Culinary sage is more than an easy-care perennial herb that reliably provides you with aromatic sage leaves for cooking year after year; it's also an excellent companion plant for other garden crops. Here are 18 sage companion plants that will benefit and elevate your plants and garden as a whole. Companion Planting With Sage Good companion plants for sage fall into two broad categories: beneficial and good matches. Unlike other types of companion plants where benefits are mutual, in the case of sage the benefits usually go one way; sage is the one that is beneficial to other plants because sage itself is bothered by few pests. Sage aids in pest control by deterring certain pests from vulnerable plants and attracting beneficial insects and pollinators like butterflies and bees. In the second category of companion plants are crops that make a good match when planted as neighbors. These plants have similar growing conditions to sage, such as light, water, and fertilizer needs. The plants won't overgrow or shade sun-loving sage, and they don’t compete for space or nutrients. Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more! 01 of 18 Arugula Sage deters black flea beetles, a common pest of all members of the Brassica family. In leafy greens such as arugula, beetles chomping away at the plant is especially destructive. 02 of 18 Carrots Its strong scent makes sage an excellent companion plant for carrots. Its aroma masks the scent of carrot plants, so it's more difficult for carrot flies to find carrot plants. Carrot flies, also known as carrot rust flies, are small black flies that feed on the roots of carrots. 03 of 18 Kale Cabbage loopers, cabbageworms, and flea beetles attack all members of the Brassica family, and kale is no exception. The potent smell of sage with camphor as a key component tells pests to look elsewhere to breed and feed. 04 of 18 Radishes Though flea beetles feed on radish leaves and not on the bulbs, it is still a good idea to have sage growing as a companion near your radishes to deter the pest. Severely damaged foliage leads to stunted growth. 05 of 18 Broccoli Planting sage as a companion plant for broccoli is a way of biological pest control. The sage keeps cabbage moths away, and the fewer moths that lay their eggs on the broccoli leaves, the fewer cabbage worms will be on your broccoli later. 06 of 18 Brussels Sprouts Brussels sprouts are notorious victims of cabbage worms and cabbage looper moths. The moths of both can be deterred by sage plants nearby. 07 of 18 Cabbage Cruciferous vegetables, which include all types of cabbage, attract cabbage moths, which later hatch into voracious cabbage worms or cabbage loopers. As a deterrent, sage ranks top on the list of companion plants for cabbage. 08 of 18 Cauliflower Cauliflower is not the easiest vegetable to grow, partly because it is highly susceptible to cabbage worms and cabbage loopers. Sage plants help keep these pests away. 09 of 18 Collard Greens The holes in the leaves of collard greens are usually a dead giveaway that flea beetles have been feeding on the plant. The plants are also susceptible to cabbage loopers and cabbage worms. With sage as a companion plant, you can keep all three pests at bay in one fell swoop. 10 of 18 Bok Choi Bok choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is a member of the Brassica family and attracts cabbage moths, which turn into cabbage worms in their larval stage, as well as flea beetles. Sage helps to deter both pests. 11 of 18 Kohlrabi Kohlrabi is a cool-weather crop, but that doesn't mean that there are no cabbage worms and flea beetles around. Sage works as a deterrent as long as there are fresh, green leaves on the plant. 12 of 18 Mustard Greens If you don't want the tender mustard greens to be riddled with holes from flea beetle feeding, plant a sage nearby. It will also help deter cabbage worms and cabbage loopers. 13 of 18 Turnip If you plan on harvesting tender young turnip greens, keep flea beetles away with a sage plant nearby. The camphor content in the leaves, which deters pests, decreases as the leaves mature so make sure to cut your sage regularly to encourage new, fresh foliage growth. 14 of 18 Strawberries There is more than one good reason to plant sage, preferably more than one, as a companion plant for strawberries. The strong scent of the leaves masks the smell of the plants for insects and predators. Plus, blooming sage attracts bees and other pollinators, improving the strawberry crop. 15 of 18 Lemon Balm Sage is a good companion plant for herbs with similar growing conditions, and lemon balm is one of them. It is also a perennial that thrives in full sun and requires little to moderate watering. 16 of 18 Oregano Oregano is considered a good companion plant for sage, especially in an herb garden with mostly perennial herbs. Both sage and oregano thrive in full sun and sandy soil and stand up to moderate drought. 17 of 18 Peppermint Peppermint is another good companion for sage because of similar growing conditions. However, because of its rampant growth, you need to keep peppermint from overgrowing sage, which stays much more compact and does not spread like peppermint. A good way to control peppermint is to plant it in a container with the bottom removed, which restrict its horizontal root growth. 18 of 18 Rosemary Rosemary and sage are a classic combo not only in the kitchen (and in song), but also in an herb garden. These sun-loving herbs are both members of the mint family and share the same growing requirements; once established, they are both drought-tolerant.

Edible berries, lush leaves, and arching stems make evergreen huckleberries one of the most decorative native shrubs available on the West Coast. They’re favorites of local birds, mammals, bugs, and gardeners! Grow one today and your neighbors will ask, “What’s that gorgeous plant in your yard?” Close relatives of blueberries, lingonberries, and cranberries, huckleberries are forest-dwelling shrubs that produce bushels of edible fruit. They love shady sites underneath tree canopies. You’ll notice them thriving in western forests beneath Douglas fir trees, coast redwoods, hemlocks, pines, and firs. Unlike blueberry plants, this native shrub has specific requirements that limit its range. Extreme frost, low humidity, and sunny exposures may cause issues for the growing shrub. Grant it what it needs so it rewards you with healthy evergreen growth throughout the warm seasons. Whether you’re planting an edible garden or one for pollinators, huckleberries work well in many landscape styles. Use them in borders, mass plantings, or tree wells beneath large specimens. I planted mine next to lingonberry, blueberry, and raspberry shrubs; they all happily grow together! What Is It? Evergreen huckleberry is a member of the Vaccinium genus alongside other fruiting shrubs. There are deciduous huckleberries also native to the U.S., though they thrive in colder regions throughout the country. The evergreen type originates where temperatures are mild year-round with few winter frosts. Native Area Growing wild from California through northern British Columbia, the shrub has a wide range of habitats it prefers. You’ll see it happily growing in mixed coniferous forests in Oregon, redwood forests in California, and at high elevations where temperatures are cool and moisture is abundant. A good way to find this shrub in the wild is to look for other plants that grow alongside it. Native species like salal, Pacific rhododendron, and Western sword fern are abundant in the same environments as this huckleberry. They all prefer cool, moist winters, dry summers, and partial shade or full sun. Characteristics This shrub differs in appearance depending on the environmental conditions. Sites with full sun and dry summers will lead to short, squat, and bushy specimens. Shadier sites beneath trees and at woodland’s edges form a more graceful stature; they grow arching stems that reach up and over. All plants display reddish new growth in late winter and early spring. The triangular leaves turn bright green over time, creating a lovely contrast with red-green shifting foliage. Flowers appear shortly after new growth resumes. They’re white and urn-shaped like the blossoms from related plants in the Ericaceae family like blueberries, lingonberries, and manzanitas. In shady sites, an evergreen huckleberry may reach up to eight feet tall! It’ll stay short and squat in sunny, dry sites, remaining under five feet tall. The sunlight influences its overall appearance. Planting This blueberry relative thrives in a wide range of environments, from dry California forests to wet ones in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike most native shrubs, growing this one from seeds is an easy task! The seeds don’t require cold stratification, and they readily germinate shortly after the berries fall off the plant.

If you’re ready to slice into heirloom goodness this summer, look to the ‘Brandywine’ tomato for a huge slicing tomato with a long garden history. The unbeatable flavor keeps ‘Brandywine’ at the top of heirloom tomato varieties. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in exploring how to grow ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes in your garden. Brandywine tomatoes are the quintessential summer-slicing heirloom tomato. These are the big beauties we envision when it comes to classic, old-fashioned tomato varieties beloved in the garden and the kitchen, from tomato sandwiches to Caprese salads and topping burgers right off the grill. These are the best-known heirloom vegetable for good reason. The hefty fruits are large and meaty in red, pink, yellow, and orange shades. They feature exceptional, flavor-rich, sweet, and slightly spicy fruits – characteristic of the variety and a gold standard for other tomatoes. Here, we’ll explore how (and why) to grow heirloom ‘Brandywine’ in our own gardens. By summer’s end, we can slice into some of the most flavorful tomatoes grown today. What are Brandywine Tomatoes? A garden favorite for over 100 years, this heirloom tomato variety is prized for its large, flavorful fruits. ‘Brandywine’ generates lore and a bit of mystery surrounding its history, from Amish origins to multiple strains by the same name. That’s the fun of heirlooms – tracing tales and generational gardening knowledge. Heirloom vegetables represent our heritage crops, cultural foodways, and selections preserved for exceptional flavor and growing qualities. The term “heirloom” varies when it comes to vegetables. Heirloom can mean plants grown before 1951, when the first hybrids became commercially available, or antique varieties passed down from generation to generation for preservation. Heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated (not hybrids) and come true from seed. Seeds are saved from season to season for the next planting. The seed company Johnson and Stokes introduced the original ‘Brandywine’ tomato (also known as ‘Red Brandywine’) in their 1889 catalog after receiving seeds from a customer in Ohio. The old-fashioned tomato gets its name from Brandywine Creek in Chester County, Pennsylvania. In 1982, this variety surged in popularity among heirloom varieties when Seed Savers Exchange obtained seeds from an Ohio family. Since its introduction, several strains have become available for the contemporary garden. ‘Pink Brandywine’ is a historic grower originally from the garden of Dorris Sudduth Hill, whose family grew it for over 100 years. There’s something special about growing longstanding varieties passed along from generation to generation for their flavor, growth, and performance qualities. While these tender beefsteak-types may not be in the grocery store, they are farmer’s market favorites. Growing them in our own gardens invites a little food way history and culture into every juicy bite and preserves the integrity of the heirloom’s traits. Characteristics ‘Brandywine’ produces 10 to 30 ounce fruits on productive plants. The fruits are dense and “meaty.” Some yield fruits up to two pounds—that’s a lot of tomato! As an indeterminate plant, The vines reach six feet long or more. Indeterminate tomato plants grow and produce fruit all season until frost. ‘Brandywine’ produces fruit late in the season, about 76 to 100 days after plants go into the ground. This is nearly 30 days later than many other tomato varieties. It takes time to grow such large, luscious fruits. Grow it with different tomato varieties like cherry and roma for fruits throughout the season. ‘Brandywine’ plants have an upright growth habit that benefits from staking, caging, or trellising. Their stems and leaves are hairy, and their scent is easily recognizable as that of a tomato plant. The deeply lobed, coarse leaves resemble those of a potato plant. Clusters of yellow flowers lead to fruits after pollination, and ‘Brandywine’ produces one to two fruits per cluster. Tomatoes are in the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, which includes eggplant, tomatillos, potatoes, and peppers. Native Area All tomatoes originate from wild ancestors in Central and South America, and their growing range follows the coastlines below the Andes Mountains. Indigenous cultures utilized and grew them for thousands of years, spreading the crop from Ecuador to Chile. Spanish colonists returned with tomatoes to Europe. In the 16th century, they became incorporated into European cuisine but were feared as toxic as nightshades. It was in the 18th century that tomatoes became more widely cultivated and used for culinary purposes. They are tender perennials in regions where they are hardy (USDA zones 10 and 11) and grow as warm-season annuals everywhere else. Planting You can grow ‘Brandywine’ easily from seed or purchase them in cell packs and nursery pots ready for planting right in the ground. They are frost-sensitive plants, requiring warm air and soil temperature for best growth. Whether seedlings or sturdy nursery-grown plants, they are ready to move outdoors after the last expected frost has passed and as nighttime temperatures are above 55°F (13°C), with plants taking off in the heat of summer. In-ground tomatoes benefit from annual crop rotations. Avoiding planting where other nightshades grew in the same year helps stave off transmittable diseases. So, don’t plant your new plants in a plot where you’ve grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, or eggplants in the last year. Space plants three to four feet apart. If planting in rows, space rows three to four feet apart to give the vining stems plenty of growing room and circulation. Plant them deep—burying stems up to the first leaf node (or even pinching those leaves and burying the node) encourages more roots to grow. Plants with robust root systems are more stable and have greater nutrient uptake. Indeterminate tomatoes need support structures for best growth. These include stakes, cages, or trellises. Long-vining plants like ‘Brandywine’ can grow on a fence, around a pole, or on an arch if given support and air circulation and tied off as stems grow throughout the season. ‘Brandywine’ also grows in containers as long the pot is large enough to accommodate mature plants with plenty of soil volume for a robust root system. A 20-gallon pot gives large, indeterminate varieties ample room to grow. If starting from seed, direct sow seeds in their growing container one to two weeks after the last frost. Thin seedlings as they sprout. How to Grow As an annual crop, tomatoes grow in a single cycle. They benefit from specific cultural conditions for the best growth and vigor. Large varieties like ‘Brandywine’ are susceptible to uneven ripening, cracking, catface deformations, and sometimes low yields. Meeting their cultural requirements gives plants a head start for healthy, carefree growth. Maintenance The tall, rambling stems get leggy as the end of summer approaches. After the season of growing and producing, it’s understandable that the long stems get a bit rangy; it’s part of the nature of large, indeterminate varieties. Pruning isn’t necessary with caged ‘Brandywine’ plants, nor is it essential for staked or trellised plants, though pinching off suckering offshoots to direct nutrients and growth benefits non-caged growers. When plants are 18-24 inches tall, pinching off the lower six to ten inches of growth at the base of the tomato increases air circulation to plants. This pinching isn’t essential to growth, but some gardeners find it helpful. Lastly, mulching at planting and as needed during the growing season helps with moisture retention, weed suppression, and soil temperature regulation. A clean, weed-free straw or cover of leaf litter or aged woodchips does the job.