6 Best Companion Plants For Berry Bushes That Old Farmers Swear By

You’ve done everything right with your new berry patch—good soil, full sun, plenty of water—but the plants just seem to be struggling. The leaves are a little yellow, the fruit set is sparse, and you’re already seeing aphids move in. This is where the old-timers’ wisdom of companion planting comes in, turning a simple patch into a thriving, self-sufficient ecosystem. It’s about creating a team of plants that work together to feed the soil, repel pests, and attract the right kind of help.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

The Wisdom of Companion Planting for Berries

Companion planting is more than just sticking a marigold next to a blueberry bush and hoping for the best. It’s about creating a "guild"—a small community of plants that support each other. Think of your berry bush as the centerpiece, and its companions as the support crew, each with a specific job.

One plant might pull nitrogen from the air to feed the soil. Another might have deep roots that draw up minerals from the subsoil, making them available when its leaves are used as mulch. Others work as living bodyguards, their strong scents confusing pests or their flowers attracting beneficial insects that prey on the bad guys. The goal isn’t just to solve a single problem, but to build a resilient system that requires less intervention from you over time.

A monoculture of just raspberries is a dinner bell for pests and diseases that specialize in raspberries. But a diverse planting with chives, clover, and borage creates a confusing landscape of smells and textures. This diversity builds a healthier, more stable environment that can better withstand the pressures of pests, disease, and drought.

Lupines and Legumes to Fix Nitrogen in Soil

Berry bushes, especially blueberries and raspberries, are hungry plants that need a steady supply of nitrogen for lush, green growth. Instead of constantly reaching for a bag of fertilizer, you can plant your own nitrogen factories. Legumes like lupines, clover, and vetch have a unique partnership with soil bacteria that allows them to pull nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and "fix" it into a form plants can use.

Planting a living mulch of white clover around your blueberries does three jobs at once. It fixes nitrogen right at the root zone, suppresses weeds, and helps retain soil moisture. Lupines, with their beautiful flower spikes, can be planted in drifts nearby, attracting pollinators while their roots get to work enriching the soil.

This isn’t a passive system, though. To get the most benefit, you need to manage these plants. Periodically "chopping and dropping" the clover—mowing or cutting it and leaving the clippings in place—releases that stored nitrogen as the plant material breaks down. If left unchecked, these companions can also compete for water and space, so they require some management to keep the relationship balanced.

Borage to Attract Pollinators and Deter Pests

If you could only plant one companion for your berries, borage would be a top contender. Its brilliant blue, star-shaped flowers are an absolute magnet for bees and other pollinators. More pollinators buzzing around your patch means more complete pollination, which translates directly to a heavier fruit set and larger, more perfectly formed berries.

Beyond its role as a pollinator beacon, borage is a fantastic dynamic accumulator. Its deep taproot drills down into the subsoil, mining trace minerals that are often unavailable to the shallower roots of berry bushes. When you chop the leaves for mulch or the plant dies back at the end of the season, those valuable minerals are deposited on the soil surface, ready for your berries to use.

Be warned: borage self-seeds with enthusiasm. For some, this is a wonderful bonus, providing a steady supply of new plants year after year. For others, it can become a weedy nuisance. The key is to learn to recognize the seedlings and decide where you want them to grow, pulling the rest before they take over.

Marigolds for Nematode Control and Pest Repelling

Marigolds have earned their reputation in the garden for a very specific and powerful reason: they combat root-knot nematodes. These microscopic worms live in the soil and feed on plant roots, causing stunting, wilting, and poor production in berry plants. French Marigolds, in particular, release a biochemical into the soil that is toxic to these destructive pests.

Planting a border of marigolds around your berry patch acts as a protective barrier, reducing nematode populations in the immediate area. Their pungent scent also works above ground, helping to confuse and deter pests like Japanese beetles and other leaf-chewers. They are a simple, hardworking addition to any berry guild.

However, it’s important to have realistic expectations. A few scattered marigolds won’t eliminate a severe, established nematode infestation overnight. Their effect is cumulative and most powerful when used as a preventative measure. For a more intensive treatment, some growers plant a dense cover crop of marigolds for a season and then till them into the soil to maximize the release of their pest-fighting compounds.

Chives and Alliums to Deter Aphids and Beetles

The entire allium family—chives, garlic, onions—is your first line of defense against sap-sucking insects and leaf-munching beetles. Their strong, sulfurous scent acts as a powerful repellent, effectively scrambling the signals that pests use to find their favorite food. A thick border of chives planted around the base of your berry bushes can significantly reduce pressure from aphids.

This smelly defense system works wonders against Japanese beetles as well. While it may not stop a massive swarm, it can deter casual browsers from settling on your raspberry and blackberry leaves. The confusion created by the oniony smell makes your berry patch a less appealing target.

The benefits don’t stop there. Chives produce lovely purple blossoms early in the spring, providing a crucial food source for emerging pollinators. And, of course, you get a secondary harvest for your kitchen. This is a perfect example of a companion plant that works hard and asks for very little in return.

Tansy as a Traditional Pest Repellent for Berries

Tansy is a classic old-world herb that has been planted in gardens for centuries as a potent pest repellent. Its deeply cut, fern-like foliage releases a sharp, camphor-like aroma that is deeply unpleasant to many insects. It has a reputation for repelling ants, flying insects like Japanese beetles, and even mice.

This is a plant that needs to be used with knowledge and respect. Tansy can be invasive in some regions and is toxic to livestock if eaten, so it must be planted thoughtfully. Keep it contained in a specific area and never let it go to seed if you are concerned about spread. Check your local extension office for advice on its status in your area.

The best use for tansy in a berry guild is as a contained border plant, where its strong scent can form a protective perimeter. Some gardeners also make a "tansy tea" by steeping the leaves in water, using the strained liquid as a natural insecticidal spray. It’s a powerful tool, but one that requires a responsible hand.

Comfrey for Nutrient-Rich Mulch and Soil Health

Comfrey is the quiet workhorse of the berry patch. Its job isn’t to fight pests, but to build incredibly rich soil. Often called a "nutrient accumulator," comfrey has a massive taproot that can reach ten feet deep, pulling up potassium, calcium, and other trace minerals from far below the surface.

The primary way to use comfrey is as a "chop and drop" mulch factory. A few times a season, you can slash the large, nutrient-dense leaves and lay them directly on the ground around your berry bushes. As they decompose, they create a dark, rich mulch that feeds the soil, suppresses weeds, and provides a slow-release source of potassium—a mineral essential for flowering and fruit development.

This is critical: only plant sterile comfrey varieties, such as ‘Bocking 14’. Common comfrey spreads aggressively by seed and can quickly become a permanent, invasive problem. Sterile varieties stay in a tidy clump, spreading only by root division, ensuring they remain a helpful companion and not a nightmare weed.

Planning Your Berry Guild for Long-Term Success

A truly successful berry patch is more than a collection of individual plants; it’s a planned community. You’re not just planting companions; you’re designing a guild where each member has a role that supports the whole. Think in layers and functions.

A great starting guild for blueberries might look like this:

• Centerpiece: Your blueberry bushes.
• Groundcover: A living mulch of white clover to fix nitrogen and manage weeds.
• Pollinator/Deterrent Ring: An inner circle of chives and borage to confuse pests and draw in bees.
• Nutrient Source: A single, well-placed comfrey plant a few feet away, ready for chopping and dropping.
• Perimeter Defense: An outer border of French marigolds to handle nematodes and deter beetles.

Start small and observe. Your specific soil, climate, and pest pressures will determine which companions thrive and which ones don’t. The goal is to build a system that gains strength and resilience each year. It’s an investment of thought upfront that pays off with healthier plants and better harvests for years to come.

Ultimately, companion planting is about shifting your mindset from fighting problems to building a system where problems are less likely to arise. By partnering with these hardworking plants, you create a berry patch that doesn’t just survive, but thrives. It’s a testament to the idea that in a healthy garden, as in life, we’re all stronger together.