Sweet basil repels mosquitoes, flies, aphids, and certain beetles thanks to the strong oils packed inside every leaf on your plant. The same compounds that make basil smell great to you send many common pests running away from your yard. You can put a few basil plants in the right spots around your yard to build a natural defense. You don't need any chemicals on your food, your garden, or your skin to get this protection working for you and your whole family.
Basil companion planting is one of the oldest tricks in your organic gardening playbook. It still works great today. Put your basil right next to your tomato plants to help keep whiteflies and aphids off your fruit. Growing in the Garden calls this one of the best natural pairings for your vegetable beds at home. Joegardener says you should plant radishes as a trap crop near your basil to draw flea beetles away from your herbs. Your peppers, beans, and lettuce also grow better when they have basil close by as a garden neighbor protecting them from pests all season.
What makes basil work as a basil pest repellent? It all comes down to three key oils in your leaves: eugenol, linalool, and estragole. These oils float into the air around your plant and mess with the smell sensors that bugs use to track down your food and your garden crops. The strong scent hides the signals that pests follow to reach your tomatoes and peppers. Mosquitoes have a hard time finding you when your basil's scent cloud hangs in the air near your seat outside. The bugs just can't track you down through all that basil smell in the air around your seat on a warm evening.
I tested this myself two summers ago by planting a row of sweet basil along my patio edge at home. For years before that, mosquitoes had ruined our evening cookouts at that house every single weekend. The change was clear within the first week of growing basil near our seats. We could sit outside past sunset without getting bitten over and over like before. It wasn't a perfect force field around us, but it cut down the bites by what felt like half or more from what we used to get. My family noticed the change right away too. They kept asking me what I did to make our backyard so much better that summer.
In my experience, crushing a basil leaf and rubbing it on your arms before you sit outside adds even more protection for your skin. The oils from your crushed leaf create a scent shield right on your body that bugs want to avoid at all costs. You can also keep a potted basil plant near your kitchen window at home. It helps keep fruit flies and gnats away from your counter during the warm months when those bugs are at their worst in your home.
For the best results, place your basil where you want the most protection in your yard. Put them near your doorways and your patio seating area to block mosquitoes during your outdoor meals. Plant them between your rows of tomatoes and peppers to guard against aphids and whiteflies. Water your basil in the morning so your leaves stay dry at night. Doing this keeps your plants healthy and pumping out those protective oils for you all season long. Now you know what sweet basil repel powers can do for your yard, so put them to work for you and your family this summer.
Read the full article: Sweet Basil: Varieties, Growing, and Uses
