Companion Planting For Under Your Fruit Trees

We moved to our new home two years ago now and it’s been a learning experience as I try to figure out the new challenges that come with a new property. For example, we have started a small fruit orchard started here and last year they struggled a ton. 

First, we had to deal with the challenge of deer eating the fruit trees. Our current strategy is using fishing line staked around the trees and that has been working wonderfully so far (fingers crossed it continues to work!). You can find details on my best deer preventative methods in this post.

Our next challenge in the fruit orchard was figuring out why the trees weren’t growing. They weren’t dying but they also weren’t growing. One of the reasons the fruit trees weren’t growing, I believe, is because I allowed grass to grow next to the trees. From the research I’ve been doing lately, it turns out that grass can steal nutrients from fruit trees.

So we have spent the last month putting down cardboard and a thick thick layer of mulch around all the fruit trees. Hopefully that keeps the weeds and grasses from harming my fruit trees this year!

Pondering Permaculture for the Fruit Orchard

I think one of the most common mistakes we gardeners can make when growing a fruit orchard is thinking that the fruit tree is the only thing that matters. While each fruit tree is certainly the center of things, I think it’s equally important to think about what we plant around each fruit tree.

This is when permaculture becomes something to think about. At a very basic level, permaculture is about developing an agricultural ecosystem for self-sufficiency. For me, permaculture is also about a balance between my personal needs and the needs of nature. 

I don’t want my fruit trees is be super dependent on me. I want them to thrive under a beautiful natural cycle and I also want them to thrive for the needs of nature as well as for filling my pantry with fruit jams and preserves.

So the biggest questions that I’m pondering about for permaculture in my fruit orchard include:

• PREVENTION: What can I plant under my fruit trees to support pest prevention and deer prevention?
• ATTRACTION: What can I plant to attract beneficial insects?
• SUPPRESSION: What can I plant to suppress grass from growing?
• BOOST: What can I plant under my fruit trees to help boost nutrients in the soil?

This is also known as a Fruit Tree Guild.

If you’ve been seeing random articles online talking about fruit tree guilds, this is basically what they’re talking about. A fruit tree guild is a permaculture planting method that focuses on growing a fruit tree that is surrounded by other plants that help support each other.

We’re basically focusing on creating multiple tiny ecosystems that support each individual fruit tree to produce optimal health, productivity, and nature-based connections. It’s such a beautiful concept and I am honored to be stewarding the creation of all of these lovely natural ecosystems.

How Do I Start a Fruit Tree Guild?

STEP ONE: The first thing is to stop weeds and grasses from taking over the space. So after you plant your fruit tree, place cardboard under the fruit tree, at least 3 feet circled around each tree. Be generous with the cardboard, as any cracks will allow grasses to start growing. So overlap the edges of your cardboard pieces so there are no gaps.

STEP TWO: Moisten the cardboard with water. The best way to do this is with a hose, but I’m often too lazy to drag the hose over there, so I just layer the cardboard right before we are getting a good rain storm. 

STEP THREE: Cover the cardboard with 3-6 inches of compost. Learn how to make your own compost here. Keep a few inches from the base of your fruit trees if you can, so you don’t smother them to death.

STEP FOUR AND FIVE: Plant your chosen Fruit Guild plants (see list below) and add a thick layer of mulch. I put these two steps together because it will depend on the season and when your plants are available. For example, right now it’s “winter” here in South Carolina, and the plants we are planting under our fruit trees won’t be ready to plant for another few months. So we put down the mulch now, in order to keep the weeds and grasses away, and in the spring, we’ll simply scrape away some mulch to plant our chosen plants.

Best Companion Plants For Under Your Fruit Trees

This list is in no way perfect. I’m planning on adding to this list whenever I learn about more fruit tree guild plants. However, this is certainly a list of the most popular options from my research, so it’s a great place to start for information on the best companion plants for under your fruit trees.

I’m gathering this information in the following categories to make it easier to read.

• PREVENTION: Plants that help with pest prevention or deer prevention.
• ATTRACTION: Plants that attract beneficial insects or other helpful critters.
• SUPPRESSION: Plants that suppress grasses and bad weeds.
• BOOST: Plants that boost the nutrients in the soil for the fruit trees.

This list is in alphabetical order.

Bee Balm

Bee Balm is beautiful. There are many varieties, but my favorite is probably Monarda didyma because it’s red flowers attract hummingbirds. I plant lots and lots of varieties of Bee Balm all over the garden.

• PREVENTION: Bee Balm’s scent can work as a pest repellent. Deer are not fond of the ‘spicy’ oregano-type flavor of the leaves, so a barrier of Bee Balm could “hide” your fruit trees for the deer.
• ATTRACTION: Bee Balm attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators to your garden. In addition, lacewings  (a beneficial insect) prefers the leaves as a habitat for laying their eggs.

Borage

Borage is an annual plant with fuzzy leaves and pretty blue flowers. I love making borage tea for relaxing in the evenings, and it’s also a pretty edible flower for impressing guests (check out my list of favorite edible flowers here for more details).

• PREVENTION: Deer and rabbits do not like borage, so it can be a great preventative barrier plant.
• ATTRACTION: Bees and wasps love the nectar of borage flowers, so it’s a great plant to attract bees to your fruit trees.
• BOOSTS: Borage is known as an ‘accumulator’ plant because it draws up trace minerals and nutrients closer to its roots. This can help nutritionally benefits your fruit trees.

Calendula

Calendula is one of my favorite plants to grow in my garden. It’s sunny-yellow flowers make my heart smile, plus the petals are both edible and medicinal. Check out my article here for some recipes for enjoying calendula.

• PREVENTION: Calendula has a sap that attracts aphids and whiteflies to it, which means that those pests will focus on the calendula rather than your fruit trees.
• ATTRACTION: At the same time, the calendula flowers attract not only pollinators like bees and butterflies, but also ladybugs and lacewings, which coincidentally like to eat the aphids and whiteflies.
• SUPPRESION: Calendula plants grow low to the ground and spread out, forming a ground cover that can prevent weeds from growing.

Chives

Chives are such a pretty plant and they are super easy to grow. I have a big pot of them right outside my kitchen so I can grab them whenever I need some (even in the winter). When it’s time to divide my chives for optimal health and growth, I’ll move the extra divisions to my fruit tree guild. 

• PREVENTION: The strong onion scent of chives deters pests, deer, and rabbits.
• ATTRACTION: The pretty flowers of chives are attractive to pollinators.

Comfrey

I firmly believe that comfrey is a “must-have” in any permaculture garden. It’s helpful for three of the four categories for fruit trees, plus it’s great for your vegetable and flower gardens, too. Just make sure you grow the Russian comfrey (also known as Bocking 14 cultivar) instead of True Comfrey if you don’t want it to take over your garden. I learned this the hard way at my last homestead. If I forgot the cut down the True Comfrey before it flowered (which was often…I’m not perfect), I’d have new comfrey growing everywhere, and those roots are hard to get out! So I’m sticking to Russian comfrey from now on (which only spreads via root and not by both root and flower). 

Comfrey grows super fast and is thus wonderful to use as a mulch and natural fertilizer throughout the year. Simply cut the plants down and chop up the leaves (known as the “chop and drop” method) and spread them around your other plants. The comfrey leaves mulch your plants and then leave behind wonderful nutrients for your plants as they naturally compost.

• ATTRACTION: Bees LOVE the nectar of comfrey flowers. Your comfrey plants will be buzzing with them. It attracts many other pollinators and beneficial insects, too.
• SUPPRESSION: This is a very good grass suppressant plant. It will suppress and out-compete pretty much all grasses and weeds. 
• BOOST: Comfrey is both a nutrient accumulator and a nitrogen fixer. The roots go down deep and bring up nutrients closer up closer, which can help the roots of the fruit trees, too.

Daffodils

Another “must-have” plant for your permaculture garden is daffodils. Once upon a time, I wrinkled my nose in disgust at daffodils. My thinking was: if I had spare money for bulbs, I would prefer heavy-scented hyacinths (my favorite flower) over non-scented daffodils. But I’ve been learning SO much about daffodils over the last few months and I realize that I have been missing out on the helpfulness of daffodils in my garden for many years. I’ll be making up for this mistake by purchasing a TON of daffodils over the next few years for my garden.

• PREVENTION: Deer HATE daffodils, so these are a great option for planting as natural barrier around your fruit trees. They also deter rabbits, voles, and gophers from chewing on the trunks of your trees. Daffodils can also repel fruit tree borers.
• ATTRACTION: While most hybrid daffodil varieties don’t do much for pollinators, many of the heirloom varieties attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and moths.
• SUPPRESSION: Daffodils should be planted around the base of both regular trees in your yard and your fruit trees because they will suppress the growth of grass.
• BOOST: The benefit is small, but still worth noting: when daffodils die back in the spring, they add nutrients back into the soil for other plants to use.

Dill

The frilly fronds of both dill and fennel are wonderful for attracting beneficial insects to your garden. I’ll always include them in my vegetable garden because they really do provide a healthier balanced ecosystem there. I might not add them to my fruit orchard because they need more watering than the rest of my orchard needs. But if you have an irrigated fruit guild setup in place, dill would be a great addition.

• PREVENTION: Dill’s strong aromatic scent repels unwanted pests such as aphids and spider mites.
• ATTRACTION: The yellow flower stage of the dill plant attracts beneficial insects such as ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and lacewings. 

Horseradish

Some folks shy away from horseradish, either because they don’t like the taste of it or because it has a reputation for being invasive in the garden. I’ve always had a soft spot for “invasives” and most of the time, I like growing them in my more wild-boundary-areas of my garden and in my yard and let them be happy and free to spread.

There is some interesting folklore on horseradish and fruit trees out there. In typical folklore-fashion, there are two sides to the story: some claim that fruit trees are never very productive until horseradish is planted underneath them. Others claim that it affects the taste of the fruit. I hope to do more research on these clashing stories eventually. If you know anything about this, please let me know in the comments section! 

I love horseradish, so I’m probably going to try growing it under a few fruit trees and see how it goes. Time will tell!

• PREVENTION: Horseradish is a natural pest deterrent due to its’ strong scent and helps protect fruit trees from many pests and small rodents like mice. If you have issues with rodents in your orchard, plant some horseradish.

Hyssop

There are a lot of plants that go by some sort of ‘hyssop’ name. The one I’m talking about is the plant in the genus Hyssopus. This is an aromatic Mediterranean herb plant, which means it’s drought-tolerant, which is perfect for underneath the canopy of fruit trees.

• PREVENTION: It has strongly aromatic leaves and stems, so it repels deer and rabbits and some pests.
• ATTRACTION: It is heavily loaded with purple flowers during the flowering season in late summer, making it a wonderful attractor of beneficial insects and pollinators.

Lavender

Lavender is an aromatic Mediterranean herb plant, which means it’s drought-tolerant, which is perfect for underneath the canopy of fruit trees.

• PREVENTION: The heavily scented leaves, stems, and flowers deter many pests and deer. Snails and slugs are said to hate lavender, so if those are an issue in your fruit orchard, you might want to try growing some lavender and rosemary in your fruit tree guild.
• ATTRACTION: The scented purple flowers attract many bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Marigolds 

• PREVENTION: Marigolds are a great deterrent to rabbits. They can help against deer, too, though I have had hungry deer nibble on the almost-opened flower buds.
• ATTRACTION: Since they have a long flowering season, they are wonderful for attracting pollinators to your fruit trees.

Mint

Mint is another “invasive” plant that many people shy away from. But once again, I LOVE growing mint along the borders of my garden. With a little bit of effort of managing it, I love using mint as a protection border around my garden and let it go happy-crazy at the same time. 

• PREVENTION: The strong scent of mint leaves can be used as a barrier against deer, rabbits, and other nibbling pests.
• SUPPRESSION: The “invasive” qualities of mint helps it happily spread under your fruit trees and suppress other weeds and grasses.

Nasturtiums

I absolutely ADORE the beautiful leaves of nasturtium plants. Honestly, I grow them in almost every garden bed for the leaves alone (the leaves and flowers are edible, too. Learn more about them as edible flowers here). They also have very pretty flowers. Depending on the variety you grow, the flowers range from orange to yellow to even burgundy. I usually grow the yellow ones.

• PREVENTION: Nasturtiums are known to be a rather powerful deterrent of the codling moth, which can be a problem with many fruit trees. They also deter aphids, cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, whiteflies, and squash beetles. Nasturtium also attracts aphids, which helps keep them away from your other plants.
• ATTRACTION: They are a favorite for hummingbirds. Bees love them, too. I plant nasturtiums around any plant that needs more attention from bees and other pollinators.
• SUPPRESSION: Nasturtiums make a great living ground cover, reducing evaporation and protecting the soil from the elements and erosion. They can compete pretty well with grasses and other weeds due to the way they spread along the ground.

Plantain

Some folks think of plantain as a “weed” in the lawn. However, plantain is a wonderful herbal remedy and I will ALWAYS encourage plantain in my yard. If some of it grows next to the fruit trees, I will leave them in place. If you’re curious how to use plantain for an herbal remedy, check out my article on plantain-infused oil here.

• BOOST: Plantain is a nutrient accumulator. This means it draws nutrients higher up in the soil, which is a wonderful benefit for your shallow-rooted fruit trees.

Rosemary

Rosemary is another aromatic Mediterranean herb plant, which means it’s drought-tolerant, which is perfect for underneath the canopy of fruit trees. I love rosemary. Here in South Carolina, it thrives all year long, making a beautiful evergreen plant for my yard. Since the deer hate it, I plant it as hedges to make a beautiful barrier that keeps deer disinterested in the plants behind the rosemary hedge.

• PREVENTION: The heavily scented leaves, stems, and flowers deter many pests and deer. Snails and slugs are said to hate rosemary, so if those are an issue in your fruit orchard, you might want to try growing some lavender and rosemary in your fruit tree guild.

Thyme

Thyme is another aromatic Mediterranean herb plant, which means it’s drought-tolerant, which is perfect for underneath the canopy of fruit trees. This is my absolute FAVORITE thing to grow in place of lawn (creeping thyme is the variety to use for lawn replacement). I also plant creeping thyme alone rock borders so it can sprawl and droop over the rocks in a beautiful manner. I start about 40-50 creeping thyme plants from seed every year so that I can keep spreading them everywhere around my garden and yard.

• PREVENTION: The heavily scented foliage repels deer and rabbits. It repels many other pests as well.
• SUPPRESSION: If you pull out the grasses and plant creeping thyme in its place, it will sprawl out around your fruit trees, providing an evergreen mat of intoxicating scent. It can out-compete grasses easily.

Sage

Sage is another aromatic Mediterranean herb plant family, which means it’s drought-tolerant, which is perfect for underneath the canopy of fruit trees. There are many types of sage, and I am addicted to growing them all. Some I grow for culinary purposes, some for medicinal purposes, and many are just for the flowers. 

• PREVENTION: The heavily scented leaves will help prevent snails, slugs, deer, rabbits, and other pests that like to nibble.
• ATTRACTION: The flowers of sage plants attract many pollinators.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers here are categorized as native plants for your region that have not been genetically modified. This can include: daisies, poppies, queen’s anne lace, coneflowers, goldenrod, etc. I love to purchase native wildflower mixes and sow them in random spots in my garden to help encourage more native plants in my yard. You can learn more about the best wildflowers to grow through your local native plant society and/or online.

• ATTRACTION: Wildflowers attract native pollinators. They also attract beneficial insect predators such as birds, ladybugs, and beneficial wasps, which naturally helps keep pest populations down.

Yarrow

I firmly believe that every garden should have this perennial herb. They are beautiful, easy to grow, hardy, medicinal, and do SO MANY helpful things for your garden and fruit tree guild.

• PREVENTION: The somewhat stinky scent repel many bad insects. They also repel rabbits and deer.
• ATTRACTION: They attract the most variety of beneficial insects and also pollinators are very attracted to their showy flowers. 
• SUPPRESSION: They are fast growers and will out compete grasses for space. 
• BOOST: Yarrow is a nutrient accumulator and nitrogen fixer for your soil. It will draw up important nutrients to the roots of your fruit trees. They also have deep roots that help break up compacted soils. 

Final Tips and Thoughts About Fruit Tree Guilds

As you read through this list of the best companion plants for your fruit trees, I also gathered up an assortment of other tips that you might want to consider:

Final Tips for Your Fruit Tree Guild:

• Include a variety of plants that bloom at different times of the year to encourage a balanced ecosystem all year long. For example, daffodils bloom at the same time that your fruit trees are putting out buds. They can help deter deer from eating your delicate fruit buds at just the right time. But daffodils only bloom for a short period of time, so grow long-blooming plants too, like, for example, marigolds.
• Include both perennial and annual plants for your fruit tree guild. Perennials will be nice because they will slowly grow and spread and you don’t have to plant new ones every year. However, annual plants, like nasturtiums, borage, marigolds, and calendula, often have a more flowery show since they are short-lived. A good balance will be of the best benefit for your fruit trees.
• Include both flower-strong plants and scented-strong plants. Again, we’re shooting for a balance here. The flower plants will attract pollinators and the scented plants will deter pests.
• For the best results, plant your chosen plants within 25 feet of your fruit trees. Some of these plants are good around the base of your fruit trees, like comfrey and daffodils. Others need to be spaced a bit farther away, but keep them within 25 feet if you want to create that healthy balanced ecosystem.

Final Thoughts on My Own Fruit Tree Guild:

This is going to be a multiple year approach. This spring, I’m going to plant comfrey (the Russian version!) around my fruit trees. I’ll plant some new yarrow seedlings around them, too. This fall, I’ll plant daffodils around my fruit trees as well. I will then observe how things go. I might add some rosemary plants in there at some point, but I don’t want things to be too crowded. 

So I’m starting with comfrey, yarrow, and daffodils. I’ll eventually add divisions of my chives and some propagated rosemary cuttings. Hopefully this will help me provide a healthy environment for my fruit trees and for all of nature, too. Fingers are crossed!

Here’s hoping for a healthy permaculture-based Fruit Tree Guild for future years on this beautiful planet.

Further Reading:

• 10 Plants for Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Garden
• The Best Edible Flowers for a Vegetable Garden
• The Benefits of Companion Planting in Your Garden
• Pondering Permaculture