Tradition
Bad
avoidgood
1 chart entry: 0 recommend, 1 advise against.
0 cited, 1 uncited.
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Lamiaceae
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
LamiaceaeCan you plant basil and thyme together?
Charts say no. Nobody has tested basil with thyme, as far as we could find. Both are in the Lamiaceae family, so they share pests and diseases.
Why we can't give a firm answer
Garden charts advise against it. 1 garden chart entry says to keep them apart. It cites no source. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)Same family, shared pests. Basil and thyme are both in the Lamiaceae family, so the same pests and diseases can move from one to the other.
Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
What to plant with basil and thyme
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
What to keep away from basil and thyme
Nothing in our data is a bad neighbour of basil or thyme.
The evidence in detail
For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.
Tradition, research and yield trials
Same family, shared pests and diseases. Both in Lamiaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insects. Source: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden
Research
No papers found on this pair.
Yield trial
No intercropping yield trial.
Untested folklore
What happens above and below ground
Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.
Everything at once.
Companion plants for both basil and thyme
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With basil | With thyme |
|---|---|---|
 Cabbage | 12% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for basil and cabbage | Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for thyme and cabbage |
 Tomato | Helpful plant chemistry, fewer pests and better soil and nutrient uptake7% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 6 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for basil and tomatoes | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for thyme and tomatoes |
 Eggplant | Draws in pest-eating insectsGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for basil and eggplant | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for thyme and eggplant |
Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).
The evidence, with sources
- Badadvises againstBasil: avoid thymeList of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)
- Both in Lamiaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insectsCrop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
All neighbours of basil and of thyme, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown basil and thyme together?
Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.