9 Flowers You Should Grow in Your Vegetable Garden

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Companion planting is one of the most beneficial ways to grow a garden. Growing certain plants together can encourage healthy growth, repel harmful insects, and attract beneficial insects. Flowers can be planted in your vegetable garden to achieve a healthier and thriving garden.

Plant Flowers with Vegetables To Encourage Healthy Growth

There are many plants out there that can improve the growth on your vegetable garden. Below is a list of flowers you should be adding to your garden, and how these flowers help promote healthy and prolific plants.

Borage

Borage is a Mediterranean herb that grows best in warm climates. This cucumber scented flower grows best with tomatoes, squash and strawberries. It’s known for attracting bees and other pollinators, repelling hornworms and is said to improve the taste of tomatoes, if planted nearby. Both the leaves and blooms of the Borage plant can be eaten and have a cucumber-like flavor.

Calendula

Calendula is a yellow flowering plant that grows best in cooler climates with low humidity. Plant this happy flower with peas, carrots, asparagus and spring salad lettuces. Calendula will help repel aphids and attracting pollinators to the garden.

This plant has edible leaves, and if you keep the flowers trimmed back, will flower from spring until fall. Lastly, calendula has thick roots, and acts as a living mulch, protecting to soil from the sun and retaining moisture for your vegetable garden.

Chamomile

This cheerful, white flower is such a great plant to grow in the vegetable garden. Standing alone, Chamomile is perfect for tinctures and teas.

This plant also helps improve the growth and flavor of many plants. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties as well, helping with mold, mildew and blight. This flowers is a cool weather, partial shade plant. Chamomile grows best with: cabbage, onions, beans, cucumbers, broccoli, kale and brussel sprouts.

Cosmos

Cosmos are gorgeous, colorful flowers that do well in warm weather and are incredibly easy to grow! These happy blooms can be added to almost any garden bed as they grow anywhere. Cosmos do great job attracting pollinators. Their bright colors attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Grow near tomatoes, and other flowering vegetables, to encourage additional pollination.

Cosmos also attract aphids. Plant them near aphid prone plants to deter aphids from your vegetables and fruits. Instead, attract them to your cosmos.

Lavender

Lavender is one of my favorite flowers and herbs. This fragrant flower has many different varieties ranging from very hardy (English Lavender), and more delicate (French Lavender). Regardless of type, lavender does a great job attracting pollinators. Butterflies and bees love lavender and will visit your garden more frequently if planted nearby.

Lavender should be planted with: brussel sprouts, celery, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Lavender’s strong scent repels harmful insects like cabbageworms. It can also help at repel larger pests such as deer and rabbits.

Related: Why You Should Grow Lavender

Marigolds

Marigolds are easy-to-grow, happy plants, that do well in almost any climate. These bright flowers are great to have in the garden as they attract pollinators, like bees and butterflies. Marigolds do a great job repelling insects, specifically nematodes, which tend to attack tomatoes. Plant these flowers with tomatoes, beans and cucumbers.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are sun loving flowers that grow in almost any zone. These pretty flowers attract hoverflies, which kill and eat aphids, so be sure to plant them near aphid prone vegetables. Plant nasturtiums with broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, beets, pumpkin and zucchini. They also repel blackflies and slugs.

Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum is a small, white flowering plant that acts as ground cover in the garden. This hard working flower attracts many beneficial insects to include: crab spiders, ladybugs, predatory wasps and lacewings. The ground cover of the sweet alyssum also acts as a living mulch, which helps retain moisture for its companion plants. Plant sweet alyssum with onion, chives, broccoli and carrots.

Zinnia

Zinnias are colorful, sun love flowers that grow in almost any zone, and prefer fertile, well-drained soil. These bright blooms attract so many pollinators, but particularly butterflies and hummingbirds. Hummingbirds eat whiteflies, which like to feast on tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes. Zinnias are also helpful in repelling cucumber beetles and tomato worms.

Plant these beautiful flowers near your tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes. Also be sure to plant them during the fall, for monarch butterflies during migration.

When planting a vegetable garden this year, be sure not to overlook companion flowers. By adding these wonderful flowers to your vegetable garden, your vegetables will grow healthier produce with less work!

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