Steve Yoder
I'm Steve, a 30-something urban gardener fascinated by companion planting research. Growing up surrounded by greenery sparked my passion for gardening early on. I enjoy transforming my small backyard, experimenting with companion planting techniques and eco-friendly practices. Sustainability matters—I advocate for native plants and composting.
Table of Contents
Sage has been used for many centuries as a companion plant and is still highly popular today. Sage companion plants claimed to repel pests, attract beneficial insects, and increase garden produce. In this post, we’ll look at how you may combine sage with other plants to make your garden more productive, healthy, and beautiful!
Benefits of Sage Companion Planting
Sage is an excellent herb to cultivate in your garden, but it is valuable for more than just its blossoms and leaves. The best thing about sage is that it has so many additional benefits! Sage not only repels pests such as cabbage moths and carrot flies, but it also attracts beneficial insects such as ladybugs and wasps. If you have a slug or snail infestation in your lawn or garden, adding some sage will help keep them away from the plants you love!
Best Sage Companion Plants for your Garden
If you are planting sage in your garden, you can choose these sage companion plants:
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Beans
- Kale
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Cucumber
- Pumpkin
- Courgette
- Strawberry
- Rosemary
- Tomato
- Squash
Carrots, Cabbage, and Broccoli as Sage Companion Plants
Sage is a good companion plant for carrots, broccoli, and cabbage, which are both known to attract carrot flies. The sage will help repel the flies by acting as an irritant to their eyes, noses, and mouths!
These vegetables have some more companion plants!
Beans
Sage is also an excellent companion plant for beans. It can be used in the same way as basil; just add it to your garden or potting mix when planting out your seeds.
Beans can be combined with other plants too! Here you can find some more beans companion plants: Beans Companion Plants – Which Ones Should be Chosen?
Kale, Brussel Sprouts, and Cauliflower
Sage is a great companion plant for kale and cauliflower. Sage can also be cultivated alongside Brussels sprouts, although it does not repel cabbage moths as effectively as the other brassicas indicated above. But, fewer diamondback moths were discovered on Brussels sprouts when intercropped with sage.1
- Kale companion plants full list: Kale Companion Plants – 4 Good & 4 Bad Neighbours
- Cauliflower companion plants full list: Cauliflower Companion Plants – 6 Good Ideas for You!
Cucumber, Squash, Pumpkin, and Courgette as Sage Companion Plants
Cucumbers, pumpkins, and courgettes combine well with sage. Cucumber beetles, Pumpkin beetles, and Squash bugs are among the insects that can be deterred by these plants.
Plant sage with them if you have a lot of these pests in your garden to keep them away from their favorite food source. For example, if you grow squash in pots on your balcony and want to keep pests at bay, plant some sage around the pots as soon as they are put out so they are ready when winter returns!
Also have a look at:
- Cucumber Companion Plants – Great Idea?
- 8 Best Pumpkin Companion Plants + 1 to Avoid
- Squash Companion Plants – 10 Best and 4 Bad
Growing Strawberry and Sage Together
Sage is a good companion plant for strawberries and can enhance their flavor. It is also said to improve the growth of strawberries, by slowing down the growth of weeds in the garden.
Sage should be planted in spring or early summer after all danger of frost has passed. The plants will grow well in any sunny location with plenty of soil moisture and poor drainage, but they do not tolerate standing water very well; if you have heavy rainfall at this time then it’s best not to sow anything until conditions improve again.
Some more great strawberry companion plants: Top 10 Greatest Strawberry Companion Plants (+5 to Avoid)
Growing Sage and Rosemary Together in Pots or Window Boxes
You can grow sage with rosemary. This is a great choice if you want to grow herbs together in a pot or window box, as the two plants will help each other out and complement each other’s flavors.
Rosemary companion plants in a nutshell: 8 of the Greatest Rosemary Companion Plants (and 3 to Avoid)
Tomatoes
Tomato is also an excellent sage companion plant. This herb’s oil can be used as an insect repellant or on skin irritations such as poison ivy rashes or chicken pox blisters; it may even keep scabies mites from infesting your bedding while you’re at work!
What not to Plant with Sage
Basil
While basil complements most veggies, it does not complement all herbs. As a result, keep your basil and sage separate. Consider choosing companion plants for basil from this list:
Garlic, Onion & Co.
Chives, garlic, leeks, and onions prefer damp soil, which sage does not. Try summer savory or chamomile if you’re seeking a herb to plant near onions.
The better option for garlic and onions are listed in the linked articles below – have a look:
Rue
In the herb garden, rue should not be placed near sage since it hinders its growth. Rue should also be avoided in the presence of cabbage and basil. Rue, on the other hand, deters cucumber bugs and promotes the growth of fig trees.
Wormwood
Wormwood is a good herb for repelling whiteflies, but it can be harmful to sage. As mentioned above, nasturtiums are a sage-friendly choice for whitefly management.
Fennel
Most plants, including sage, are allelopathic to fennel, which means it can inhibit the development or cause plants to blossom too early.
Choose these plants as the neighbors of your fennel:
References
- Parker, J. E., Snyder, W. E., Hamilton, G. C., & Rodriguez-Saona, C. (2013). Companion planting and insect pest control. Weed and pest control-conventional and new challenges, 10, 55044.
