Basil is a leafy herb that enjoys the shady spots under taller tomato plants. In exchange for this shade, basil repels aphids and squash bugs and attracts pollinating insects.
This pairing works well for ‘cut and come again’ lettuce varieties, which can be harvested with tomatoes all summer.
Chives are a delicious herb with a mild onion-like smell that repels aphids and mites. Planting small clumps of chives among tomatoes is a good way to keep pests at bay.
Marigolds have vibrant red, orange, and yellow flowers that attract a host of beneficial insects to the garden, from pollinating bees to pest-destroying wasps and butterflies.
Sage is a low-maintenance perennial herb that deters cabbage moths, a troublesome insect that targets several vegetable crops.
Black-eyed peas work slightly differently to boost tomato harvests by acting as a sacrificial trap crop. Southern green stink bugs, which spread bacterial wilt to tomato plants, cannot resist black-eyed peas and will leave your tomato plants well alone.