Strawberries are a popular choice for growing at home in your garden, not least because they taste so much better than the shop-bought alternatives. However, they’re also a magnet for pests like aphids, slugs and caterpillars. Companion plants can help by masking the scent of ripe fruit, repelling insects and encouraging natural predators to patrol your patch.
Aside from deterring pests, companion planting can enhance the attractiveness of your garden design, attract beneficial insects, and “amplify the overall flavour of your strawberry plants”, according to the pros at Kellogg Garden Products. Strawberries can also help other plants through companion planting, as they act as a ground cover to control weeds around plants like rhubarb.
The gardening gurus claimed that one of the most beneficial plants to grow with strawberries is chives.
They said: “Chives are a herb that does double the work of most companion plants.
“Not only can growing chives close to your strawberries improve their flavour for a tastier and plumper fruit, but they also shield your red berries from unwanted destructive pests.”
Another plant to opt for is green beans. Green beans work well to “repel garden beetles and other pests” that feed on strawberry plants.
They complement strawberries well in terms of their growth habit, as they grow more vertically above ground.
Below ground, they form medium to deep roots that do not get in the way of the strawberry roots.
Beans also release beneficial nitrogen back into the soil as they grow, which “feeds nearby strawberries and boosts their fruit production”.
Gardeners should also be aware of which plants do not mix well with strawberries, and that’s any in the Brassicaceae family.
These crops love to attract pests that like to eat strawberry leaves, and fungal diseases also like to spread to these two crops, which accelerates an infestation.