Garlic Companion Plants
Garlic is a classic companion plant because its strong scent is traditionally believed to confuse or deter common pests like aphids. It also grows upright from a small footprint, so it tucks in easily around larger crops and along bed edges without crowding them. Gardeners have paired it with vegetables, berries, and flowers for generations, though results vary from garden to garden.
Good companions for Garlic
| Plant | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Garlic's aroma is thought to help mask tomatoes from aphids and other soft-bodied pests. |
| Cabbage-family crops (broccoli, kale, cabbage) | Its scent may discourage some of the pests that favor these leafy greens. |
| Carrots | The pungent smell is believed to help throw off pests that hunt for carrots by scent. |
| Lettuce | Low, leafy lettuce fills the ground space around upright garlic and makes good use of the bed. |
| Strawberries | Interplanting garlic is a traditional way to help keep aphids and slugs off the berries. |
| Peppers | Garlic's odor may help confuse aphids that would otherwise settle on pepper plants. |
| Beets | Beets and garlic use different root zones, so they share a bed without competing much. |
| Roses | A long-standing ornamental pairing said to help discourage aphids around the roses. |
Keep Garlic away from
| Plant | Why to separate them |
|---|---|
| Bush and pole beans | Onion-family plants are traditionally thought to slow the growth of beans. |
| Peas | Like beans, peas are said to grow poorly when planted close to garlic. |
| Asparagus | Often cited as a poor neighbor, so many gardeners keep the two beds apart. |
| Sage | This herb and onion-family plants are commonly listed as a pairing to keep separate. |
Tips
Plant cloves in fall in most regions so the bulbs size up the following summer, and slip a few among crops you want to shield from aphids. Give garlic full sun and loose, well-drained soil, and keep it clear of the bean and pea rows. Remember that companion planting is a traditional practice rather than a guarantee, so treat these pairings as a starting point and watch how they perform in your own garden.
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Companion planting is a traditional practice; results vary with your climate, soil, and garden. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.