Companion planting is a strategic way to maximize your garden’s potential while promoting a healthy ecosystem. When it comes to parsley, this versatile herb can thrive alongside a variety of plants, offering mutual benefits and natural pest control solutions.
I love companion planting, parsley is great as a companion and many vegetables grow well with parsley such as tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, apples and peas. The mutual benefits and enhanced crop yield are what drives me to develop strategic ideas for companion plants for parsley.
Let’s delve into the world of companion plants for parsley and discover the symbiotic relationships that can flourish in your vegetable garden.
Understanding the Basics: Why Companion Planting Matters
Before diving into the world of companion plants for parsley, or indeed parsley as a companion plant, it’s essential to understand why! I always look to nature as my guide. Nature and natural systems never have one single crop or one single species growing together.
In natural systems there are synergistic relationships between plants. Tall trees provide shade and protection for young saplings and flowers. Leguminous plants enhance the soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen for the benefit of all plants. Systems that provide mutual benefit to all are the ones that thrive in nature.
Companion planting is our way of mimicking nature. It involves growing different crops in close proximity to one another to achieve mutual benefits. These benefits can range from pest control and improved soil fertility to enhanced pollination and increased biodiversity.
“Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.” Permaculture Principle Use and Value Diversity
The Benefits of Companion Planting for Parsley
When it comes to growing parsley, selecting the right companions can make a world of difference. Here are some of the key benefits:
1. Beneficial Insects and Natural Pest Control
One of the primary advantages of companion planting with parsley is its ability to attract beneficial insects like parasitic wasps and tachinid flies. These tiny allies prey on common garden pests such as tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles and cabbage moths, helping to keep pest populations in check without the need for harmful chemicals. By strategically interplanting these species, you can create a natural barrier against insect infestations.
2. Trap Crops and Pest Management
Incorporating parsley as a trap crop can effectively lure away pests like aphids, spider mites, and corn earworms, sparing your main crops from pest pressure. Once the parsley trap has become infested with pests, it can be removed and destroyed along with all of the pests it is housing. I like to use a continuous drowning bucket or a hot composter for this. Additionally, planting parsley in close proximity to susceptible vegetables like tomatoes and beans can act as a natural insect repellent, thanks to its strong aroma and essential oils.
3. Enhanced Pollination
Planting aromatic herbs and flowers like calendula near your parsley crop can attract beneficial insects like parasitic wasps and pollinators, contributing to overall garden health and productivity. Parsley can be used to enhance pollination of other garden plants, the flowers attract hoverflies. Hoverflies are often overlooked, but excellent pollinators to have in your garden.
4. Maximizing Crop Yield and Health
By choosing the right companions for your parsley plants, you can create a harmonious garden ecosystem where each plant supports the growth of others. For example, planting parsley near asparagus plants can deter asparagus beetles, while pairing it with apple or pear trees can enhance soil moisture and nutrient levels.
Remember with better pollination and fewer pests the outcome is better crop yields. That’s a win win for nature and for you the gardener.
What Grows Best With Parsley – Parsley’s Top 5 Ideal Companions
Parsley thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil, making it a versatile addition to any garden bed.
1. Asparagus
Asparagus spends a lot of the year underground, and when it does emerge it is tall and frond-like. Between the rows there is space for another crop. Parsley is an ideal crop for this space because it can deter the asparagus beetle. The frond-like nature of growing asparagus casts dappled shade making perfect parsley growing conditions. This match of plants benefits both and is a great strategic combination that will maximise yields in both crops.
2. Tomatoes
Flowering parsley attracts hoverflies. Hoverfly larvae are known to feed on aphids. Aphids are a problem pest for tomatoes. Therefore parsley and tomatoes grown together can be a great companion planting combination.
3. Peppers
Similar to tomatoes, peppers are susceptible to attack from aphids. It’s the hoverfly larvae that you want to attract to reduce the number of aphids and bring your garden into balance. Remember the goal isn’t always to eliminate the pests, simply to achieve balance so that there is food for all parts of the ecosystem.
4. Roses
Parsley is said to enhance the smell of your roses. Well quite frankly anything that can make the beautiful aroma of a flowering rose better has got to be a good thing in my book. Plus roses are another plant that suffers from aphid attack, just like tomatoes and peppers. So those hoverflies are of great benefit to the roses in your garden. Roses and parsley are good companion plants!
5. Apple trees and Pear trees
Here is where parsley’s abilities to attract parasitic wasps, specifically the braconid wasp come into its own. These parasitic wasps feed on codling moths and gypsy moths leaving your apples and pears to grow and fruit without pest damage. Apples and parsley are great companion plants.
Some other great combinations to try with parsley include:
Corn
Lemon Thyme
Lemon Balm
What not to plant next to parsley?
Whilst companion planting is great, and often many plants that are planted in close proximity to each other will at least do no harm if not create benefit. There are some to avoid planting together because they can cause harm.
1. Mint
Mint is a water loving plant, parsley detests being wet in its roots. Wet roots cause root rot in parsley. Their growing conditions make them incompatible. In addition the nature of how mint grows, with its spreading ways is not complimentary to parsley, which can easily get crowded out.
2. Carrots
Here we have two plants from the same family which both attract the same pest, carrot root flies. Planting parsley and carrots together is not a good idea because it doubles the chances of having carrot root fly invade both crops, reducing yields and increasing pest damage.
3. Lettuce
Strangely parsley planted alongside lettuce encourages the lettuce to bolt. I think this may be to do with soil moisture levels or light levels. Parsley initiates stress in the lettuce plants causing them to bolt.
Creating Your Companion Planting Guide
While companion planting isn’t an exact science, experimenting with different plant combinations and observing their interactions can lead to successful outcomes in your garden. I like to keep a diary and always bear in mind the permaculture principle of ‘observe and interact’. Seeing what works one year can be built on, tweaked or improved next year. Keep in mind the growth habits, sunlight requirements, and soil preferences of each plant to ensure they thrive together. And always be open to experiment with new combinations.
Here are a few companion planting guides that I have written:
FAQ
Does parsley like to be crowded?
No parsley is not a fan of being crowded. It needs space to grow and spread its roots and leaves. If it is too crowded it will not flourish. When companion planting always remember that we are looking for close proximity, but with a balance that the different plants do not crowd each other out.
Does parsley like a lot of sun?
Parsley likes sun, but a spot in full sun is not ideal for parsley as this could lead to drought. It is not a drought tolerant plant. Parsley does best in dappled shade, or partial shade. Full shade will make it wither and die. This is why I like to plant it near to apple and pear trees as the trees give the parsley the ideal growing conditions of partial shade. In addition the parsley helps to retain moisture within the soil to benefit the growing fruit.
Should parsley be grown in pots or ground?
Parsley can be grown in either pots or in the ground. The key thing with growing parsley is to ensure that it has adequate moisture and good drainage. If it is in pots, make sure to use a suitable potting mix that will encourage moisture retention and drainage. Parsley does not like wet roots, this encourages root rot and will lead to failure to thrive in the plant. Equally parsley should not get too dry, it will die if it is subject to drought conditions.
When growing in pots you have the advantage of being able to site your pots in the optimum position for sun. Dappled or partial shade would be the best location for potted parsley.
How do you encourage bushy parsley?
To encourage more bushy growth cut the parsley plant just above its base, this will encourage more stems to grow into a bushier plant.
In Conclusion
Parsley isn’t just a delicious herb—it’s also a valuable ally in your quest for a thriving and pest-resistant garden. By selecting the right companions and harnessing the power of beneficial insects, you can cultivate a diverse and vibrant garden ecosystem that promotes the health and productivity of your plants. So, the next time you’re planning your garden layout, consider the symbiotic relationships that parsley and its companion plants can offer. Your garden—and your taste buds—will thank you for it!
I would love to hear about your adventures with companion planting and with growing parsley. Please share in the comments below.