6 Companion Plants To Grow Under Fruit Trees For A Bigger Harvest

Fruit trees can always benefit from extra help. Many require consistent moisture and need lots of bees around to produce a bumper crop. Fruit trees can be plagued by a long list of pests and are susceptible to fungal diseases. If you don’t want to spend all your time watering, spraying, and fencing off your fruit trees, underplanting them with beneficial companion plants can give them the boost they need.

We’ve gathered a list of the best companion plants to grow under fruit trees. These groundcovers, herbs, and flowers shade the soil, conserve moisture, attract pollinators, and repel pests. They are by no means the only good companions for an orchard, but these plants tend to grow well underneath your fruit trees.

Cover Crops To Grow Under Fruit Trees

White Clover

• Botanical Name: Trifolium repens
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Type: Medium, well-draining, average fertility
• Soil pH: Acidic to neutral (5.1–7.3)

Growing clover under fruit trees has many benefits. Once it gets going, a thick stand of clover suppresses weeds and shades the soil. Clover is also a nitrogen fixer, which means it absorbs nitrogen from the air and stores it in its roots. While blooming, clover attracts many bees and other pollinators. If you want a carpet of green under your fruit trees, clover is a much better choice than grass. You can find seed at farm stores and online.

Strawberries

• Botanical Name: Fragaria × ananassa
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part sun
• Soil Type: Rich, loamy, well-draining clay
• Soil pH: Acidic (5.5-6.5)

Strawberries are another cover crop that can act as a living mulch, shading the soil and conserving moisture. The shallow roots are unlikely to compete with your tree, and you’ll get to harvest fresh berries for your smoothies and desserts. Strawberry plants need sunlight to produce a good harvest, so plant them where they won’t be in the shade all day. Wild strawberries can be fairly shade-tolerant.

Herbs To Grow Under Fruit Trees

Chamomile

• Botanical Name: Matricaria chamomilla
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
• Soil Type: Well-draining loam, sand
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic, neutral (5.6-7.5)

Chamomile is a low-growing herb sometimes grown as a lawn alternative. The plants are fragrant, moderately drought-tolerant, and willing to grow in partial sun, especially in the South. Chamomile has natural antifungal properties and attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects while it blooms in summer. Dry the blossoms to enjoy in your tea, but don’t use the leaves, which are toxic.

Chives And Garlic Chives

• Botanical Name: Allium schoenoprasum, A. tuberosum
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
• Soil Type: Well-drained, sandy, loamy
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0-7.0)

These smaller members of the onion family repel aphids with their strong scent. But once the globe-shaped flowers appear, chives will attract pollinators to your orchard. Chives can dry out quickly in a hot summer climate, so plant them where they will get lots of sunlight earlier in the day.

Flowers To Grow Under Fruit Trees

Daffodils

• Botanical Name: Narcissus spp.
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Moist, rich, well-draining
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic, neutral(6.0-7.0)

You can plant daffodils under any fruit trees that shed their leaves in winter. The bulbs will bloom in the spring sunshine before the trees fully leaf out. Deer and rodents really don’t like daffodils, so a dense planting can discourage them from gnawing on your tree’s stems and roots.

Marigolds

• Botanical Name: Tagetes spp.
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, light afternoon shade
• Soil Type: Well-drained, rich, clay, loamy, sandy
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0)

Marigolds repel root pests and attract beneficial predatory insects like ladybugs and hoverflies. Their strong scent may also mask the sweet smell of fruit and other crops. Grow marigolds in sunny spots around your fruit trees to help keep aphids and whiteflies at bay. Marigolds can handle light afternoon shade without problems.