The 20 Best Companion Plants for Peach Trees

I live in Austin, Texas, and peach trees are unusually popular here. After seeing them everywhere, I started thinking about getting one and wondered what plants would be good to have near it in the garden. So, I did some research. Here’s what I found to be the best companion plants for peach trees.

The best companion plants for peach trees include comfrey, wildflowers, onion, garlic, lavender, and rosemary. Ideally, these companion plants attract pollinators, build healthy soil, and repel pests. Depending on their shade tolerance, some companion plants can be planted under the tree itself.

So, while these are a few great options for companion plants, what are some others, and what exactly do they do to help peach trees? Let’s take a further look.

1. Comfrey

Comfrey is a multipurpose companion plant for peach trees. Here are some benefits:

1. Comfrey’s leaves are extremely rich in nitrogen, making them great for mulching
2. Their deep roots pull nutrients up from the soil, aiding in nearby plants growth
3. Their leaves are traps for slugs and other insects
4. Attracts pollinators with its blue-purple flowers

Another variety called Russian comfrey is useful in the garden, too. Its long taproot breaks up soil and brings nutrients up from the lower soil. 

Comfrey is a sturdy perennial and is hard to remove once it is established, so plan its placement carefully!

2. Nasturtium

Nasturtiums are edible, beautiful, fast-growing, and are great companions for peach trees. Here are their benefits:

1. They attract aphids away from the tree.
2. The flowers on nasturtiums attract pollinators, which increases the chance these pollinators will also pay a visit to your peach tree’s flowers while they’re in full bloom

Nasturtiums come in a wide range of colors, and their sand-dollar-shaped leaves are attention-grabbing. They also have no problem growing in poor soil, as long as it’s well-draining.

You can interplant nasturtiums with any plant on this list for added color and interest next to your peach tree.

3. Chamomile

Chamomile is a flower known for making tea and having other great benefits for the body and mind. Here are some benefits it provides peach trees:

1. Fixes nitrogen in the soil
2. Attracts beneficial insects
3. Grows well in partial shade
4. Easy to grow

You can plant chamomile underneath or near the peach tree. For best results, plant on the east side of the tree to allow for partial shade during the hot afternoon sun.

There are two main types of chamomile: German (Maricaria recutita) and Roman (Anthemis nobilis). Both are beneficial to have as companion plants.

First, chamomile helps fix the nitrogen in the soil by bringing up nutrients from deeper into the soil. Their flowers attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies, ladybugs, beneficial wasps, and honey bees.

If you weren’t aware, many of these helpful bugs are predatory to pests. For example, ladybugs are a natural predator of aphids and will help keep their populations down.

Chamomile also grows well with mint and basil (two other great companions for peach trees).

4. Lavender and Rosemary

These two aromatic plants are both amazing companions for almost any plant, especially peach trees

Here are some benefits:

1. Their fragrant purple flowers are highly appealing to beneficial pollinators and insects like bees
2. Rosemary usually blooms early, around the same time as peach trees. This blooming timing can greatly benefit the peach tree’s pollination.
3. Lavender is also known for repelling ticks, fleas, and many other pests due to its strong oils, and may even drive away mice too.

Both of these plants like hot, dry conditions, which makes them great choices for gardens that experience intense summer heat or in Mediterranean climates such as California and Spain.

For more pest-repelling companion plants, visit my other post: 7 Companion Plants That Repel Pests

5. Dandelion

Dandelion’s yellow flowers are extremely valuable as early forage for pollinators, and its leaves are almost as rich in nitrogen as comfrey.

And like comfrey, dandelions have a long, sturdy taproot that brings up nutrients like nitrogen from deep in the soil to the upper layers where they are more available to other plants, including your peach tree.

Dandelions also naturally protect your soil from erosion and extreme temperatures, and generally—are a highly effective mulch.

6. Wildflowers

Wildflowers are defined as any flower that has not been genetically manipulated.

They include:

• Bee Balm
• Poppies
• Daises
• Queen Anne’s Lace
• Purple Coneflower
• Meadow Cranesbill
• Lupine
• Black-Eyed Susan

Wildflowers are an amazing companion plant for peach trees, mainly because of these benefits:

1. Attracts a variety of beneficial insects, such as pollinators.
2. The wildflower’s variety of colors is visually appealing to pollinators and provides a good mix of nectar they can use as energy.

An increase in pollination for peach trees means more fruiting, bigger fruits, and fewer fruit drops.

You can plant a single wildflower variety or interplant a mix to have a wide range of colorful flowers in your garden.

To see more companion flowers, check out my other post: The Top 10 Companion Flowers for Gardens, Vegetables, & More.

7. Marigolds

Marigolds are a well-known companion plant for fruit and vegetable gardens. They’re an excellent companion plant for peach trees as:

1. They help manage the soil-borne populations of nematodes (a type of worm)
2. Marigolds are natural repellents towards nematodes because they produce a substance called alpha-terthienyl, which is deadly for the nematodes

Planting several marigolds under or near your peach tree will reduce the nematode population and keep them from making knots in the roots of the tree.

They’ve also been used as a cover crop in India for many hundreds of years in areas where nematode populations are high.

Just make sure that you plant a true marigold from the genus Tagetes, not Calendula, which sometimes goes by the same common name. The LSU College of Agriculture recommends the ‘Tangerine’ variety.

8. Basil

Basil is a great option for a peach tree companion and it can be grown in just about any climate (even indoors). It also grows well with chamomile and mint.

Here are some more benefits it provides peach trees:

1. If you let your basil plant flower, it’ll attract many pollinators—who also visit your other flowering plants.
2. Basil is also known for repelling thrips, mosquitoes, and fruit flies.

However, basil can have some issues and attract some pests that will eat the basil leaves.

My mom recently had this issue with her basil plants in Ventura, California (pictured above). After losing basil plants to bugs and worms, she found that Bonide’s organic bug spray worked well for her. If you’re also having issues with pests eating your basil plant, check out Bonide’s Organic Bug Spray on Amazon.

9. Sage

Salvia officinalis, also known as common sage, is a perennial, subshrub with blue to purplish flowers. 

Sage is known as a useful companion plant because of the benefits it provides:

1. Attractiveness to pollinators
2. Pest repelling properties

Flowering sage is notably helpful in attracting large numbers of pollinators. For this reason, keep flowering sage plants around your peach tree (ideally within 25 feet and no more than 50 feet away).

It helps repel snails, beetles (such as black flea), and cabbage moths. Many of these pests are also known to eat a large variety of garden plants, especially potatoes.

Not only is sage a great companion plant for peach trees, but also for brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and brussel sprouts, as well as carrots and strawberries. Other herbs that grow well with sage are thyme, rosemary, and oregano.

Avoid planting sage near rue, cucumbers, or onions.

10. Garlic, Onions, and Chives

Garlic, onions, and chives (alliums) are companion plants to many. How may they help your peach tree?

1. They have natural anti-fungal properties. Since peach trees are vulnerable to fungal infections, planting chives nearby will help support a fungus-free environment.
2. They’re also great at repelling certain pests such as aphids, mites, and maggots, as well as rabbits and deer. They’re so effective at this that some deterrents are even made from these plants.

Additionally, their roots are relatively shallow, growing to a depth of 12-18″. This makes them good companion plants since they won’t interfere or compete with the peach tree’s shallow roots.

Chives also bloom in spring and summer with beautiful purple flowers. They’re easy to care for, and have a ton of uses in the kitchen!

Some other companion plants for alliums are brassicas, nightshade, strawberries, fruit trees, and carrots.

10 Bonus Companion Plants for Peach Trees

In addition to the flowering plants mentioned above, you can plant some of these flowers to draw pollinators to your peach trees and help promote a good harvest:

1. Coriander 
2. Cilantro
3. Hyssop
4. Strawberries
5. Parsley
6. Thyme
7. Geraniums
8. Grape
9. Asparagus
10. Marjoram

What To Avoid Planting Near Peach Trees

Avoid planting nightshade plants or those with deeper roots near peach trees. Nightshades, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, have been known to introduce disease to peach trees. Additionally, plants with deeper roots like potatoes can damage and compete with the peach tree’s shallow roots.

Another plant to avoid planting near peach trees are raspberries due to their vigorous growth. They can not only compete with the peach tree’s nutrients but also hinder the tree’s root growth.

For this reason, it’s best to plant other trees, including fruiting varieties at least 25 feet away from the peach tree.

Overall, there are more friendly companion plants than not, so as long as you avoid the above plants your peach tree should grow and fruit well.

Where Do You Plant Peach Tree Companion Plants?

For companion plants that need more sun, such as marigolds, daisies, and rosemary, consider planting them outside of the tree’s canopy.

Others such as clover, sweet alyssum, and chives like partial sun and can be planted underneath the peach tree.

As mentioned above, companion plants can be planted just about anywhere, as long as they don’t damage the tree’s shallow roots and are within 50 feet of the tree to maximize pollination results.

Do You Need To Plant 2 Peach Trees?

The majority of peach trees are self-pollinating and don’t need a second tree for cross-pollination. However, cross-pollination can boost the amount of fruit, the size of fruit, and lead to fewer fruit drops. For best results, plant multiple peach trees or companion plants no more than 50 feet away from each other.

Most peach and tart cherry varieties are self-fertile and can be expected to bear fruit with pollen from the same tree or another tree of the same variety.

The University of Maine, Cooperative Extension

If you can grow two or more peach trees, you shouldn’t have an issue with pollination or fruiting (assuming other needs such as water, sun, and nutrients are met). However, if you’re growing a single tree, such as a potted peach tree, you can still pollinate its flowers by hand.

To pollinate by hand, use a clean toothbrush, paintbrush, or q-tip, and lightly brush from flower to flower in the springtime. By transferring pollen from one flower to another, you’ll increase the chance those flowers will become fertilized and develop into fruit.