Oregano companion plants are a good option for your garden. Do you love the taste of oregano, but hate how it can take over your garden? If you’re looking for oregano companion plants to keep it in check, look no further!
We’ve got 13 of the best oregano companions for you. From lavender to basil, there’s something here for everyone.
Contents
List of Oregano Companion Plants
When it comes to oregano, you really can’t go wrong. It’s a great herb to have in your garden, and there are so many companion plants that pair well with it.
Each oregano companion vegetable has its unique benefits and distinguishing characteristics. Whether you’re looking for plants that will help deter pests or attract beneficial insects.
1. Rosemary
Rosemary and oregano are two herbs that have a lot in common. Both are very versatile and have their usage in a variety of dishes. They also have a similar flavor, which makes them a great pairing in the kitchen.
– Compatibility
Rosemary is extensively known for its pest control qualities. It has a strong scent that will help keep pests away from your oregano plants.
When growing these herbs together, it is essential to give them enough space. Oregano is a bit more delicate than rosemary, so it should be planted in a spot with a little more sun. This herb can handle a little shade, so it can be planted next to oregano without any problems.
– Growing Season
The growing season of rosemary is from late spring to early summer. The plant prefers bright sun and well-drained soil. Once the plant is established, it is relatively drought tolerant.
– Specific Needs
Rosemary requires full sun to grow properly. It prefers well-drained, sandy soil and should be watered regularly.
2. Parsley
Parsley is one of the great Mediterranean herbs that you can use as a companion plant for oregano because it can help to control the spread of oregano.
– Companion Benefits
Oregano can be a bit of a bully in the garden and easily overtake other plants. Parsley can help to keep oregano in check and prevent it from taking over the garden.
In addition to helping to control the spread of oregano, parsley can also help to enhance the flavor of oregano. When the two herbs are used together in cooking, they can create a delicious and fragrant dish. Overall, parsley is a great choice to plant in your herb garden that will complement oregano.
– Growing Season
Parsley is a popular herb used in many dishes for its unique flavor. Its life cycle takes two years to complete because it is a biennial plant. In its first year, the plant grows leaves and roots. On the other hand, during the second year, the plant produces flowers and seeds. Parsley is usually grown annually in temperate climates, as it does not tolerate frost.
– Specific Needs
Parsley is a biennial herb typically used as a garnish or a flavorful addition to many dishes. While it is relatively easy to grow, parsley does have specific needs to thrive. To elaborate further, parsley prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It must also be watered regularly, especially during hot, dry periods.
3. Thyme
Thyme is a low-growing herb that can be used as even a ground cover.
– Compatibility Advantages
It has a spreading habit, and its tiny leaves are a nice contrast to the larger leaves of oregano. Oregano is a taller herb, so it can provide some height and structure in the garden bed. The two herbs can also be planted in containers together.
Also, thyme and oregano are drought-tolerant, making a good choice for a xeriscaped garden. They can also handle a little shade to be planted under trees or shrubs, which is what makes them great together.
Overall, if you’re looking for a companion plant for oregano in your garden, thyme is a good option.
– Growing Season
The thyme plant grows best in full sun and well-drained soil. It is a hardy plant that is able to tolerate some drought. Ideally, the growing season for thyme is spring and summer, when it is warm and sunny outside, you will see it multiply and grow faster.
– Specific Needs
Thyme requires a lot of sunlight and needs to be appropriately watered. It also needs to be trimmed regularly to prevent it from becoming overgrown.
4. Tarragon
The benefits of tarragon as a companion plant to oregano are numerous. For example, tarragon helps to repel pests and diseases that may otherwise attack oregano plants.
– Advantages
Additionally, tarragon provides essential nutrients that help the oregano grow and thrive. Tarragon helps hydrate oregano plants grow and protects them from extreme weather conditions. In short, tarragon is the perfect companion plant for oregano and can help to ensure a healthy and bountiful oregano crop.
– Growing Season
The growing season of tarragon typically lasts from early spring to late fall. During this time, the plant will produce long, slender leaves that are ideal for use in various dishes.
– Specific Needs
Tarragon prefers a sunny, well-drained location and does not tolerate wet or heavy soils. This is the key way that it will thrive.
5. Chives
Chives and oregano are both excellent companion plants for each other in the garden, as they are golden oregano companion plants.
– Compatibility
They both have a strong flavor that can enhance the flavor of other plants around them. They also have similar growth habits, making them a good match.
Chives can help to repel pests from the oregano, and oregano can help to keep the chives from getting too much sun, and this is what makes them great together.
– Growing Season
The chive plant has a very short growing season and is very sensitive to cold weather. The plant will only produce leaves for a few weeks in the spring before it goes dormant for the summer.
– Specific Needs
Chives prefer full sun but will tolerate partial shade. They prefer well-drained, fertile soil. They are great in the rainy season, to receive proper watering because they need to be irrigated heavily.
6. Basil
Basil and oregano are both popular herbs used in various dishes. They also make a great companion planting duo in the garden.
– Compatible with Oregano
Basil helps to repel pests and provides oregano with a bit of shade, while oregano helps to keep basil healthy by providing it with essential nutrients. Together, these herbs grow, and they can create a flourishing and bountiful garden.
– Growing Season
Basil is an annual herb that grows best in the warm weather of late spring and early summer. It can be placed starting from seed or transplanted from a nursery.
– Specific Needs
It prefers a sunny location with well-drained, rich soil. Basil is a warm-season herb and does not tolerate frost, so it is best to plant it after all danger of frost has passed.
7. Lemon Balm
Oregano is a robust and aromatic herb that can take over a garden bed if left unchecked. You can use the leaves, either fresh or dried, they are perfect herbs to plant together.
– Reason for Compatibility
Lemon balm, with its delicate lemon scent, can help to tone down the oregano and keep it in check. The two herbs also have different growth habits, with oregano being a spreading groundcover and lemon balm growing upright. This makes them an excellent complementary pair in the garden.
– Specific Needs
Lemon balm is harvested just before the plant flowers in late spring or early summer. Lemon balm prefers full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. It is a relatively low-maintenance plant and does not require frequent watering.
8. Marjoram
There are many benefits to planting marjoram alongside oregano in the garden.
– Specific Needs
Marjoram is known to improve the flavor of oregano. It also serves as a natural insect deterrent, so planting herbs next to oregano can help keep pests away.
Marjoram is a beautiful plant with delicate white flowers that interest the garden. Finally, marjoram is a hardy plant that is easy to grow, so it is a good choice for gardeners of all levels of experience.
– Growing Season
The growing season for marjoram is from June to September, as it grows two inches long. It is a native of the Mediterranean region and is grown elsewhere, including in the United States.
– Specific Needs
It prefers a sunny location with well-drained, sandy soil. Marjoram is also sensitive to cold and frost, so it is ideal for planting it once the final frost has departed in the spring.
9. Sage
Sage is a common herb in the mint family, and oregano is one of the members of the mint family that is often used as a culinary herb.
– Great Companion
Both herbs are easy to grow and can be used in companion planting, however, sage is a good companion plant for your garden oregano because it can help to repel pests and improve the growth of the oregano. The two herbs also have similar growing conditions so that they can be quickly grown together in the garden.
– Growing Season
Sage grows best in full sun and sandy soils, a drought-tolerant plant. The sage plant has a long growing season and can be harvested several times throughout the year.
– Specific Needs
Nonetheless, this herb is a one with a long history of usage in culinary and medicinal applications. The specific needs of sage vary depending on how it is being used.
10. Cucumber
The cucumber is typically considered a companion plant for oregano because it can help to keep the herb from spreading too much.
– Helping Companion
Oregano can be invasive and quickly take over a garden bed if it’s not kept in check. Cucumber vines can help to keep oregano in place by growing over it and shading it from the sun.
Cucumbers and oregano are attractive plants, which can also help make a garden more visually appealing. In addition, it is also a great choice, because the Oregano would also help in repelling cucumber beetles.
– Growing Season
Cucumbers are grown in warm weather and require a long growing season. They are typically seeded in late May or even in early June and harvested in late August or early September.
– Specific Needs
They require the full and proper amount of sunlight to be given and well-drained, fertile soil. Cucumbers require consistent moisture, overall, note that regular watering is necessary.
They are also susceptible to a number of pests and diseases, overall you must regularly monitor them and give them proper treatment because they may be necessary for the long run.
11. Strawberry
While oregano and strawberry may seem like an unlikely combination, they actually make great companion plants in the garden, they are great to be planted in a garden because both have common properties.
– Companion Specifics
The oregano will help to repel pests from the strawberry plants, and the strawberries will provide a ground cover that helps to keep the oregano from getting too much sun. Plus, the two plants will add a nice contrast of color and texture to your garden.
– Growing Season
The growing season is from late spring to early summer, this is when there will be heavy cultivation. The fruit ripens in the late spring or early summer, depending on the cultivar and the climate.
– Specific Needs
Strawberries are delicate fruit that require specific growing conditions to produce the best flavor and quality. They need full sun exposure and well-drained, fertile soil to thrive. You may even mulch around the plant can be helpful.
12. Cabbage
Oregano is excellent for repelling pests—plant cabbage near your oregano to help keep aphids, cabbage worms, and other pests away. And in return, get the maximum growth of your vegetable garden.
– Advantageous Companion
Cabbage provides a dense ground cover that helps to shade and protect oregano from the hot sun. When planted together, these two crops can provide your family with a bountiful harvest of fresh produce.
– Growing Season
The cabbage growing season typically begins in early spring and lasts through late fall.
– Specific Needs
Cabbage is a cool-weather crop that performs best under the bright sun. It appreciates damp, well-drained soil that has a pH or acidity that is between 6.0 and 7.0.
13. Watermelon
Melon and oregano are two plants that have a symbiotic relationship.
– Companion Favors
Melon acts as a companion plant for oregano, providing it with shade and a place to climb. In return, oregano protects melon from pests and diseases.
Not only does it look perfect next to oregano, but it also brings some significant benefits to the table. In addition, it is important that it brings the plants together for the best pollination of your watermelon plant, as oregano invites pollinators. This relationship benefits both plants and helps them to thrive in the garden.
– Growing Season
Watermelon typically grows when the weather is warm and sunny, which makes the season late spring or early summer.
– Specific Needs
Watermelons need a lot of water to grow, so it’s important to choose a spot near a water source when planting them.
Conclusion
By now, we are sure you know that oregano is a versatile herb that can be paired with several different plants to enhance its flavor and medicinal properties.
Whether you’re looking for companion plants to keep your oregano healthy and happy or just starting in the garden and want to discover more about some of the best oregano companion herbs to plant together.
- Each companion plant has its unique benefits, uses, and distinguishing characteristics.
- The thyme will help in driving the pests away from their oregano, helping them both ways around.
- Even the oregano may help other plants in their growth, such as the cucumber, which will let the beetles to go away.
- You can plant some sage as they are drought tolerant and would thrive greatly in the same place.
- Oregano companion vegetables are of different kinds, as they both help each other grow.
Regarding companion planting, oregano is undoubtedly not a one-person (or one-plant) band. Plenty of other plants can work well with oregano regarding benefits and distinguishing characteristics. So what are you waiting for? Get started with growing your oregano garden today!
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants
- https://stonepierpress.org/oregano
- https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/companion-planting-home-gardens
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