MOFishin
Senior Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:33 pm
Location: Central Missouri 6A

How far from veggies to plant herbs?

I'm almost done planting all of my veggies and I don't have much space left. I have a couple of pots I could put some herbs in. But I was wondering if I could squeeze in something like basil or cilantro near my tomatoes or peppers in the garden.
So my question is, how far away would you need to space tomatoes or peppers from basil or cilantro in order for the veggies and herbs to both have plenty of space to thrive?
Thanks.

AnnaIkona
Greener Thumb
Posts: 801
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2015 9:20 pm
Location: Canada zone 8b

Basil has a short and shallow root system so I suppose planting it close to tomatoes or peppers would be okay. By "close" I mean a couple inches.

However Cilantro, I'd be a little more concerned about. Their roots are very thick and long and may affect how the tomatoes or peppers grow. This could also couse trouble for the cilantro itself. So I would recommend planting cilantro a bit further (Maybe 7")
Last edited by AnnaIkona on Fri May 06, 2016 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MOFishin
Senior Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:33 pm
Location: Central Missouri 6A

Thanks. 7 inches in either direction is about how much room I have to work with. Possibly as much as 8 or 9"

MOFishin
Senior Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:33 pm
Location: Central Missouri 6A

Thanks.
"Cilantro is a cool season herb"
Good to know :)

AnnaIkona
Greener Thumb
Posts: 801
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2015 9:20 pm
Location: Canada zone 8b

Yeah, you'll be fine with 7-9 inches of space. Maybe plant the cilantro and basil separately, just in case.
Good luck :)

PinkPetalPolygon
Senior Member
Posts: 142
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2016 5:57 pm
Location: California Zone 9b <3

For the people who plant basil close to tomatoes:

Is there a specific way you tie up the tomato plants so they don't engulf the basil plants when they are directly next to and eventually under them?

Last year my MIL planted her basil next to a giant cherry tomato and mid-season the basil got swamped beneath it.

I did the obvious and tried to prune the tomato plants off of it, but eventually I gave up and let it flower and suffer beneath 5 tomato vines. :lol:

This year I extended the brick garden bed so the basil had its own space, but I love basil so am very happy to hear you can jam it into small areas if you have to. :)



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