Just as every herb has a unique flavor for uses in your go-to recipes, every herb also has unique planting needs to grow and thrive. Selecting the right companion plants is a necessary and worthwhile part of strategic garden planning. Pairing copacetic plants together increases crop yield and can even impact the taste of your harvest. Rosemary and basil are arguably staples of any culinary herb garden worth its roots. But as you draft your herb garden, take care not to plant rosemary and basil together, as rosemary and basil have conflicting water and soil needs. Rosemary plants like lots of sun and dry, fast-draining soil. Basil, by stark contrast, requires consistently moist soil to grow and comparatively more humid air.
Rosemary’s ideal companion herbs include lavender, sage, and thyme. Like rosemary, lavender also hails from the Mediterranean and likes full sun, lots of warmth, and soil with high drainage. Sage shares these growing preferences and watering needs, as does fellow-Mediterranean thyme. Got any leftover space? Chives will thrive in a rosemary-centric environment, plus they naturally repel aphids and other pests.
As for basil, plant your pesto superhero alongside oregano and parsley; all three herbs thrive in similar environments. Happily, parsley also attracts pollinators, repels garden-busting insects, and doesn’t compete for space. Oregano has a tendency to overgrow, but basil and oregano are often used in tandem in many of the same recipes. While rosemary and basil may be two of the most versatile herbs to stock in your kitchen, these pungent, savory superstars are best grown apart.
Plant moisture-loving basil and dry-thriving rosemary in separate containers
Plated fresh, these highly aromatic herbs are as impressive as they are delicious; we’re loving them in this crowd-pleasing garden art vegetable focaccia. To help these sprouts perform their best, you must keep them separated. Still want to cultivate a crop of both rosemary and basil in your home herb garden? Simply plant them in separate pots. Container gardening is a space-efficient way to grow all of your favorite herbs without a backyard plot (here’s looking at you, apartment-dwelling foodies).
For home herb garden success, only use pots with a drainage hole. For optimal yield, give those plants a 12-inch diameter to grow into without being choked. From there, just pop those herbs in a sunny location like a windowsill, on a patio, or on a fire escape. Every couple of days, rotate the containers for even sunlight access.
To best grow rosemary, opt for high-drainage soil mixes that contain fine pine bark or peat moss with vermiculite. Gritty pea gravel mixtures also perform well here. Let the top two to four inches of soil become totally dry before re-watering. Basil, on the other hand, needs to be watered whenever the top inch of soil begins to feel dry. Plant basil in suppler potting soil that retains a bit more moisture, draining less quickly. For the best yield, harvest your basil plant regularly; the more leaves you pick, the more quickly new leaves will regrow to fill the space.
