wide variety of pollinators that will ensure your squash and tomatoes get properly fertilized.

5. Borage

Known as the "bee bread," borage is perhaps the best plant for attracting honeybees and native bees to your garden. In addition to improving pollination, borage is a fantastic companion for tomatoes because it repels the dreaded tomato hornworm. Its blue, star-shaped flowers also have a light cucumber taste when added to salads.

6. Lavender

The scent that humans find relaxing is often repulsive to pests. Lavender is excellent at repelling moths, fleas, and even mice. In the vegetable garden, it can help keep leeks and onions safe from various flies. Because it is a perennial, it provides a stable, year-round habitat for beneficial spiders and beetles that patrol your garden for pests.

7. Petunias

Don't dismiss these garden-center staples as just "pretty faces." Petunias are surprisingly effective at repelling asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, and various aphids. They are particularly beneficial when planted near tomatoes, peppers, and beans. Their low-growing habit also makes them a great living mulch that keeps the soil cool and moist.

8. Sweet Alyssum

This low-growing, honey-scented flower is a favorite of landscape designers and organic farmers alike. It forms a dense carpet of white blooms that attracts hoverflies—insects whose larvae can eat hundreds of aphids a day. Plant alyssum as a "living border" around your lettuce and Swiss chard to keep them clean and pest-free.

9. Zinnias

Zinnias are a "magnet crop" for butterflies and predatory wasps. While the word "wasp" might sound scary, many species are tiny, stingless, and highly effective at hunting down caterpillars and grubs. Zinnias are incredibly easy to grow from seed and provide a constant supply of nectar that keeps these beneficial protectors in your garden all season long.

Pro Tip: Diversity is Key

For the best results, don't just plant a single row of flowers. Scatter these varieties throughout your vegetable beds. This "polyculture" makes it much harder for pests to find their target host plants while providing a constant buffet for the beneficial insects that do the hard work of pest control for you.